2014 - Staying Connected, Week Fifty-Two

This week was dominated by Christmas aa Borther-in-law's and two nights of catching up on DVDs of "Midsomer Murders" (only four series to go!). But I also beaded. And I got my December Bead Journal Project ornament completed, JUST under the  wire! Snowy, my owl, entered an "Ugly Holiday Sweater" contest during this week, and I think he has a chance to win, don't you?

And once I finished with Snowy, I pulled out Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches and put in the outlines for installments 15 - 22 :

(I didn't crop my foot so you could get a feel for how big this is going to be - I wear a size 8.5 shoe!) Only two more installments of outline and then I can get to the fill patterns!

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Fifty-One

Thanks to International Hermit and Stitch Weekend for December, I finally got in some stitchery! 

I sat down at the sewing machine and stitched together the last three blocks of my 2014 Crazy Quilt Journal Project:

All it needs now is a border (or two, quilting and binding! Yeah, right, ALL it needs! LOL I have two other tops in the same stage of assembly --- requiring borders, quilting and binding. Think I'll get them done before the end of the year? Not likely! But at least I made some progress.

I also stitched a tractor motif on the 18-ct Aida bib of a Charles Craft Plush Pet teddy which I got as  a freebie in an order of floss from the DMC store:

This teddy is a before-birth gift for a new great nephew, due in February...

And finally, a completion! The November Bead Journal Project owl:

Only the December one to go! Woo Hoo!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and a Blessed Kwanzaa to everyone! 

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend - December 19 - 21

What with holiday prep, the 18th challenge for the Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge, and the fleeting nature of my stitching mojo, I didn't get much stitching in this weekend, although I did at least get my November Bead Journal Project piece started. Here's Snowy, the Owl, with a leaf theme:

He's roughly 1/3 complete and it should be able to get him done before Christmas is I plug away at him. Then it will be on to the Christmasy Owl and the year will be complete!

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Fifty

Well, another week has passed without a single stitch made. A lot happened, just not stitching!

Let's see, on the social butterfly scene, there was dinner and desert with friends who will be on the same cruise as we will be on Wednesday night, there was the holiday reception at the University President's home on Saturday, and there as Girls' Night Out on Tuesday. The Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge kept me occupied for nearly a week. Then there was the holiday stuff: over 120 Christmas cards signed, addressed, stamped, licked and mailed, and gifts for 8 people ordered (THAT was a trauma --- why have all our regular sites gone and made ordering so much more difficult?) and, in one instance, wrapped. More remain to be wrapped and the tree is still not decorated (today maybe?). Of course, it didn't help that I still haven't found my stitching mojo ...

Plans for Christmas Day still haven't been finalized as we have to get past husband's birthday today! So I make no promises for next week as well... 

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Forty-Nine

Christmas Season is now upon us and I'm not in the mood! Really. NOT in the mood. I hate to be a Scrooge, but there it is!

Husband decorated the little pine in the front yard:

I put up my hand-stitched ornament trees:

and the foyer tree is up but not decorated.

Otherwise, you wouldn't know it was Christmas around here. 

Another week of minimal stitching. I got sucked into a really harrowing round of challenges on a computer game I play, I am working (in my head, if not with my hands) on a papercrafting challenge due next Friday, and I am two years behind on one television series and one year on another (and my DVR is rapidly filling up!)! 

I did work on my Crazy quilt Block for December and reported on it in my WIPocalypse monthly report.  I signed up for Crazy Quilt Challenge 2015 (bigger blocks next year --- so now I have to come up with some sort of theme).  

I planned out and kitted my December Bead Journal piece (even though I haven't started beading the November one). Trying to decide whether I am Bead Journal Project -fatigued or not, and, therefore, whether I want to participate in 2015. What with Crazy Quilt Journal and Take a Stitch Tuesday, I suspect there are enough deadlines in my stitchery and so I should bow out but... if I do, it feels like quitting and I hate that!  What to do...

Meanwhile, here is Christmas shopping to do (yes, I haven't really started so it will be online catalogs again this year), Christmas cards to address and mail, and the entire Christmas social whirl to avoid! Oh, do I need a vacation! 

WIPocalypse 2014 - December

This WIPocalypse report is to cover my accomplishments for the year! (my finishes, my final before/after photos, etc). This should be a short report given how little I feel I have accomplished this year but I will have my personal wrap-up on December 31, JUST in case I actually accomplish something more between now and the end of the year (highly unlikely with the holidays had upon us, but I will try!)!! 

FINISHES

Quilting:

• Green Thumb Challenge quilt for my quilt guild
• "Dossier" block for the guild http
• Five "crazy Blocks" for the guild
• "Retreating the the Pines" challenge block for the guild

Bead Journal Project 2014
Ten (of twelve) atc-sized beaded ornaments: "Snowy" Owl, Love Birds, "Celtic" Owl, "Peep", "Goldfinch" Owl, Anniversary, "Patriot" Owl, "Firebird" cardinal, "Sports Fan" Owl, and "Bat Bird" The last two (one for November and one for December) are sketched and kitted but not started.

Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2014
12 blocks, the latest of which is here:

 

Take a Stitch Tuesday 2014
Forty-nine stitches: Linked Chain, Beaded Linked Chain, Shell Chain, Beaded Shell Chain, Eastern, Beaded Eastern, Triangular Buttonhole, Beaded Triangular Buttonhole, Beaded Butterfly Chain, Buttonholed Cable Chain, Beaded Buttonholed Cable Chain, Cretan Looped, Beaded Cretan Looped, Rice Stitch (varieties), Square Box, Rope, ZigZag Coral, Feathered Chain , Beaded Feathered Chain, Long Tail Chain (plain, beaded and whipped), Beaded Vandyke and Bullion Vandyke, Braided Buttonhole, Woven Trellis, Double Herringbone, Twisted Lattice, Chained Bar, Woven Chained Bar, Closed Herringbone, Beaded Herringbone, Alternating Up-and-Down Buttonhole, Beaded Alternating Up-and-Down Buttonhole, Interlaced Up-and-Down Buttonhole, Lock, Double Lock, Beaded Lock, Kiko's Flower, Triple Chain, Fern, Beaded Fern Knotted Buttonhole, Beaded Knotted Buttonhole, Barb, Beaded Barb and threaded cable chain. Whew!

Blackwork
"Ladybug & Daisy" designed by Valentina Sardu for Ajisai designs 

Cross Stitch
Wiehenburg Designs Mystery Band Sampler 
"Golfer - Fairway" designed by John Clayton 

WIPS which are STILL WIPS!

• "Save the Stitches" designed by Elizabeth Almond, for which the last three "blocks" of stitches have been issued.
• "The Roll Your Own" mandalas, of which two - the original "RYO" and "Reloaded" - are stitched and the third - "Bride" is "in progress Only six to go!!!
• "Biltmore"
• My travel needlepoint piece "Palm Tree Elegance"
• One log cabin block and one crazy block for use in a "Seed Bead Botany" online class which I have yet to start.
• The assembly of two Crazy Quilt Journal years - 2013 and 2104 - and one Bead Journal year into wall hangings Borders, sandwiching, quilting and binding required...

Kind of overwhelmed but the lack of stitchery productivity this year. I blame a rekindled interest in mixed media/papercrafting, a road trip in June and July, and the current stretch of winter holiday festivities (preparation for) for most of the loss of stitching mojo. Then there were the football games for which we got free tickets and sat in the President's Box, receptions at the President's Residence for various events, etc. etc. etc. All of which took up entire days which MIGHT have been spent stitching if I weren't otherwise engaged! We've become social butterflies! 

What is even sadder is the accumulation of taped television series on my DVR which could well take a month to view, even in binge mode!

But, as you can see, I have enough WIPs to keep me busy through 2015 and beyond!

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Forty-Eight

Pretty pathetic stitching week this week!

Thursday was all caught up in cooking for (and cleaning up after) the family Thanksgiving gathering.

Friday was the last home game of the season for our alma mater and we had tickets in the President's Box! Great view of a wonderful first quarter and three dismal quarters after that.

Saturday and Sunday, my friend Mary came down for a crafting weekend and I spent all my time either straightening up, sorting, purging or completing two outstanding papercrafting projects (you can see the latter on my blog Carol Stamps ....).

Monday was more cleaning and then an eye appointment which pretty much wiped out any chance of stitchery (I have enough trouble seeing the holes in the fabric without blurry eyes!).

Tuesday was Girls' Night Out and a late dinner at Chili's...

So, while a busy week, not a single stitch was made!