Seeing November out by planning to plan 2021

Good morning Blogging friends.

How did it get to be nearly December already – all of a sudden the restrictions in Melbourne Metro are being released and Christmas Social obligations are building up.

I’ve spent this morning sorting out my new planner/journal for 2021.  I’ve worked with the calendar on my phone for the past 2 years and I just keep loosing track of appointments.  At work I have a daily notebook by my desk and that works for me, so I’ve invested into a book to try and compartmentalise my personal/stitchy/scouting life.

What are your plans for 2021?

I’m planning a holiday to see family and friends in late January.  This will be a road trip and is long awaited.

I’m 99% committed to ramping up my Scouting commitments in 2021 – looking at being a Cub Leader and also more responsibilities on the District Committee

I am also following up the idea of creating a Floss Tube channel of my own.  I intend to keep up with my blog on a weekly basis, but a Floss-Tube would be a fortnightly edition .

I have several designs in my head to chart for myself and also possibly to release.  My goal is to release a stitchers Advent Calendar design in July.  It’s too late to think about December gifts in November… (yes this is in my planner to do list for May-June) 

I’ve bought myself a small mdf shelf/box advent calendar and will work on this for this year.  Do I make it to give it away or make it to keep it myself?   I have 12 months to work that out

 

There’s not been much stitching this week – not much cross stitch to show off.  But I did get inspired by Handy Mum

and worked on this itty bitty gift box.  I have yet to make the itty bitty pincushion that it lives in.  Somewhere along the line, I got distracted, and the sides for the lid are way too big.  Looking closely, the lid is pretty, but not perfect – as I am happy with the box, I might just use the top as a Christmas ornament and make another top, watching my sizing carefully.

I’ve lashed out this morning and bought a subscription to Punch Needle and Cross Stitch Magazine – I’ve been watching so many Floss-Tube channels that are showing charts, and there are so many I’d like to explore (not as if I don’t already have enough projects to stitch!)  So I’m a bit late to the party, but I think Christmas will run through a few months next year.

I will leave you now with a picture of some Marigolds which I’ve planted and have been watching daily for them to bloom.   There has been 2-3 plants which are racing to be the first to be in full bloom, and now there are many due to flower this week.  I’m looking forward to seeing the window boxes full of bloom.

Midway through November - Weather Heating up, Stitching slowing down

 

Hello friends.

I have been slightly distracted these past 2 weeks and don’t appear to have made much progress on anything but will at least share my progress with you.

I last left you with my 2” Churn Dash blocks.   They are not perfect and the fussy cut squares for the middle are not perfect, but I am happy with my progress so far.  I hope to have this finished – quilted and all this weekend.

I got sidelined by a couple of mug-mats for which there are no photos. These have been gifted to work colleagues and I hope they like them.  I used up a few of my scraps. 

I have a mug-mat by my machine and it was gifted to me some years ago and although it has a Christmas Theme, I use it all year around.  Do you like mug-mats?  I like that I can usually make one in an evening for an emergency gift.  Add a cute mug and a sachet of Tea, tie up with a ribbon and there you go...

I got my hair coloured again – now that restrictions have lifted in Victoria I had a chance to spend time with my hairdresser and she has done a marvellous job.  Allan got his hair trimmed too – don’t we make a cute couple?? 

I so enjoy having blue hair.  My sister has purple hair, but mine is blue.  I should be re-doing this in about 4 months, but for now it has vibrancy. 
I have been blonde, I have been brown, I have been red, I have had to colour my hair since I was in my early 20's - I feel that now in 2020 I have come into myself and am enjoying all that life has to offer.

I did pick up my needle and worked a bit on the English Floral Sampler. I am up to P for Pansy.  I might try to finish the other 2 pansies this weekend.  This pattern is from UK Cross Stitcher magazine, and was a series in 1993. 

I’ve been stitching this very slowly since 2004.  It seems that a lot of UFO’s are becoming WIP’s - this is good. 

Next week on my rotation should be SOHRH – It has been a few months since I’ve worked on that, and I may have to put it aside for a day or two, as I’ve just realised Christmas is around the corner, and I really need to get one or two ornaments completed.  You are here to keep me honest, so I hope to show you some SOHRH progress on my next post.

Planning – it seems to be the time of year to think about Planning for 2021.  I have lashed out and bought myself a small planner/journal.  It should live in my handbag all year.  I’m not happy about keeping all my appointments and thoughts in my head or in my phone.  I have been pretty consistent this year with notebooks, but there are a lot of plans for my stitching life for 2021 and I need to be organised. 

(evil voice on my shoulder:  “Let’s see how long that lasts!”)

What are you planning for 2021?    I am planning ‘Year of the Sheepie revisited’  My weather chart is ready to go, using sheep instead of houses.  I have 4 or so sheepie charts ready to be kitted out.  I want to take part in a SAL for Christmas ornaments (Jo – this is your doing, so you better be ready to stitch Bothy Threads 12 days of Christmas with me)  I am planning to start a floss-tube channel of my own (over thinking the process) I am planning a Stitchers Advent Calendar – either a project or design release for July-August 2021.  There are still charts which will remain in my rotation to complete and I’m sure there will be new charts that call to me.  Where will I find the time??  I don’t know either…  How many of you work full time as well as stitch?  Do you work part-time?  Are you retired and consequently busier than you ever were?

 

Off to put fabric under needle for the weekend.  Please leave me a comment.  What do you like to see in Floss-tubes?   What annoys you?  It is all research for me… 

 

Stitching start to November 2020.

 

Hello friends.

One week on from Halloween and a wee bit of a stitching start to November.

Firstly, I had a finish on my Christmas Heirloom Tablecloth for 2019. 

Each square symbolises something for that particular year with the names of those around the table.  As I had a knee replacement in September 2019 and needed a cane to walk both before and immediately afterwards, decided Candy Canes were the perfect choice.    This was finished on Halloween, leaving me plenty of time to stitch on the 2020 Temperature SAL for October.

I really need to work on what motifs to stitch to fill in the gaps.  It is good to see that the month is not completely blue and I am cheered by the little yellow house in the first week.  The 3^rd of November will be the same colour, but that will wait until the first week in December to be stitched.

 

So as I had what I classify as two finishes in the first two days, I justified starting a new project.  The 3 motifs were in an American stitching magazine in 2005 and designed by Jeremiah Junction.  As far as I can tell, they are now OOP (out of print).  I’m stitching mostly with the called for DMC floss, but have decided to use a variegated floss in my stash for the lettering. I’ve changed out the god-bothery sayings on each one, replacing them with something more suited for my stitching nook.  I am stitching all three together as one panel specifically to hang on my wall.  Of course I’ll show my progress as I go here.  This week I should pick up my English floral sampler.

 
This morning however, I woke up feeling the need to cut fabric into itty bitty bits and sew back together again.  So I finished a mini-quilt flimsy, needing only now to put quilt and bind it.   

Then I decided to cut even smaller pieces… these churn-dash squares are 2” finished…  yep.. insane.. mini quiltmakers are insane…  I think this mini quilt will end up about 7” x 9”  They will both be finished as mug-mats and put into the 2020 gift basket.