The best laid cross stitching plans of 2018....for now.

January is already moving at a fast clip. I always have grand plans for New Years resolutions and goals but typically by the time I'm finalizing them it's February and I now only have eleven months to accomplish them. And I inevitably fail.

This year it's not quite the end of January so maybe I have a better chance this year. My first goal is to plan 2019 goals in November and December of this year.

I'm going to break my goals up into different posts. This one will be just for cross stitching. I've joined a few Facebook groups for stitching accountability and motivation so its easier (and more on point) to link one post that's topic related.

As I stated my last post I recently organized my cross stitch stash. And I have a lot. And a lot of projects that are already started. I would like to stitch mostly from that stash pile this year and I would really like to cut down my number of projects that are started..known as WIPs to us cross stitchers (Work In Progress). I think I've located all my WIPs and I think I have between 30-35.

I know. It's shocking. That's a lot of started projects.

They range from just a few stitches in to almost finished and I'm size from small to a BAP (Big *ss Project). When I went through my stash I found about 3 things I realized I would never finish that are in a bag labeled as UFO right now (UnFinished Object). I was actually surprised it was only three. So that was a good shock. There are two WIPS that almost made it into the UFO bag. They are my oldest two unfinished projects. They may still end up as UFOs but I kept them in the WIP pile for now. I figure once I get the WIP pile down to a more manageable level I'll reassess those two.

One of the groups I joined is WIPocalypse. It's about finishing all your WIPs by the time of the apocalypse. Started by a fellow Stitching friend of mine Melissa. And when I learn how do do links I'll link her blog. As I have over 30 WIPS and we may be closer to the end times than ever this year, I better get started.

For 2018 I have decided I would like to pare down my WIPS by 5-10 items. I have about 5 things I would like to start so I really need to finish a few before I start any if I don't want my WIP pile to actually grow.

Currently I have 4 WIPs in rotation and I picked out a few more to add to the rotation as I finish the current ones.  I will get into more details in my January stitching plans post.

These are the WIPs I would like to focus on in 2018.

This is about 15% done.  It is for my 11 year old daughter,  Yes....11 years old.  I have the birth samplers done for my other two children but they are not framed.  I would like to frame and hang all three together.  This is a high priority to finish this year.  Hopefully before August when she turns 12.

About 12% finished (1/8 pages) however the last 3 pages are just the bottom border.  I would like to finish this to pass the chart on to a friend and maybe enter it into The Topsfield Fair.

About 75% done.  I would really like to finish this early in the year and frame it to give to my 4th grade daughter's teachers.  She has the same pair of teachers as her older sister and they are amazing.  Need to have finished and framed by June.

My travel/car project.  Its a Bent Creek Zipper kit.  The count is huge so it's easy to work on while I'm waiting for bassoon, basketball, swim, theatre, etc as my job as an unpaid uber for my children.  When I finish this I have other similar projects lines up to fill this slot.

This is barely started.  I love this pattern but I find it a challenge to work on as its one over 32 count.  I'm hoping to get into a groove with my new magnifying lamp so I can make some significant progress this year.

Just a bit of the border is done.  But it's cute and small and should be an easy finish.  One of my daughters loves frogs so it will be cute in her room before I miss that window.

Once again, barely started (do we notice a theme!) but its really cute and I love the colors.  My youngest would enjoy this and I think I would put her name on the bottom instead of "Mermaids".  Once again I would like to finish it this year before I miss that window.

This is probably one of my oldest WIPs.  I think I started it before I had children and my oldest just turned 14 so this WIP is getting close to voting age.  My husband and I were engaged in Ireland and I would love to frame this and have it in the entry way.  I have the top part done and backstitched (thanking my younger self for having the foresight to do that!).  I would like to make progress on this but it has a low priority to be finished this year.

 

This is another sampler that is barely started.  I love this sampler and the colors but I'm stitching it on 40 count and I started it when I started to have a hard time seeing 40 count.  Now that I have progressive lenses, a magnifier and OTT light hopefully I can get back to stitching this.  I have about 4-5 BIG samplers started.  This one was screaming the loudest so I chose this one for 2018.

I have a love hate relationship with this pattern and all my Blackbird Designs.  I love the patterns and I have about 12 of the OOP Loose feathers kitted up.  However I do not love stitching them for some reason.  This one as been giving me trouble.  I'm almost 50% through and I decided it's not coming out of rotation until I finish it because I'm not sure I will pick it up again.  I've decided I need to either stitch these kitted up patterns to pass them on because they are highly desired or just un-kit them and sell the charts and fabric.  I'll decide after I finish this one and the next one in my line up.

New Starts...because I haven't stitched in almost 3 years there has been a lot of new patterns that have come out that I want to stitch.  Or ones I have in my stash.  I'm not letting myself start anything new until I finish something because I would like my WIP pile to decrease.  Or at the very least not grow.  Hopefully I can stand strong against the temptation..

I love this pattern.  I love quaker samplers and I really need to drink coffee before I do anything in the morning.  I have all the materials for this so it will likely be my first new start of 2018.  It's in a project bag waiting to go.

I grew up in the Salem, MA area and I have mixed feelings about all the Salem and Salem Witch inspired charts of late.  I can get into that at a later point in time!  But this chart I love.  I find it very respectful and a nice memorial to those who lost their lives in 1692 in the area where I grew up.  These individuals have helped shape Salem to what it is today and partly who I am.  So I would like to honor them and remember them.  I do not have the materials for this but will order them soon.  I am trying to keep my purchases to a minimum this year but this is a planned purchase for 2018 so I can pass this OOP chart on.

I know I just said I have mixed feelings about all the Salem charts of late and here is a second one!  This is another chart I love and have no mixed feelings about.  I worked for many summers as a tour guide at The House of the Seven Gables in Salem.  I met some of my closest friends there and it is a place from home that remains very close to my heart.  It is another reason I have called this blog Gables Stitcher.  I spent many hours stitching and chatting in the guides room and gardens there while working there over the years.  I will likely do just the house and not the characters.  I have the chart and materials for this project.

And that is it.  My 2018 cross stitch plans.  No problem....I should be done with everything by September!  And as always....plans are subject to change.  There are a couple of other projects I would like to start this year but I'm holding off even planning that until I get more WIPs done.