WIPocalypse 2016 - May 21

This month’s WIPoclypse discussion topic is “What were you stitching this time last year and have you finished it?”

Well, last year at this time, I had three  projects “in progress”:  the “Roll Your Own” Mandala series (the “Jan” mandala”), the “Save Your Stitches” blackwork sampler (I was at block 13), and a crazy quilt block for my Crazy Quilt/Bead Journal project combination . The one I was actually stitching on the WIPOcalypse report day for 2015 was …none of the above! I was fighting a serious, long-lasting respiratory illness and simply had stitched for  almost a month. 

Did I finish any of these? Well, sort of. 

• I finished “Jan” (in August of that year) and subsequently “Revenge” (December, 2015) and “Rematch” (May 2016) of that same series, but there is still one mandala to go, so the “Roll Your Own” piece is still a WIP. 
• I finished the blocks for the Crazy Quilt/Bead Journal wall hanging but it is not assembled into a wall hanging yet.
• I haven’t put a single stitch in “Save The Stitches” since April 2015!

Not a very good record of finishes, although there were several small pieces (A memory quilt block for a friend, an exchange Christmas ornament,  and three place mats for a quilt guild charity - Meals on Wheels) in the interim. My stitching mojo definitely has gone walkabout…

Last month, my goals were to “do better “ and in a way, I did as I finished “Rematch”   http://210920746822434353.weebly.com/my-stitchery-journal/week-twenty-may-19-2016 and got started on the outline for “Return”, the last of the nine mandalas in “Roll Your Own” (although, since I thought today was the report-in day, I have to admit that the stitching done on this outline is probably better saved for the next WIPocalyose, since I stitched on both Saturday, the 21st, and Sunday, the 22nd)

 The stitching mojo is still in hibernation — I feel as if I am forcing myself to put in a hour a day (or every other day, more like) but I am plugging along.

Next month? Well, “do better” still applies. I need to keep plugging away on “Return” and see how far I can get this summer. I know it won’t be done in time to enter in the fair (That is usually late June, early July) but maybe next year? 

Meanwhile, I planted my veggie garden yesterday (six different tomato plants, two eggplants, six summer squash and a row of bush beans) and it is going to take some of my attention this summer, as will my paper crafting (two challenges were issued today… and more are coming by the end of the month). I am reading again (two more books in the Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia MacNeal and I have several series of television programs on DVR that I MUST catch up on during the summer hiatus. Also, there is a road trip in the books for the end of June (the American Hemerocallis Society annual convention, this time in Louisville, KY), so I am going to be busy between now and the next WIPocalypse check-in!