Assessing February Progress, Setting March Goals

I am starting with a photo of the Ort Jar ... lots of blues, whites and pale greys/silvers ... all the icy colors of The Ice Dragon's Kingdom which dominated my stitching in February.

FEBRUARY GOALS:
BAP: Continue work on TW's Autumn Faerie: worked on this only one day, Feb. 28. Not a lot of progress but just enough to qualify as a goal met.
Crazy January Challenge: continue working on the 15 projects in chronological order, insofar as the back-ordered floss problem permits. DONE. Completed Day 1 project [Sue Hillis's Cookie Santa] on 2/3 and nearly finished the Day 2 project [Dragon Dreams' The Ice Dragon's Kingdom]
Sewing/Finishing: Get as close to the bottom of the finishing basket as possible. Nothing.
Surface Embroidery: work several hours a week on Encrusted Crazy Quilt Block. Nothing.
WIPs &UFOs from 2010: Continue work on Workbasket's Quaker Sampler, the Jacobean Elegance afghan, the Fertile Circles Needlebook and the Beach Find Pansies panel. Nothing.

Another of the reasons that I didn't get to any of my 2010 WIPs this past weekend was that I was indulging in one of my other pastimes, reading. J.D. Robb's latest entry in her ...In Death series hit the bookstores last Tuesday. I ordered Treachery In Death directly from the B&N website since it saved me approx $13 over buying in the store. It arrived on Thursday. So this weekend, several hours normally devoted to stitching were diverted to reading.

MARCH GOALS:

BAP: Continue work on TW's Autumn Faerie

Crazy January Challenge: Complete the Day 2 and Day 3 projects [Dragon Dream's The Ice Dragon's Kingdom and Homespun Elegance's The Stitcher respectively]

Sewing/Finishing: Get as close to the bottom of the finishing basket as possible.
Surface Embroidery: work two hours a week on Encrusted Crazy Quilt Block project.
WIPs & UFOs from 2010: Continue work on Workbasket's Quaker Sampler, the Jacobean Elegance afghan, the Fertile Circles Needlebook and the Beach Find Pansies panel.

January Goals Assessment/ February Goals

I thought this year I would do something a little different when posting these monthly reports. In the past, they have been rather dull looking, without photos ... so I will now head the post with a photo of my Ort jar ... as a visual symbol of progress made each month [or not]. I will not be participating in the official TUSAL since that would require posting an ORT jar photo on the day of the new moon, something that I don't really keep track of. In any case here is the photo, no particular color or group of colors dominates, probably because the Crazy January Challenge has had me all over the color pallette with a wide variety projects.

JANUARY GOALS

CRAZY JANUARY 2011 CHALLENGE: Start a new project each day from January 1 - January 15. Then starting on January 17, pick up the Day 1 Project: Sue Hillis's Cookie Santa. DONE. This has been both a wonderfully exhilarating and intensely frustrating challenge. While I was thrilled to pull and start a fair number of charts that have been calling my name for a very long time, it has been difficult to put each one down and move on to the next. I feel like one of those bratty 13 year old princesses who has a new best friend every day. I have made substantial progress on the Day 1 project ... it's one of the larger pieces on the list ... so I am not too upset about having to carry it into early February. I do see a finish in the very near future, though.

BAP: Continue work on TW's Autumn Faerie: NO. Just two hours worth of stitching all month but I suppose that's better than nothing ... I got caught up in the Crazy January Challenge.

Surface Embroidery: Continue work on Encrusted Crazy Quilt Square. I didn't have time for this what with all the Crazy January stuff going on this month. I shall make time for it in February.

Sewing Finishes: Keep up with current finishing and finish two items from backlog finishing basket. NO.

And though, it wasn't part of the monthly goals, I didn't entirely abandon my 2010 WIPs and UFOs. I resurrrected the Jacobean Elegance afghan from the UFO sidebar list and stitched one of the Flower blocks. I completed another motif and two more letters on Workbasket's Quaker Sampler, stitched the bee charms on an old Heart in Hand piece called Wee Bee and stitched my Quaker Santa Bride's Tree ornament as well as the Town Square Fire Station ornament, The Victoria Sampler Connecticut Heart ornament and the Aury Quaker Red, White and Blue Heart ornament.

FEBRUARY GOALS

Crazy January Challenge: Continue work on projects in chronological order, as much as possible given the back-ordered thread situation.

BAP: Continue work on TW's Autumn Faerie

WIPs: Continue working on 2010 WIPs and UFOs: Workbasket's Quaker Sampler, the Jacobean Elegance Afghan, the Fertile Circles Needlebook and the Beach Find Pansies panel

Surface Embroidery: Continue work on Encrusted Quilt Square, moving onto the purse strap once the purse front is done.

Sewing Finishes: Keep up with current finishing and finish one or two items a week from backlog finishing basket.