March 2024

In my rear view mirror, March was another packed month for me.      I was babysitting for a week while my D-in-L was in New Orleans for work.   I knew thought after the morning rush - think Mr. Mom and Michael Keaton!! - I would have from 10 to 2:30 each day to devote to dishes, walking the dog, laundry and crafting before the mayhem started again. But somehow the days flew by with errands and such and not much stitching going in.     And guess what I came home with?   Not the germ balls from the kiddos, but from my son.   Nasty head cold that kicked my butt for about 3 or 4 days.  All better now but it was the 14th of the month in the blink of an eye and nothing was getting scratched off my to do list. 

I can’t believe how I let a week at my son’s and 3 days down with a cold put me so behind the 8-ball.   Don’t get me wrong, I love being with the kiddos.   But take for instance, medications….half the time I didn’t remember to take my thyroid pill and forgot the vitamins completely.   They were all packed in the little 7-day pill container but…..a lunchbox crisis, a dog that needed to go out, a bus to catch…..you get the picture.   I just totally need to stop the stressing about the chores at home.   There is no prize for being the one who gets it all done.  Oh contraire’ my friends,  I’ve learned that as you cross things of that to-do list, other things fill in those empty spaces.    

I made it an “A” priority to FINALLY finish my 100 Days/100 Blocks quilt.   It wasn’t that hard to do.   I just needed to commit to doing it.    Of course I had great plans to do this at my son’s but alas somehow for this last block I didn’t have all the fabric pieces with me at my son’s.  

  

But now, all blocks completed, sashing done and ready to be long armed!

Both February WIPGO’s were completed in February!  I have been shuffling the WIPGO assignments as necessary to fit what I know my schedule will be for the month ahead.   WIPGO is sure helping me cross off items on the list!  Two more WIP’s done and off the list.   That’s 6 down and 18 to go.  Even thought I actually need to add four more ‘found’ WIP’s to the list I am still counting myself successful.  I have picked the easiest to complete first to help that list of WIP’s go down. 

Merry Little Christmas from Willow Tree Samplings.   My WIPGO ‘assignment’ was to stitch seven hours on it.  Being monogamous I saw how much progress was made with just seven hours dedicated stitching so I kept going until completion!

Barnwood Buttons from Rosewood Manor.   The fabric is a much prettier blue than it appears here.  Again, by concentrating only on this, it was easy to take from half done to completion!

I have already ordered the frames for both.  

March WIPGO’s  were smaller WIP’s.    First, a Ukrainian motif bookmark.   This was an EGA project.

Second was this pumpkin pattern from Fat Quarter Shop which will make a perfect fall pillow.  

I have crossed off enough that I gave myself permission to have a new start.  I joined the Leap Year SAL on FB.   My pick is the French Alphabet Sampler.   I had this designed for me as a retirement present to myself in 2020 and held off starting it because it is a biggie.  Family names and initials are embedded in the alphabets.   It is 411 x 411 and I am stitching it on 37 count PTP Fog.   I can’t promise it will be done but it will be closer to finish than it is now.   My monthly assignment is 50 x 70 stitches and I am  there for March.      

I also made catching up on my Temperature Tree an “A” list item.     I was so focused on getting Barnwood Buttons done for my February WIPGO that for most of the month I only recorded temperatures.   I caught up a week’s worth at a time over several sittings.   I was going to stitch the entire following month branch first but I am trying a new tact, stitching what I need each week.   I had to frog the March branch as I placed it one stitch closer to the February branch than it should have been.   I was having to compensate all the leaves on the top of the February branch and then I knew I would have to compensate all the lower leaves on the March branch.   Ugh, if only I could count better.     IDK.    Again the game playing with my assignments.  

Weather is warming and I know I will be spending more time outside so stitching may not be so plentiful.   I still am counting myself as a winner with 6 projects already done and out of the formidable WIP basket.

As always, thank you for stopping by my little corner of the world.  And, keep on stitching.