Okay, this post is a little early but that’s okay.  I feel like sharing where I’m at and it’s a great reminder for me on what is on my list for February.

#1 – Get 6 quilts done in 2016

Tell It To The Stars – I’m working on the binding now!  Woohoo!  I am trying to get this done this week so I can just be finished with it.  This will definitely be done this month.

Bailey is at the shop so I plan on cleaning and checking the level of the frame for Scrapitude 2015 which is the next quilt on the quilt queue.

Scrapitude – Get this on the frame and get this quilted. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get this quilted in February but I’ll be happy to get it on the frame.

#2 – Continue to count my stash, with a true effort to not add fabric on a whim.  

For February, my goal is to continue to not add to my stash and with Tell It To the Stars done, I would like to be in the black for once in my life. 🙂

==> So far I haven’t purchased any fabric for 2016.

#3 – Create a hobby budget a stick to it!  

I may have bought something at my guild meeting last Monday.  I’ll report it on Sunday but I’m not fairing too well with this goal.  Oh well, as my first year doing this one, it’s very similar to counting stash where my numbers were way high the first year.  It took 3 years before I got to where I am now with my stash numbers. I’ll just keep tracking it.  I’m embarrassed at how much I spend but it is what it is.  I’m sure as I keep tracking it, I’ll discover things about myself like I did when I started reporting my stash ins and outs.

#4 – Knit weekly

My goal for February is to get the Rosie Hat done.

==> Things have slowed down on this front.  Ever since my wrist/elbow started hurting again I only work a bit on my knitting from week to week.  I am still hoping to get this done in February.  I just need to remind myself that this is one of the things I want to do this month.

#5 – Cross Stitch weekly

My goal for February was to get the bottom right corner complete and the letter “E” of welcome done. Here’s a pic of the project so you can see what I’m talking about. I need to take a picture but I’ve got that bottom right corner complete so the next thing I will be working on is the “E” of welcome.  I’ve also started outlining some of the details on the bottom border.

#6 – Scrapbook

For February, I want to get those pictures onto pages.  I also want to go into one of my project bags to see where I left off.  Ideally, I’d like to start where I left off so I can empty out the project bags and use them for my 2015/2016 album.

==> I haven’t done anything for this goal in February yet.  Hopefully I will be able to spend some time over the 3 day weekend on this.

Here’s a link to my original 2016 Goals.

Here’s to a great year!

~Melanie

#1 – Get 6 quilts done in 2016

I’m continuing to work on quilting Tell It To The Stars.  I’m working on the green sections and I’m really almost done with it.  The next step is the border and I’m debating if I should continue to work on the frame or move it off and onto my domestic machine.  I’m leaning towards that end as that will free the mid arm and I can bring it in to get serviced sooner rather than later.  Once the border is done, all I have to do is bind it.  The label is already part of the back so I’m almost done with project and I can have my first finish of the year!

For February, my goal is to get Tell It To the Stars DONE – bound and all!  And, get Bailey serviced.  If I can, I’d like to get Quilt #2 (Scrapitude 2015) on the frame and start the quilting on that.  This one is going to be a simple meander so it shouldn’t take too long and I hope to get it all done in March.

#2 – Continue to count my stash, with a true effort to not add fabric on a whim.  

I made it through the month of January without adding to my stash! woohoo!  Better yet, I made it through a show – the biggest show in the west – without adding to my stash!  Double Woohoo!  It’s as I’ve thought before… as long as I’m quilting regularly, I don’t have the urge to buy fabric.

For February, my goal is to continue to not add to my stash and with Tell It To the Stars done, I would like to be in the black for once in my life. 🙂

#3 – Create a hobby budget a stick to it!  

While I’ve managed not to add fabric, I’ve managed to spend half my hobby budget for the year in January!  My annual budget is $3,000 and I’ve already spent $1504.22.  I’m not sure how I will make it through the rest of the year but I’m going to try and restrain myself.  I bought things I’ve been eyeing for years so I believe the rest of the year should be pretty minimal.  I’ll be attending QuiltCon in Pasadena this month so there will be a bit of spending there but I’m not planning on doing the kind of damage I did at Road.

#4 – Knit weekly

I have been doing a bit of knitting every week.  I’m starting the second part of the cable for the Rosie Hat.  I need to do about 10 rows and then I can start decreasing.  I ran out of yarn, which was really weird as I thought I had enough.  That’s okay.  I added another purple that is not the same purple but I’m just practicing on my skills.

My goal for February is to get the Rosie Hat done. Here’s an outdated pic of it so you can see what I’m talking about.

#5 – Cross Stitch weekly

Again, I’m getting a bit done each week and I’m progressing nicely.  I think at the pace I’ve been going at I can get the bottom right corner complete and the letter “E” of welcome done. Here’s a pic of the project so you can see what I’m talking about. The picture is outdated as I’ve been working on it since my last post, I just haven’t taken a picture yet.

#6 – Scrapbook

Here’s what I got done in January for Scrapbooking –

1. I got all the supplies out of the garage
2. I went through what I had and consolidated them from the many bags
3. Organized them into my closet.  It stayed awhile on the floor and really irritated me to no end but now it’s nicely stored in my closet.
4. Printed pictures from Dec. 2015 to start up with current pictures.
5. I picked the album that I will use right now for current pictures.

For February, I want to get those pictures onto pages.  I also want to go into one of my project bags to see where I left off.  Ideally, I’d like to start where I left off so I can empty out the project bags and use them for my 2015/2016 album.

Here’s a link to my original 2016 Goals.

Here’s to a great year!

~Melanie

#1 – Get 6 quilts done in 2016

I’m continuing to work on quilting Tell It To The Stars.  I’m working on the light blue sections, then I’ll work on the green sections and then finally the border.  I’m hoping to get this done this month (that’s January, 2016). 🙂 I can already tell that this may not happen.  I really only work on this during the weekend because as soon as I have an issue, I just stop with frustration.

#2 – Continue to count my stash, with a true effort to not add fabric on a whim.  

So, I’ve never committed to not buying fabric before. It is actually much easier to do this now than it was before.  After 3 years of tracking and counting fabric, the urge to buy fabric doesn’t hit me as much now as it used to.  Part of it is the discovery that I generally buy fabric when I’m not quilting as much as I would like.  So, I make sure to quilt as often as possible.  It generally works out to quilting every weekend with the odd weekend away here and there.  In writing this I realize that I have a HUGE caveat to this goal… and that is – I’m allowed to buy fabric (if I so choose) at the quilt shows I’ll be going to and when we go to Florida and Myrtle Beach for our family vacation this coming summer.  I will continue to count my stash every Sunday and link up to Judy’s Sunday Stash report.

#3 – Create a hobby budget a stick to it!  

I created my hobby budget and it is $3,000 for the year.  I know it sounds like a lot but it’s for everything crafty/hobby related.  In addition to my normal quilty stuff, that includes yarn and printing pictures, trips to Joann’s, Craftsy classes, etc.  I’ll track this on Sunday’s with the other things I’m tracking because that will help keep me within the budget.  I’ll be heading over to Road2California this week so my budget for this trip is $450.

#4 – Knit weekly

I just want to make sure I do a bit every week.  I was rolling along pretty quickly on my Rosie Hat but then my wrist and arm started hurting.  That was a forced break last week so I was only able to work on my knitting once.  I’m also not a very fast knitter so I pretty much only do 2 rows each sitting.  It also helps make sure I do not overtax my wrist and arm.  I generally have a problem with my wrist/arm at the middle of every quarter.  I work my butt off in the beginning of the quarter doing my client’s quarterly bills and invoices and quarterly reports so that’s when I usually have a problem.  I’ve spent the last couple of years getting good ergonomic equipment like my keyboard and my mouse.  In the office I have a standing desk that goes up and down so I can have it up when I want to stand and down when I want to sit.  When I’m sitting, it’s at a perfect height to my chair.  My home office desk isn’t as nice. It’s a standard sitting one and I think my next big purchase will be a standing desk for my home office.  I love them but there aren’t any drawers or filing cabinets.  It’s why I haven’t upgraded my home office desk yet.  Anyway, my wrist/arm hasn’t been hurting that much the past 2 years because I’m pretty good now about stopping, putting my wrist guard on when I think it’s going to start hurting and just generally good self care.  I get regular massages and trips to the chiropractor.  It sure helps to exercise and yoga is my favorite form of exercise.  I could stand to lose more pounds but I enjoy my bread a little too much!  🙂  Anyway, this is a long story to say that I will surely be slow but I’ll be happy to just plod along each week as long as I touch the knittings once weekly.

#5 – Cross Stitch weekly

Similar to knitting, I want to cross stitch weekly.  The ultimate goal is to finish the “welcome” project and then get started on my farm project this year.  This will also be a slow project but this one will be easier to post pictures weekly.  The knitting is hard to see unless I remember to take a pic during the weekend when I can get out during the sunny day.  Unfortunately, I’m not usually able to remember that since I’m generally knitting at night.  But it’s nice to see the cross stitch project coming along.  I’m working on the bottom border right now.  I want to post an update weekly so I can see progress from week to week.

#6 – Scrapbook

I would really love to work on scrapbooking weekly but I already can tell that that may not happen.  I’m okay with that.  I just want to scrapbook some and if it’s every other week or once a month, I’ll be happy with that.  I still have all the scrapbooking stuff on the side of my sewing room but I really can’t figure out where I’m going to put them.  I figure I just need to get started on actually scrapbooking again and then it may be easier for me to figure out where to put them all.  A couple of weeks ago, I printed a bunch of pictures and they were delivered last week.  Now I’ve got stuff I can actually scrapbook.  I also plan on going over some of my old scrapbooks that I never completed and finish them.

Here’s a link to my original 2016 Goals.

Here’s to a great year!

~Melanie