Tuesday Tittle Tattle

S.A.B.L.E. or Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy

I have been going through the stash binder I optimistically call "Current Year's Projects".  Once upon a time I used to complete between 70-80 projects a year,  Admittedly most of them were small to medium sized samplers or seasonal pieces, the largest being no bigger than 8 inches x 8 inches, with maybe two or three BAPs of 14 inch x 14 inch or larger thrown in for good measure.  Granted, back in the day that I kept that pace up, I was working only three days a week, from 8:30am-2:30am, as an art teacher in a Catholic elementary school.  Now I put in 40+ hours as a CRE of a Parish Religious Education Program and am 18 years older.  But somehow I have maintained the illusion that I can keep up that pace.  The evidence is in a binder containing upwards of 30 largish pieces including five Dragon Dreams dragons, six Workbasket Quaker animals, six Halloween pieces, one large Primitive Needle sampler and six smaller Primitive Needle designs, a small Teresa Wentzler dragon, a Teresa Wentzler Christmas stocking and one Miribilia Faerie.  And that is in addition to the Class Projects and WIPs I have listed in my sidebar as wanting to complete this year.  The reality is it will probably take me three or four years to complete the pieces in the binder and in my current stitching bag.  And then there are all the other charts in binders and in the drawers of my stitching center.  I've never had the nerve to count them, but I expect they number somewhere between 75 and 125.    And I won't even consider all the magazines I have saved because they have such wonderful charts.  I haven't bought a single chart in over 8 months and don't expect to buy anything other than fabric and fiber and tools for the next few years.  I used to collect loads of freebies and I have been culling my stash of those as well, reducing three 2" binders to one.  I still expect to stitch every chart I own.  Retirement is only four years away with the promise of more leisure time.  I wonder if I will ever come to a point when I have just a few unstitched charts in my possession along with a few previously stitched charts that I can't quite give up.  In the past, I tended to give away most of the charts I have stitched: my theory being that it is a waste to tuck them away when someone else can be enjoying them.  But I am beginning to think it might be wiser to set up a sale album to fund the purchase of that fabric and fiber I will be needing to stitch the charts already in my possession.  That seems like a lot of work but I may give it a shot.


Mid-Year Evaluation of 2012 Goals

• 01. My Own Crazy Challenge: work on unfinished class pieces from 2005-date.  Well, of the nine class projects, some of which have multiple items, I have completed one and am well on my way to finishing a second.  The Victoria Sampler Holly and Heart Sampler and Ornament have been stitched and the Kogin Tea Cozy is about 2/3rds of the way done.  I hope to finish the tea cozy this month.  I don't really expect to finish all nine projects this year.  I expect this 2012 Class Project Challenge will be a 2013  Class Project Challenge as well.
• 02. Complete three BAPs: TW's Tracery Dragons, TW's Woodland Angel Stocking for Liam and Dimensions Woodland Maiden as a stocking for Piper.  The Tracery Dragon piece is done, awaiting a trip to the framer.  And the TW Woodland Angel Stocking has been kitted up and moved into the current stitching bag and will be my next start.
• 03. Limit new starts to one for every two UFO/WIPs completed.  Pretty much true, I have made three new starts, all smalls, since Jan. 1.   BUT of the 13 UFO/WIPs in my list, I have finished five and there were also the two-in-one finishes from the Class Projects list.  I am very close to finishing Primitive Needle's Black'd Skie: all the borders and bands are done and Blocks 1, 2, 3 and 4 are filled in.  I just need to fill in Blocks 5 & 6.
• 04. Stitch a few more Heart ornaments for the Anniversary-Valentine's Day tree.  Not a one.
• 05. Stitch one ornament a month from the 2006 Indy Town Square SAL. Not a one.
• 06. Limit stash purchases to fabric, fiber and tools needed to complete charts on hand.  So far so good.
• 07. Continue to blog regularly, aiming for every other day.  Well, May and June were something of a write off so far as blogging went.  My work load and low energy levels combined to sabotage that goal.  But otherwise, January - April went well and July seems to be picking up.  I am also learning how to use my new Samsung Pad [or droid] so that eventually, I'll be able to blog from anywhere I happen to be.
• 08. Make an effort to catch up on sewing and framing finishes.  The purchase of a new sewing machine [very high tech: computerized and electronic] has me at the beginning of a new learning curve.  I'll be taking a few classes over the summer but I have at least figured out the straight and zig-zag stitches.  It's a hoot having to use a stylus and a view screen to select the stitches and modify their size.   I need a stylus for my Samsung, too.  I guess I'd better get used to it.
• 09. Inventory and declutter existing stash.  Not yet.  That strikes me as a winter chore.
• 10. Attend an EGA chapter meeting as a member-at-large or take an on-line course.  Not yet.