2013 Finishes

I seem to be slowing down dramatically.  Back in my 30s, 40s and even into my 50s, I used to complete 60 or more projects a year.  Granted, many of them were ornaments or small to moderate sized pieces but, still, I did enjoy racking up the numbers.  

Of course, back then I was younger and more energetic.  From my 30s into my early 40s, I was a stay at home Mom; after that I worked part time as a substitute teacher and a specials teacher [art and library skills], usually only 2-3 days a week.  There was more leisure time.  Now in my 60s, I work full-time and housekeeping seems to take longer and longer.  There is less energy for the things that need to be done and, consequently, less leisure time.

Another change is that I have been working on finishing up old WIPs and class projects, most of which are time-consuming BAPs.  So it should come as no surprise that my completed projects tally for 2013 is a paltry 14.  Here's the breakdown: 

BAPs:

1.   T. Wentzler's Woodland Angel Christmas Stocking.  I picked this up in July with just 7 or 8 square inches of the final 90  square inches completed.  It took till November to complete, most of that time  was spent stitching on the stocking exclusively.

Moderate Sized Projects:

1.  Cedar Hills' The Berry Patch Rabbit.  This was one of those "had to stitch it" pieces.  Though this is only my second Cedar Hills piece, I must say I like this designer's style.

Smalls:

1.   Primitive Needle's By the Light of the Moon.

2.   Band Sampler Bookmark, of my own design.

Ornaments:

1.  Town Square SAL The Honey Shop.

2.  Town Square SAL The Frame Shop.

3.  Not Forgotten Farms' Rotted But Not Forgotted

4.  Peggy Bowe's Columbus Day Ornament

5.  Plum Street Samplers' Happy Halloween

6.  Town Square SAL The Fiber Shop

7.  Monsterbubbles Day of the Dead Halloween ornament

8.  Prairie Schooler Boo! Halloween ornament

9.  Halloween Sampler, adapted from Plum St. Sampler freebie.

10. Town Square SAL The Cross Stitch Shop.

ALMOST only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades ... but not in stitching.
The English Band Sampler.  I started this in Spring 2012 after receiving the first part of the chart in the Spring issue of SANQ and finished the first four bands in 2012.  Then I let it lay fallow till late November of 2013.  I ended up finishing Band 5 and starting on Band 6 during the Christmas recess.  This will be my first finish of 2014.  At the rate I am going, it will be in late January or early February.

I am hoping that 2014 will be a bit more productive but since I still have fairly extensive lists of WIPs  and UFOs  [8] and Class Projects [also 8], I suspect the numbers of 2014 finishes will remain in the mid-teens.