2013 Accomplishments

I guess I did all right this year.  I finished ten of my Crazy January starts. I managed to get down to two left from 2011, and both of those are in my current rotation being worked on.  I also completed sixty projects and finished some of them into gifts, ornaments, and items to show.  That last I need to work on more in the coming year.  I will be doing the Crazy January thing again this year, with all new pieces.

I also traveled a lot this year - to the Ukraine, to France, to Germany, to Romania, to Poland, and to the US.  Maybe next year I'll travel less and get more stitching done.

End Of Year Report

I managed to do a lot and not do a lot simultaneously this year.  My crazy January shows that the most.  I finished two more of the 2011 ones and completed only 12 of my starts for this year.  On the other hand, my project book says there are 75 completed projects logged since the first of January.  It doesn't feel like that many!

End of Year Totals

I added up my finished projects this year, and here is what I ended up with:

22 cross stitch projects
21 crazy quilting projects
44 temari
5 needlepoint
1 crewel

The temari were mainly for presents and donations; few of them stretched my abilities due to time pressures.  I'm hoping to get a better handle on that next year.  I'm also hoping to get more needlepoint and crewel done.

A Crazy Start to the New Year

I love starting projects.  The thrill of putting a needle into an unmarred piece of fabric is a real pull for me.  So how could I resist when I heard about this challenge?  Start a new project each of the first fifteen days of the year, and then try to finish them all by the end of the year.  Most of the ones I've picked are small, and I figure this is a new way to do goals for the year.  I've started my first piece today.  It's at the top of the list I'm adding to every day as I add a new project.  Maybe it'll make me somewhat accountable...

2010 Stitching Goals

After reviewing how I did last year, I'm ready to share my goals for this year.

1.  Get through part 9 of Medieval Town Mandala.  I've only been working steadily on this for four years.  What's one more?

2.   Complete part 5 of Tuscany Town Mandala.

3. Keep up with the Ornament a Month Stitchalong on the Friendly Stitchers group.

4.  Manage my Marquoir group stitchalongs better, in that I don't fall as far behind as I am currently.

5.  Finish Lady of the Flag.

6.  Finish Church Street.

7.  Do the finishing on at least five completed pieces - this would be items destined to be ornaments and soft furnishings.

8.  Stitch a stocking for TImothy.

9.  Continue working UFO's into my rotation, alternating with new starts.

10.  Make myself a purse.

11.  Start and finish the correspondence courses City Walk (ANG) and Plum Blossoms (EGA) on time.

I'm sure I'll have some shift in priorities during the year.  I always do.

2009 Goal Review

These were my goals for 2009.  I'm reporting my progress on them before committing to anything for 2010.

1. Finish Medieval Town Mandala. Doable, probably.

Well, I got two more parts done.  I'm now starting part seven, so progress, but no where near done.2. Make significant progress on my other Chatelaines, including finishing Workshop 1.
I did finish Workshop 1 - and Workshop 2, also.  I also completed the Baroque Midi Mystery.  Tuscany Town Mandala is still only on Part 4, but does have a lot more stitching done on it.

3. Complete Diamond Iris, an ANG Chapter Project Book project - this MUST be done by July 1, as I'm teaching it for CyberPointers.
This one wasn't even started.  CyberPointers and I parted on - not the best of terms.

4. Complete Midnight Garden by Orna Willis - the stitchalong I'm leading for CyberPointers. It starts Saturday.
I did complete this, and Timothy framed it for me!

5. Finish Bibendum.
It's done and in the process of being framed.

6. Make 20 ornaments. These will probably be mostly temari.
I don't think I quite made it to twenty, but the majority were mostly temari and mostly in December.

7. Complete Cobblefield Road - this should be quick, as I'm about nine tenths of the way there.
Finished and framed.
 8. Make a stocking for my husband.
This one wasn't started due to the Chatelaines taking so long.  Timothy will get his stocking, and I will start it this year.

9. Work The Traveler by Teresa Wentzler and the house by Barbara and Cheryl into my rotation.
I managed to work the Barbara and Cheryl house (Church Street) into my rotation.  Still haven't been able to fit in The Traveler.  It's waiting there, though.

10. Complete Lady of the Flag.
Not complete, but about 80 to 90% done.  Getting there.
 11. Do one crewel piece and one goldwork piece.
Didn't manage to add either one of  these to my rotation.

12. Make myself a purse.
Not even started.
 13. Keep my rotation to ten pieces, no more.
This one I accomplished, kind of.  There are ten slots in the rotation - it's just that all the stitchalongs from the Marquoir group take up one of the slots and rotate within it.

14. Finish at least two UFO's and old WIP's.
Did this.

15. Reduce my stash significantly.
I did reduce the size by quite a bit.
Overall, I did all right.  Not brilliantly, and definitely not as much as I wanted to.  But better than in some years.

Goals for 2009

I wonder if I can be a bit more realistic in my goals for this year. I hope so! Anyway, here they are, in no particular order:

1. Finish Medieval Town Mandala. Doable, probably.

2. Make significant progress on my other Chatelaines, including finishing Workshop 1.

3. Complete Diamond Iris, an ANG Chapter Project Book project - this MUST be done by July 1, as I'm teaching it for CyberPointers.

4. Complete Midnight Garden by Orna Willis - the stitchalong I'm leading for CyberPointers. It starts Saturday.

5. Finish Bibendum.

6. Make 20 ornaments. These will probably be mostly temari.

7. Complete Cobblefield Road - this should be quick, as I'm about nine tenths of the way there.

8. Make a stocking for my husband.

9. Work The Traveler by Teresa Wentzler and the house by Barbara and Cheryl into my rotation.

10. Complete Lady of the Flag.

11. Do one crewel piece and one goldwork piece.

12. Make myself a purse.

13. Keep my rotation to ten pieces, no more.

14. Finish at least two UFO's and old WIP's.

15. Reduce my stash significantly.

I hope I can do all these!

How'd I Do? Looking Back at 2008

Last December, I posted my stitching goals for this year (http://blog.fiberholic.net/2007/12/stitchy-goals-for-2008.html). It's time to call myself to account and see how I did.

1. Complete the Medieval Town Mandala. I started it in May of 2006 and have been working steadily on it since then. It's about time it was done.

Not done, but I did make progress on it throughout the year.

2. Work two pieces that have been languishing for over a year into my rotation. Both are quite a ways toward completion. One is The Traveler by Teresa Wentzler. The other is a Barbara and Cheryl house.

Still not done, but will be in my rotation as I complete things in January.

3. Finish Crewel Choices. This has an actual deadline of the end of January.

Done!

4. Finish Celtic Knot. This one also has a deadline of the beginning of March. It's for my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary.

Done!

5. Complete an ornament a month. It doesn't matter the method. Just make an ornament each month instead of bunching them all up at the end of the year.

Well, I did end up doing twelve, but they were bunched up at the end of the year and were mostly temari. I'm going to try to get better this coming year.

6. Complete the Take It Further Challenge. This means incorporating whatever the challenge is into a piece every month.

I managed to complete the January one and then got snowed under with other things.

7. Complete, on time, the two GCC's I've signed up for that start in the next couple of weeks. One is the 17th Century English Sampler and the other one is the Swiss Sampler.

English Sampler was completeded - Swiss Sampler was not started.

8. Make a new stocking for my husband. His got fused together in our last move and it's not well finished. He needs a new one.

Not yet started.
9. Complete Lady of the Flag to be raffled for charity.

Significant progress, but not finished.

10. Make significant progress on the Chatelaine pieces I'm working on that are not specificially listed otherwise in these goals.

Made progress on Tuscany but not the Victorian Garden.

11. Complete Midi Mystery 2. It was started in July of 2006. About time I got it done.

Done as of a couple of days ago.

12. Make one goldwork piece.

Did not make, BUT ... I received Luck of the Irish with its kit in the mail a couple of days ago. It will go into my rotation also in March.

13. Stitch Velo Bibendum for my husband. I haven't made anything specifically for him in a while. It's time.

It's started.

14. Make myself a purse. I don't have a single item of stitching that I wear or carry with me that's completed.

Not yet started.

15. Stitch a design created by my daughter Tory.

Done! It's the project for CyberPointers' January program.

Obviously, I could have done better. On the other hand, I could have done worse. Overall, I completed 48 pieces this year, including some big ones. I'll write my goals for next year tomorrow. They'll probably be overly ambitious too, but what's the worth of a goal if you don't try to stretch yourself?

February Recap

Especially compared with January, my stitching success in February wasn't. There is the excuse that I was down with the flu for a week of it, but I feel like things just got away from me. I only completed four projects, and none of them was my Take It Further challenge or my ornament challenge. I seem to have hit the doldrums.

The Take It Further challenge was "What are you old enough to remember?" Immediately when I read it, I thought of mimeographs, dittoes in the old parlance. Before copiers, there was a different printing method that involved ink and mess and a certain smell of solvents. By the time I was in high school, the age of mimeographs was over, but I still remember the smell. I have something designed; I just haven't gotten around to stitching it. I'll try to get it started next weekend.

With the ornament, I was just so sick on the day of and am just now creeping back to normal. I'll be working on it tomorrow, and I have it started. It's a Papillon Creations freebie called Winter Wood, but I'm doing it in monochrome. I feel so behind.

On the good side, Part 3 of the Midi Mystery is complete. That means it's well over halfway finished. Band two of the 17th Century English Sampler is done, which means I'm on track for it. And Band five of Tiramisu is complete. I guess this means I did -something- this month.

Goals Progress

No pictures this post, just an update on my goals. I posted them here in December. This month I finished six projects, including one UFO. One was an ornament, which means I'm on track for that goal. I did a project for the Take It Further challenge too, so I'm still on track with that goal. Crewel Choices is -almost- done and will be finished tonight or tomorrow, which means within a day of its deadline. Go me! Medieval Town Mandala is showing good progress, as is the Midi 2. I -should- be able to get them done on time. I still have yet to start my husband's stocking or his Bibendum. Soon. I'm happy with the progress I've made so far, even if January is a long month and I have more time to complete things during it.

Stitchy Goals for 2008

I'm not one for resolutions, but I am a great fan of goals. Planning is good. Feeling guilty because you took something out of order or strayed off a straight line for half a minute is not. These are things I hope to accomplish with my stitching in the new year. As I complete them, I'll update this post. They're not in any real order, just the order in which I thought of them in the past few days.

1. Complete the Medieval Town Mandala. I started it in May of 2006 and have been working steadily on it since then. It's about time it was done.

2. Work two pieces that have been languishing for over a year into my rotation. Both are quite a ways toward completion. One is The Traveler by Teresa Wentzler. The other is a Barbara and Cheryl house.

3. Finish Crewel Choices. This has an actual deadline of the end of January.

4. Finish Celtic Knot. This one also has a deadline of the beginning of March. It's for my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary.

5. Complete an ornament a month. It doesn't matter the method. Just make an ornament each month instead of bunching them all up at the end of the year.

6. Complete the Take It Further Challenge. This means incorporating whatever the challenge is into a piece every year.

7. Complete, on time, the two GCC's I've signed up for that start in the next couple of weeks. One is the 17th Century English Sampler and the other one is the Swiss Sampler.

8. Make a new stocking for my husband. His got fused together in our last move and it's not well finished. He needs a new one.

9. Complete Lady of the Flag to be raffled for charity.

10. Make significant progress on the Chatelaine pieces I'm working on that are not specificially listed otherwise in these goals.

11. Complete Midi Mystery 2. It was started in July of 2006. About time I got it done.

12. Make one goldwork piece.

13. Stitch Velo Bibendum for my husband. I haven't made anything specifically for him in a while. It's time.

14. Make myself a purse. I don't have a single item of stitching that I wear or carry with me that's completed.

15. Stitch a design created by my daughter Tory.

I think that's probably more than I'll actually finish, but it's good to be ambitious. I'll finish some and at least start others and it'll get done eventually. What are your goals for next year? Do you have something you have to/want/would love to finish? What about starting something new on the first? I know a lot of people do that too.

Time to Take Stock

No pictures in this post - just goals and such for the new year. I found out today about the Project Challenge. I'll be starting with the ten project challenge, since I've got some BAP's to do. So, to recap - what I'm working on: Midi Mystery 2, Mystery X, Mini Mandala, and Medieval Town Mandala from Chatelaine. An auction needlepoint gardening piece for the American Needlepoint Guild that MUST be done by March 1st. Bargello and Buttonholes, also needlepoint. A beading project called Ribbons and Roses from the last national EGA seminar. A French round robin. And a goldwork piece that was a class from Classic Stitches. This is what I am currently rotating through. I also have to get the goldwork GCC done by the end of March, a beading GCC done by the end of May, and two more GCC's being started in March. Plus ornaments and incidentals as the year passes. In other words, I'm BUSY. Hopefully I'll be able to at least clear some of this off my plate soon. Wish me luck!