March in Review/April Goals

First, a photo of the Ort Jar, with its top layer reflecting what I have done this month: a bit of a muddy melange this month with its icy winter colors from the dragon and the autumnal colors from the faerie and the neutral tones of the stitcher. Stitching has been less of a focus this month: professionally, there has been quite a bit more going on than usual and recreationally, I have been reading more than stitching in a reversal of recent month's practice. What stitching I managed was done primarily on my Crazy January Challenge. I also have been prey to fatigue, almost to the point of exhaustion. I am so looking forward to the Easter break ... maybe I can regain my equilibrium. It is sad, though, to find myself wishing away the intervening days ... at my age, one should really make every effort to savor each and every moment.

MARCH GOALS

BAP: Continue work on TW's Autumn Faerie Some small progress has been made.

Crazy January Challenge: Complete Dragon Dream's The Ice Dragon's Kingdom [Day 2 Project] and Homespun Elegance's The Stitcher [Day 3 project] The Ice Dragon's Kingdom is done but for the beading, I am just waiting for those to arrive from 123stitch. And considerable progress has been made on The Stitcher, I forsee an early April finish.

Sewing/Finishing: Get three finishes done. NO.

Surface Embroidery: master the boullion stitch Well, I did order and receive the milliner's needles that are recommended for use in this stitch ... does that count?

WIPs & UFOs of 2010: Continue work on Workbasket's Quaker Sampler, the Jacobean Elegance afghan, the Fertile Circles Needlebook and the Beach Find Pansies panel. NO.

APRIL GOALS

BAP: Continue to work on The Autumn Faerie.

Crazy January Challenge: Complete Homespun Elegance's The Stitcher and Witches Stitch, Too.

Sewing/Finishing: Try and complete four projects, to catch up to the annual goal of one a month

Surface Embroidery: Now that I have the recommended milliner's needles, there's no further excuse to avoid practicing the boullion stitch.

WIPs & UFOs of 2010: Catching up to current goals would require stitching three motifs and 6 letters on the Workbasket Quaker Sampler, three motifs on the Jacobean Elegance afghan, finishing the back of the Fertile Circles needlebook and adding the serpent to the front before assembling it and completing at least one bloom on the Beach Find Pansies panel. That's rather ambitious even for me, queen of the unrealistically optimistic goals, so I shall just settle for making some progress on each project.