February Challenge - Finish what I've started

In general, artistic people tend to fall into two general categories: process focused and product focused. The product focuses individual creates to obtain the end result. They generally have only one project in process at a time and are very focused on completing it. When at the fabric or yarn store, they are not sidetracked by interesting finds, but buy supplies for a specific project. The process focused individual on the other hand, dives into a project for the love of the craft, be it sewing, knitting, origami or whatever catches her interest. They love learning new skills and trying them out in different ways. Projects that take a weeks or months to finish don’t deter the process focused crafter. This type of crafter feels no obligation to finish one project before starting another… and another… and another.

One peek into my sewing/crafting/yarn storage area will tell you I am most definitely a process crafter. I love planning projects and love trying out new skills. Putting things away in an organized fashion takes time away from starting the next new thing. Some day I want to learn to do it all — crochet, spinning, scrapbooking, stamping, knitting, sewing, quilting, carving, soapmaking, silk dying, jewelry making, and more and more. I can do some of the things on that list now, others are “some day” projects.

Too often I move on to the next project before I finish the current one. This means I have plenty of partially completed projects in various stages pining away for my attention. (I recently unearthed a box in my garage with sewing projects cut out and ready to go including a pair of size 6x pants for my youngest son. Currently he is six weeks shy of his 18th birthday and 6’5″ and still growing. That one’s been sitting a while.)

February is the month I complete as many of those projects as possible.

This list is created without checking to find everything in process. I’m sure more could be added but this will certainly keep me busy.

Mending – I admit, mending is not exciting. It’s a necessary, if boring, evil. Some of these items have been waiting for a restored life for longer than I care to admit:

• 2 Pair dress pants with ripped out hems (double sided hem tape to the rescue)
• 1 Dress with ties with one tie ripped off. I need to decide if I will replace the tie or alter the dress to remove the ties. It also needs to be shortened.
• Replace lining in my winter coat (I bought the fabric at the beginning of last winter)
• J’s favorite pants have been waiting to be patched for so long I made him try them on recently to verify they still fit. They do and he still loves them so I really should fix them.

Knitting

• Glittens (Glove-Mitten hybrids – fingerless gloves with a mitten cap) for a friend. Both gloves are finished, I need to knit the mitten cap and sew in all the ends (my least favorite part).
• Glittens for me. These also have the gloves finished and are waiting for the mitten cap
• Purple scarf for the silent auction at church in March

Quilting

• Shop Hop Quilt Top – I almost finished this last weekend but I ran out of thread in my bobbin and knew I had more wound but couldn’t find them. I just want to get the middle blocks sewn together and then it will be set aside because I have no ideas yet for borders or backing
• Super Secret Quilt – group project for a friend. The top is about 75% finished and the backing and binding fabrics picked out. The biggest challenge here is the actual quilting.

Sewing

• 6 Pair Pajama Pants. These were planned as Christmas presents for my kids (and me) but I couldn’t give them cut out pieces of flannel with nothing sewn together. Maybe they’ll turn into Valentine gits. (Kids, if you’re reading this, pretend to be surprised when you receive a package in the mail.)
• There is that box of already cut out projects I mentioned above but I’m in no rush to dig in to that. Those projects have already waited what, ten years or more? They can wait a little longer. Everything except for the kid pants was for me and I’m not sure they’ll fit or be in style.

Bonus Project – I’ve been eyeing this tutorial to make myself a new purse for a few months. I know what fabric I want to use for the outside and I think I know what I want to use for the lining. Since this project is still in the planning stage and not the “in process” stage, it doesn’t really count as “completing what I’ve started”. It will need to wait until a good chunk of the projects above are completed, or ideally, all of them.

February only has 28 days and I listed 16 projects above. I’ll keep you posted on my status.

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