A Challenge For Myself

Every year I say the same thing: "This winter, I'm going to get some projects done." 

And every year it never happens. 

The projects I'm talking about are the kind of things like quilts and sewing projects that have been waiting for a long, long, long time.  I need to go back a little to tell the story, so if you'd indulge me for a moment, here it is.

Back when I was a suburban stay at home mom with two small children, I lived in my sewing room.  Every day I turned on my sewing machine, and I completed one quilt after another after another.  I spent the whole day in that room many times, because, other than taking care of my children (who were in school and preschool), gardening outside a bit on a small patch, and cleaning the house, I had nothing else to do.  It kept me busy, so it was good.  It was like my job, and I really enjoyed it.  I bought a lot of fabric, I tried a lot of new things, I was very creative. 

Fast forward a whole bunch of years and a lot of upheaval, and here I am, on a large patch of land with a lot of animals and a gigantic garden, and I spend no time in my sewing room.  There's no time to spend!  Between working, taking care of the animals and working the land, ha!  Sewing doesn't get done.

 

But there are many projects that I started long ago that moved with me and now hang out in the corner of this room, taunting me.  They have for years.  In fact, I figured it out last week, and the newest project of my unfinished project pile is 4 years old.  Others I don't even want to know how old they are--many, many moons.  It bothers me that they are there, incomplete.  And every year I decide I'm going to whittle down that pile, and every year I don't.  So this year, I am issuing a challenge to myself:  I WILL get that pile down!

So from time to time, expect a picture or two of a project that has been finished.  And yes, I will admit how long it's been sitting.  I'm going to start myself off here, and show you a couple I finished this past month, when things started to "slow down" for me.  Ready?

This one I started last year, so it's a young'un!

Nice, crooked picture.  :) 

Embroidery patterns were freebies from Red Brolly.  The rest I made up.

This one is 3 years old, and was waiting for embroidery and quilting.  I'm happy I got it done when it's still Autumn!!!

 

And now for a work in progress.  I should tell you that I can't just sit.  I have to have something to do with my hands, so usually I crochet or stitch.  I have been cross stitching since I was 11 or 12, so that's usually my fallback.  I don't do it too much anymore because there is never enough time when the days are long for me to sit and get into a large project--or there are just too many other things to do.  When I do do a cross stitch project, it's usually a small one.  However, this one I have wanted to do for maybe 6 or 7 years.  Finally I started it, and I am going to finish it by December 2nd, because I have a framing coupon I want to use on it.  If I miss that deadline, then this project is going to go with the many others that have been finished and will never be framed.  That's a sad place to be, so I'm trying to get it done.  Anyway, I started 2 weeks ago, and this is where it is now:

 

I will get it done!  Or die trying.  :)

And that's it.  Definitely not my normal post, but if you see a picture of a finished something on here from time to time this winter (and you will!), you'll know why!