2018 WIPocalypse: November

In November, my stitchy bug went off to play and sulk, alternatively.  I did work on several projects, and diamond painting, at least.   

My rotation started November 4 with We Do Disney, it took 2 days and I finished. 

I also worked on the mini Mandala for 5 Days, I stitched the November Mandala and worked another significant chunk of the border.  I should be able to finish in December, maybe 3 days will do it.

On the 17th, I was lucky to visit Needleworker’s Delight in Metuchen, NJ.  I saw several stitchy friends from the NY/NJ area that day and I was encouraged to sign up for Arlene’s retreat next August.  And I met one of my favorite designers, Joan Elliott!  It was lovely to stitch and chat, the day flew by.  Joan is wonderful, gracious and charming.  I started her Fairy Delights biscornu, which is precious but not really my cup of tea, so it’s not going into my rotation.  On the way home, we stopped in Berlin, NJ to visit "Diggerland" which was super fun.  I floated the idea of moving to the Philadelphia area.  Husband was not entirely disagreeable to the notion.  

Fall Fairy got 3 days, to complete the backstitch on the bottom left page.  So much for being a November focus & finish goal!  But hope springs eternal and I am very close now!  

Boo Club also had 3 days.  I took one evening to stitch the ghost line then realized almost the entire piece was spaced incorrectly.  Fudging it was impossible.  So, I decided to frog the entire border, which took hours.  Then, I started from the top and restitched it.  Now, the Spooky Line is too far right; all the others are centered. I think I can live with one line askew, just not 11.  Maybe 2 more days to stitch the last line and finish the border? 

So I had 14 stitchy days of 25 (so far).  There were 2 awesome trips,  sickness and general malaise, and the Thanksgiving holidays.  Hopefully next month will be better since I have a small model stitch to do as well as my personal goals. 

Question of the Month: What new stitches or techniques did you learn this year?  Rien.  Nada.  None.  This year was all about getting my WIPs under control, which basically meant not starting things all the time.  Back to basics in a way.  

My plan for December is to finish 4 pieces.... Fall Fairy, Charmed Santa, Boo Club, and Mini Mandalas.  Santa is the heaviest lift so I’ll start with that one.  As for my model stitch, I’ll start it ASAP and see if I can finish in the last 5 days of November (it’s small). If things are going well, I may start Celtic Winter on Solstice.  Perhaps there will be time to work on Winnie the Pooh and /or start the Queen Anne house on my Christmas village after Christmas.  I also have framing goal(s), sewing projects, and an Elf on the shelf which I may or may not take out of the box.  Happy holidays, everyone! 

Comments

[Robin in Virginia]

I think you made great progress on your projects. How fun to take a trip to Needleworker's Delight plus meeting one of your favorite designers! Enjoy the rest of the week and the coming weekend!

[Leonore Winterer]

Even if you only had a few good stitching days, at least you made the most out of them! Your projects look wonderful and I'm sure there will be a few finishes before the end of the year.
Do I spy a few missing stitches on the left 'leg' of the leftmost mandala in the second row?

[Astrid]

More great progress and I love your Disney finish! The fairies are going to be adorable.
It sounds like you had a fun day with friends and how wonderful that you met Joan.

[Joanne P]

You are so lucky to have met Joan! She was in Wales a couple of years back, on my Birthday but my husband was working so I couldn't go.

The Mandalas look fantastic.

[Cathy Broome]

Beautiful projects. I think you got alot done this month.