Needles and Pens

So this week I've been trying to play catch-up in the aftermath of my big January home project ... but mostly I've been floundering. Once I get my teeth into a big project, I will work like a fiend to get it finished, but when it's done I tend to stall out -- for days on end, it seems -- and go, "Now what?" Does that happen to you? Or are you able to just move smoothly on to the next thing? At any rate, I'm pretty well caught up on the household basics and had to give myself permission to slack off a bit, recharge, and wait for the next wave of motivation. And despite my slacking, I have a couple of small finishes for the week. In last year's "Get 'er Done" challenge, I was lucky enough to win one of the monthly prize drawings, a set of beautiful block-of-the-month kits from Jo-Ann fabrics, called "Floral Breeze." It was donated by my friend, Jude, who also has a set of her own. Hopefully we can keep each other encouraged to finis...

... it may actually qualify as a disease. But I know the cure. Just make a whole bunch of them, all at once, under a deadline. LoL Ready to wrap, with hot cocoa packets and candy canes... ...and a little note inside. Still not quite finished with my Christmas sewing... but the mug rugs, they are done . :o)

For those who thought my sewing room looked unnaturally neat and tidy the last time I posted a picture of it... here's the week-before-Christmas reality shot: Yikes. What I'm working on today... MUG RUGS. Enough to go under all those Christmas mugs... (I think there were 20 total when I started.) The only two I've actually completed have already been given away. One for my friend and neighbor, Sheila: And one for my son's piano teacher: And I still have pajama pants to make. I have a looong way to go... Best of luck to all the other participants in this week's Design Wall Monday . May all of your projects be finished on time! ;o)

Now that December is here, I'm getting seriously antsy about the number of things I need to finish in the next few weeks. Thinking about it can make a few small finishes feel like a drop in the bucket, quickly set aside in order to move on to the next thing. This is one reason Sew & Tell Friday is so great. It's nice to be able to take a moment to celebrate even the smallest finishes, especially at this time of year, before plunging back into the mountain of must-dos. I've already blogged on two of my finishes this week, so feel free to click on the title if you'd like to see all the particulars and fun stuff. Both of these were catching-up projects for my 2011 challenges. If things keep clicking along like they have been, there may be a chance I'll get them all done by the end of the year! (Though the Christmas must-dos must come first.) First, the "Santa's Teddy Bear" pillow, finished last weekend for the "Get 'er Done" Challe...