PHD in 2021: October Progress

October wasn't a great month for finding my way to the sewing room.  This year has been challenging on a number of fronts and that's not going to change anytime soon. Rather than be disappointed, I'm going to celebrate the progress on projects no matter how little it may be, because there's no point in beating myself up for what's beyond my control.  Any progress on my PHD in 2021 will make working towards a PHD in 2022 that much easier.     

 

There aren't any updates to my PHD report this month. 

 

No finishes, but also no new starts.  I've done well at limiting the starts this year. There are two other new quilts planned for this year. One is the 2021 Bonnie Hunter mystery and the other is a graduation quilt for the Scientist in Training's undergraduate research advisor. Even if I don't finish any other quilts this year, I'll finish this year with the same number of uncompleted projects as I started.  That's not a so bad, it could certainly be worse.  

There was good progress on Cabins and Fans (self designed). 

The quilt top is finished and the backing is made. The goal this month is to prep and package up this project for quilting.  Fingers crossed I can get this one at least sent out for quilting before the end of the month.  If I can get that far, this project has a reasonable chance of being finish number 4 for 2021.  

Unity, Bonnie Hunter's surprise pandemic mystry quilt along from 2020, is progressing slowly as my leaders and enders project. 

It's taken me most of the year to finish steps 6 and 7. I'm afraid step 8 may take about as long.  There are lots of pieces in the star blocks that make up the last top and bottom borders, so lots of pieces to stitch together. But I'm taking the attitude it gets done when it gets done.  

Meadow Mist Designs 2021 mystery, Macaron, started in August with the cutting instructions.  The September clue was mostly HSTs, which I had started, but didn't finish till the end of October.  

There were a couple of other parts to piece or cut in September and those are all completed.  I've since made a start on the October clue.  The November clue comes out tomorrow, so I'm a month behind. That's OK, there is no race. I'm just going to stitch as I'm able and keep up as best I can.  

I did get a bit of emboridery done on my traveling embrodiery project. 

We spent a long weekend in Eureka Springs, AR so I finished up the first half of that light blue butterfly in the middle.  I probably won't make any more progress on this project till we get to Christmas vacation.

It wasn't a bad month, one project just about ready for quilting, and finishing up one step in each of two mystery quilt alongs. I'll take that.  

You can see more PHD progress over at Quilting Gails.  I'm hoping she's going to continue her PHD program into next year.  I 've never successfully finished the program, but it's a really fun motivator.