A stitching journey begins

Small display of completed cards

Hello readers. Happy New Year and a very happy Australia Day to all my Aussie family, friends and fellow crafters.

It has been quite awhile since my last post on this blog and a great deal of activity went on in the Woman's Cave leading up to Christmas with the completion of a number of gifts for family and friends.

Baby boy pop up card

As always there was a lull between Christmas and the start of a new year and it took awhile for me to regain my creative 'mojo'. However, I finally found some inspiration on Pinterest (don't you just love that site) and re-motivated myself through some new and interesting card-making techniques.

With the help of the OWO's iPad, Youtube, and Pinterest tutorials, I have just about mastered five new techniques since the beginning of the new year.

However, yesterday I put away my cardmaking supplies and prepared myself to undertake some stitching. No ordinary stitching. This was the start of my plans for 2016, to complete some of the PiPs/UFOs in my craft stash.

There are a multitude of unfinished/incomplete projects hidden away in the Woman's Cave, so where to start? Couldn't decide, so thought I could  make a bit of a "lucky dip" and get my DH to make the choice for me.

Six drawers of craft

 I have a set of six storage drawers under my cutting table and five of those drawers have a number of projects stored there - just for safe keeping of course! Then there are a number of partially completed quilt tops in another cupboard and a number of cross-stitch projects in another box.

So the idea of the "lucky dip" was to write a drawer number on small pieces of paper, add a few more pieces with the word "quilt" and a number, and a couple of pieces with "your choice" written on them. They were placed in a small bucket and then I asked my DH to draw out two pieces. He gladly accommodated my request knowing full well that it would mean some of those UFOs/PiPs might finally be completed. Well of course, the first ticket he drew out was for the dreaded Drawer No. 3 and the next was for Drawer No. 6 - no "your choice" for me today!

There are about 12 different projects in that dreaded Drawer 3 - enough to keep me going for the next six months - so here goes - the task begins today!

List of Projects in Drawer 3: ( In no particular order)

1.  Sashiko square - 12x12" - Dragonflies
2.  Purple Elephant applique wall hanging
3.  Redwork Heart - cushion front
4.  Candlewick bears x 4

Candlelight Creations projects

5.  Cushion panels x 3
6.  Bareroots, "Written in Thread" wall hanging
7.  Mystery Runner from AP&Q magazine
8.  Aussie Xmas Swag from Country Threads
9.  That Raggedy One "Miracles by Appointment" wall hanging
10.  Candlelight Creations embroideries x 4 - 17x17"
11.  Grecian Urns - Xstitch blocks from a RR to make ?????

Projects in Drawer 6 are a little less complicated consisting of the unfinished blocks for my "Love Letters Quilt" BOM by Faeries in My Garden. These blocks are embroidered and appliqued with Broderie Perse applique - the latter being the reason this project has not been completed! (This quilt by the way was started in 2007!!!).

Box of Projects for travelling

Some of these projects will travel with me on our next exciting adventure in our new A-van, starting at the end of February. Others can only be completed at home in the Woman's Cave with access to my Brother and other handy equipment.

Regardless of location my "stitching journey" begins today.  Let us see where it takes us and what can be achieved in 2016.