Talk to us about your longest-running WIP or UFO – – I learned to stitch when my Mama taught me around the age of 8. My mother never understood the fascination so I would buy my own projects. When I was in high school, I found three Dimensions kits. I’ve finished one of them but the other two are still WIPs.

Still a long way to go on this one.

This is actually pretty close, mane, tail and flowers remaining.

I’m sitting in Chicago O’Hare thinking about how this is the 6th largest airport and is considered a pain to fly out of on any hop. As I walk from H2 to L4 in order to get a Gold Coast Chicago dog, I’m realizing Terminal 3 is not that big. Less than 2000 steps from terminal G to L. I haven’t seen the other terminals in years but that could change. I’ll be passing through O’Hare pretty much anytime I’m flying American Airlines. I would rather go through DFW but most of those flights get me home late at night. Anyway, my husband told me to grab him a Chicago Dog when I was here and along with a dog, I bought him sport peppers so he can make his own dogs at home. And if you wrap it right, a Chicago Dog will make the 4 hour flight from O’Hare to SLC. But, about my trip…

This is Jessica, she does amazing hand dyed fabrics for her projects. We met in the Jefferson Library on my last day in town. She’s looking for other stitchers in the area to meet up with and tried to host a meetup but no one came.

There were no stitching shops according to Google but I did find two quilt shops fairly local and here is my haul. It’s pretty yellow lighting because I took the picture in the hotel room while I was packing to head home. My haul is a Carousel panel, a stack of Cat in the Hat fabrics, a kit for an Unicorn lap/Crib quilt, a grab bag of yellow and an applique pattern for a monster quilt.

The second shop I visited was Rooster Creek Quilt and Ice Cream shop. It’s 15 minutes outside of Jefferson City in Holt’s Summit. I wouldn’t normally put those two together as a thing. But It works. The fabrics are up front, there is a classroom in the middle and then the Ice Cream shop with a real 50’s feel.

I thought this sign was pretty appropriate, it did convince me not to buy any ice cream.

Here you can see the Ice cream counter with a view to the quilt shop classroom. This was the shop where I got the monster quilt pattern and the Carousel panel.

The first shop I went to was really close to my hotel and had these quilts as I walked in the door. They also had the stack of Cat in the Hat fabrics. I would have bought the kit to make the big quilt but they don’t take American Express.

I was in Jefferson City to help with how we can improve our training processes. I took some notes and have some ideas. I’ve got two more work trips scheduled one in Springfield, MO and one in Pittsburgh. Anyone want to get together?

Check in Page on Facebook.

So I’m late checking in this month. It’s been a busy start to the new year. I’m writing as much as I’m stitching and have some fun things going. First the questions

What SALs are you participating in this year?

I have 3 SALs that I’m planning on for this year – Last year’s Clouds Factory Fabulous Women which I didn’t keep current with and am working on the monthly blocks this year. Here is January.

Next I’m working on the Harry Potter Class Schedule from Armada Designs. I ordered some gold and yellow silk from Silks4U for the borders and the class schedule banner. I did get that started in January.

The final SAL that I’m participating in this year is the Frosted Pumpkin Into the Jungle SAL. I completed my January block there too.

As for my other stitching goals. I did get a row finished in Anniversary Roses but I can’t show those pictures online because of the agreement with the designer. And I got one block finished on Stars for a New Millennium.

I also finished the tortoise on Ecology which was a freebie from either the Hoffman or Herschner’s site

So not as much as I hoped to stitch but I’ve been focused on job hunting and writing.

What are you stitching Olympics plans? Which event?

I am planning on the rotation relay – a new piece each day unless I finish the section goal in which case, I can either work on a piece from an earlier day or move on to the next day.

Day – Project – Goal

Friday, Opening ceremonies – Class Schedule – Get current

Saturday, Day 1 – Stars for a New Millennium – 2 Stars

Sunday, Day 2 – Fabulous Women – February

Monday, Day 3 – New Year Fairy – 200 stitches – (There may be no stitching this day as my son comes home from his mission to St. Louis)

Tuesday, Day 4 – Frosted Pumpkin Into the Jungle – February Block (Toucans)

Wednesday, Day 5 – Anniversary Roses – Wild Rose/Celtic Vines Row

Thursday, Day 6 – EGA Name Tag

Friday, Day 7 – Dr. Who Quilt – Finish signatures

Saturday, Day 8 – Ecology – Finish it

Sunday, Day 9 – Summer Carousel Horse – 200 stitches (Catch up on other pieces)

Monday, Day 10 – Fall Carousel Horse – 200 stitches

Tuesday, Day 11 – Spring Carousel Horse – 200 stitches

Wednesday, Day 12 – Needlepoint Purse Kit – 2 inches of Basketweave

Thursday, Day 13 – Tempest – 200 stitches

Friday, Day 14 – Ristipisto Kit – 300 stitches

Saturday, Day 15 -Rose Fairy, Joan Elliott – 300 stitches

Sunday, Closing Ceremonies – Dragon Ride – 300 stitches

17 projects with some progress? We’ll see how it goes.

Instead of setting up an hourly rotation this year, I set up my rotation slots based on accomplishing sections of the WIPs I’m working on completing.

We’re two weeks into the year and I’ve completed three stories and I’m working on the fourth. I’ve completed Cary Grant and Vivian Leigh in Stars for a new Millennium

Vivian Leigh

Cary Grant

January Fabulous Women

and I should finish the Into the Jungle January square this weekend so this month is really moving well and I like using the story method for determining when it’s time to rotate.

Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year!

Introduce Yourself

I’m Stasha and I am beyond SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) I seem to be doing a lot of that lately. It’s the first question in a job interview. I have been a product manager for a software company for 4.5 years. They are closing my office and I chose not to relocate. That means I need a new job. But what you care about is who am I not what I do. I am a fiber artist: cross-stitch, needlepoint, beadwork, quilting, crochet, but I do not knit. I am the mother to three children who are adults and to round out the pack, we have 2 beagles. The snake, birds and lizard moved with my daughter. I’m very data driven and a firm believer in continual improvement.

Show us your WIPs

My WIP parade video

What are your plans for 2018

For years I’ve done my planning on an Excel spreadsheet. This year I moved to Sheets on Google because I’ve been having issues with Microsoft wanting me to subscribe to an office account in order to access my documents. I find this somewhat ridiculous because I bought the software, it wasn’t free, and I have plenty of storage space on devices with cloud backup. Therefore the move to Sheets. I lost some of the auto-formatting and color options because I haven’t learned how Sheets does them. You can see my plans for the year, HERE.

I’ve tried to include capacity planning this year but I still may have over committed. Last year I completed around 123,000 stitches and this year I’m looking at 236,366 stitches if I complete all three SALs (Class Schedule, Into the Jungle, and Fabulous Women), Stars for a New Millennium, 12 Rows on Anniversary Roses, Ecology, Dragon Ride, Summer Carousel Horse and Tempest.

If I get tired of TW since I have 3 of them in the latter part of my rotation, I will bring in Noah’s Sub or Tiger Lily and work on those. The plan is that the only new starts I will have will be the 2 new SALs from Armada Designs and Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. We’ll see how well that works since I have 40 kitted projects that call to me from time to time. The ultimate goal for this year is to have fewer WIPs at the end of the year than I had at the beginning.

The only plan I really had for how to rotate was to break the segments needed to finish each projects into smaller segments (called stories) and organize them by priority. It’s the 2nd page of my Sheets book titled- Backlog. Right now it’s looking like I work on SAL’s or cross-stitch during the week and then Stars on the weekend but it’s only the 2nd weekend of 2018 so we’ll see how that lasts.

I’m open to suggestions and thoughts. See you all next month.

I’m getting started on my annual inventory.  I decided to start with cataloguing my Works in Progress (WIP). When I looked at the shelf, it seems pretty daunting; six cubicles, 4 crammed full.  Yet as I started really looking at what was there, most of them are kitted but not started yet.  Only 15 of the cross-stitch projects in the full shelf have been worked on by me. 

Several of the WIPs are ones I inherited and have not put in any stitches. I’m counting them as fully kitted and ready to start.  By the way, that count for cross-stitch is forty projects (Bewitching Pixies and Flower Pixies were grouped as 2 instead of actual numbers). 

There are only three embroidery projects started and 10 quilt tops. Five needlepoint canvases are going although 3 more reside on the shelves. I did find the silk for Tiger Lily’s skin, in with Raven Queen. So many beautiful things waiting for me to work on them.

So why am I looking at 3 mystery stitch a longs and trying to figure out how to fund them and stay within budget?

The other night DH and I watched the Netflix documentary Voyeur about the publication of the Voyeur Hotel book.  The thing that really struck me was how shocked the Voyeur was about people hating what he did.  The author reminded the Voyeur that he came to the author to tell his story and be a pioneer, a hero, someone who was brave enough to fight the social norms.  As I watched it, it hit me.  This guy thought everyone secretly wanted to spy on people having sex but weren’t as smart as he was since he did it.  He thought people would admire his willingness to act on the desire he knew they all had.  It never occured to him that other people found his desires repulsive, he saw his desires as normal.

Usually when I write a blog, I have a point in mind when I start.  I think in this case, it’s trying to purge an image from my head. I remember watching Voyeur and seeing an expression.  Just a flash where it hits him, what I did may not be everyone’s secret desire.  Many time in coaching, we help others see that they aren’t alone, there are others who feel what you do.  In this case, it’s the opposite. What you are feeling is not what everyone else is feeling. 

My favorite pair of jeans lost the button today.

The bad part is all my other jeans are designed for 4 inch or more heels and I’m not wearing heels on the first day of ComicCon.

And it turns out Jag has dropped everything but the elastic band jeans.  So I need suggestions for new jeans, what do you like?