Plans...

      Who doesn't love the New Year-- a fresh start, making plans, organizing... it's great! To close out last year, we got the tree down and the ornaments put away, but there's still other decorations here and there I like to have out for a bit, like snowmen and angels which are still wintery. Yes-- we are the annoying neighbors who leave our wreath up on the door 'til Valentine's Day! This guy, however, didn't stand much of a chance and he was "put away" rather quickly. Mmmmm.

We are currently under a storm watch-- our first snow. First, it was 1-3, then 2-5, then 5-8, and now I've seen up to 10" being predicted. I'm really excited for it! It's only Thursday, but it seems like the weekend. I will be sure to get some pictures-- I love to take pictures of the snow.

Some people have all their 2021 projects closed out, and are full swing into 2022. I'm taking a little bit of a softer approach this year, and not planning too far ahead. I want to just focus on one or two things at a time. I did whip up some planner pages for myself, and you might like to have them, too-- I put them up for free on the website. I just don't want to shell out $50+ for a planner this year. Mine is coming out super cute! I'm going to make a little video of it with ideas of how to use it. I called Staples, and for $5 they will spiral bind it for me! Now, the age old problem is just to USE it!

This got retired for a few months. I came to a really good stopping point. There's a corner with Halloween in the lower left, and Back to School is the theme on the right. I used an online cross stitch calculator that told me it will take me four months to finish, based on what I already have done. So I already marked on my planner to take it out May 1st-- done and framed and on my wall for September. This thing is already huge-- if adding a double mat and a huge frame is wrong, I don't wanna be right. I LOVE IT!

So now for my "new" winter morning hand stitch project, it's time to finish my 1997 Baltimore Out of the Box Quilt! I'm sure some of you old-timers will recognize this-- it was a BOM from Keepsake Quilting. I took it back out about four years ago, and all I have left now is to finish a couple of the harder blocks and make two more borders. This is the picture that came with it.

I believe this was the block that convinced me to abandon the project all those years ago! Those blobby ivy leaves are pretty challenging for me. I've been happily using Appliquik materials for a couple of years-- these shapes are pretty hard to prep. I might be better off just trying to needleturn them. 

Not good so far.

Fortunately, this is also the year I choose to let go of that unicorn called Perfection, be kind to myself, and git 'er done!

That's the handwork "thing" I'm focusing on-- here's my piecing "thing" I work on at night. This is a pattern called "Winterville" by Thimble Blossoms. I started it about three years ago. The original pattern was blue snowflakes on a white background, but everyone knows snowflakes are supposed to be white, so I reversed it out.

The fabric is this impeccable Christmas line called
TOLE CHRISTMAS.

So I remember being disappointed that the greens didn't show up well on the teal background I picked, and it got put away. The 28 red and TINY Ohio Star blocks didn't help my creative juices, either. But, if I just FOCUSED on this for a short period of time, it could be finished and loved by somebody who could care less about the greens, right? And offer some great longarm practice, because it won't reach that "precious" stage that makes you afraid of ruining  a thing. So I pulled it back out over the holiday and have made more progress. Ten more stars and then twelve houses and it's done. I'm really enjoying working on it again.

Another resolution for the year-- I could have quite a few quilts made this year if some further ahead UFOs just got a little push!

Then, on the business side of my sewing obsession, the Birth Month Mug Rugs are a hit! Thank you so very much for the response. After the website debacle last year, the creative juices dried up, so I needed the win. I might make scrappy pillows out of my mug rugs, but then again, wouldn't it be great to combine them in a big quilt? Let's see what happens together!

Some of you want to pay for the entire series at once-- so when February's is ready, I will offer a pre-pay at a reduced price for the whole series. It's going to be fabulous.

Set 8 of Carefree Highways is going to be our remaining Eastern Seaboard states. I cannot believe there are only 15 states to go-- I was so hesitant to start this project-- it seemed HUGE. I am really going to focus on this and try to finish the states and the quilt by the end of April. It's already in my planner-- so it has to happen right?

Georgia is no longer on my mind-- it's finished. Georgians, you have to wait for the set of five Seaboard states!

So there it is, I have showed you four projects when I said I was only going to work on one or two at a time-- well, business projects do not count-- that's work-- heehee!

So here's hoping for a long, lustrous, and productive winter... and that the power stays on!

xox

Carol