International Hermit and Stitch Weekend, February 20 - 22, 2015

I finally dug out some stitchery over the weekend and put in several hours embroidering and beading a crazy quilt block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2015. I had originally intended the base block to be for January but, it took a turn and I made it into my February block (January will be started as soon as I acquire some foundation fabric!). Since it is reasonably heavily beaded, I also want to make this my Bead Journal Project entry for February. ( I was undecided on whether or not to do BJP this year, given time constraints, but decided that I would return to my dual entries like the ones I stitched in 2012. Might as well kill two birds with one stone and I do miss the beading!).

Week Six, February 12, 2015

Yet another week with no stitching. I did make it to quilt guild and found out why I will NEVER EVER submit one of my quilts (assuming I ever complete one) for judging! But otherwise, it's tax season and now I am buried in receipts and the like. See you when I emerge, hopefully victorious!

Week Five - February 5, 2015

A whole week with a sinus headache and cough. Not the kind of week to do anything that requires focus, and stitchery is surely that! So nothing to report...

WIPocalypse 2015 - February 4, 2015

This month's topic for discussion is "How do you overcome that feeling that you’re in a rut with a particular project?"

I'm afraid I have no answer for this one. At present, I am in a rut with two big projects: 

• "Roll Your Own Mandalas", of which there are 9, and I had planned to do all nine on one piece of fabric; I am stalled at #3, "Bride"!
• "Save the Stitches" blackwork sampler, where I have the entire piece outlined but have more than half of the filling stitches to do

It doesn't help that, along with these big pieces, which are, of necessity slow going because they are so big, I have committed along the way to several smaller pieces that have deadlines: Crazy Quilt Journal Project, Bead Journal Project, and Take A Stitch Tuesday. And while the last of these (TAST) is pretty straightforward, the other two require some introspection and creativity which I am finding increasingly difficult.

I expect my solution is to take a short vacation from all of these. This year, that vacation was a two week cruise *and* an overlapping sinus infection (with accompanying headache and cough) which pretty much killed my stitching mojo. Since returning to cold and snowy Ohio, and recovering, more or less, from the sinus issues, I have been paper crafting instead. 

Needless to say, I have little to report since the last WIPocalypse report in January. Another color has been stitched into "Bride" and a base block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project/January 2015, has been assembled Other than that, nil, nada, zilch, zero! I'm hoping that, by the next WIPocalypse, I will have my mojo back and will have progress to report for my stitchery!

A belated wrap-up. Weeks Two through Four, January 15 - 29, 2015 and International Hermit and Stitch Weekend January 16 - 18, 2015

It's been a while and I really can't remember when all was going on in week two, except that we were prepping for a two-week cruise. So the little stitchery I accomplished was pre-January 10: some more color into "Brides":

I did pack my travel projects ("Biltmore" and "Palm Tree Elegance") but never opened them... the trip didn't leave a lot of spare time and what time there was, I was either reading or sick as a dog; still am, for that matter, and I can't see doing a lot of stitchery while I have this sinus headache, cough and tummy issues so... And so I also have nothing to report for the first IHSW of 2015!

Week five is likely to be a bust as well. I just don't feel well enough to focus on needlework. There goes any semblance of keeping up with deadlines (Crazy Quilt Journal Project or Bead Journal Project) let a lone making progress on the Roll Your Own Mandalas or the Save Your Stitches pieces. 

So I'll leave you with some cruise highlights:

View from hotel veranda, Papeete, January 12 AM

Hotel Room, Moorea, January 12 - 14

Moorea, Opunohu Bay, January 13

Bora Bora, January 19 - 21

Bora Bora pare shop, January 20

Raiatea, The Sacred Island, January 22, 2015

and finish with a little eye-candy (just two of the baggage handlers at the Intercontinental Resort and Spa, Papeete, Tahiti - a great way to arrive, but not enough to tempt me to ever take that flight, ever again!):

Week One, January 8, 2015

This week has been spent tidying up from the holidays (although the Christmas decorations are still up and I don't know WHEN I'll be motivated to work on those!). However, since my WIPocalypse report on the 5th, I have stitched some more on my Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2015 block (some chain stitch to tack down the felt flourish applique - murder on needles as the flourish is self-adhesive and the glue seems to love my sharps):

and completed another color on "Bride" in the RYO mandala series (six of 12 colors done ans a seventh 50% complete):

Quilt Guild meeting for tonight has been cancelled due to the extremely cold (for here, at least) weather so that will free up another night for stitchery, so I have hopes that I can finish at least one more color before the weekend. 

WIPocalypse 2015 - January 5, The Wolf Moon

This month's topic for WIPocalypse is "Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year!" 

I'm Carol, AKA ThatYank in NW Ohio, which identifies me and where I am. I'm a retired teacher (community college level) and into many forms of stitchery: Cross stitch, blackwork and needlepoint primarily although I used to do a lot of crewel (MANY full moons ago!) and have dabble in quilting and knitting. 

My projects at this time are two BAPs: Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches" SAL (in progress since late February, 2014) and Tracy Horner's "Roll Your Own" (RYO) mandala series (first mandala begun late January, 2014; the third of nine begun late June, 2014). When it is active (it is currently on holiday), I participate in Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) . I also am enrolled in the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) for 2015 and, while enrolled, have not yet decided on the Bead Journal Project 2015 (BJP)

I try not to set goals or make resolutions of any kind but... Where stitchery is concerned, I'm going to try to stay on schedule with TAST and CQJP and get at least one of those BAPs completed.

So my WIPocalypse status of this, the first full moon of 2015 is as follows:

The outlines for the "Save the Stitches" piece are complete, leaving only the fill for "blocks" 10 through 24 and the beading for all 24 releases:

Five colors and complete and a sixth is 25% complete on "Bride", the third of nine mandalas in the RYO series:

The base block for my January CQJP is prepared and threads and beads have been selected:

With the holidays interfering near the end of 2014 and clearing up after them continuing into this month, and with tax preparation looming on the horizon (we are switching accountants and that could really complicate things), I don't hold out a lot of hope for major progress to be reported for February's full moon. But we shall see...