projects i'm still working on

I love finishing a project as much as starting one.  There's so much satisfaction in knowing that I made something with my hands that can be enjoyed by others.  I also feel a great sense of accomplishment after finishing a project, especially one that takes days or weeks to complete. 

Then there are those half-finished projects that sit at the bottom of my closet for months [sometimes years!] due to a creative hiccup, life's distractions, or diminishing fervor.  Thankfully the closet is small, but it still bothers me to see some of my creative work on a long-term hiatus.

Today, I thought I'd share with you a few of those perennial works in progress.  The montage below shows snapshots of the projects when I first wrote about them on Habit of Art.

I started crocheting a mini blanket last January when I found out I was going to be an aunt again.  I'm nearly done with this blanket (top photo), but I have another blanket to start for the other twin! I'm determined to finish both blankets by Christmas, before the babies outgrow them.  It just wouldn't be Christmas Eve without me madly working on handmade gifts.  

One evening in the Fall of 2010, I had a sudden creative surge.  I grabbed a piece of plywood from the shed and started painting this landscape scene.  The mountains were painted in oils and the background in an ink wash.  After the first stage of painting had cured, I sadly discovered that the plywood had bowed.  I'm assuming from the ink wash.

At times like this, scrapping a work of art seems like the easiest solution (out of sight, out of mind).  But, the teacher in me would not approve at all.  I have fished many works in progress out of the classroom trash can and urged defeated students to embrace problem-solving opportunities.   

After talking with a couple of handy wood craftsmen, I now have a plan of action to fix the warped wood.  I'm going to rewet the front of the painting and then place it face down on the ground with some weight on it.  Once the board dries and straightens out, I'll then attach it to a wood frame. We'll see if this works!

I have a history of taking years to finish quilts.  Then again, that was when I was handquilting blankets.  The quilt shown above, which was started in April 2010, was originally designed to be a queen size duvet cover.  Although I was using a sewing machine, it was still a time-consuming project.  I got about half way through the project and then it sat untouched for over a year.

Fast forward to spring of 2011.  I'm watching two additional cats for a few weeks, and I discover in horror that my basket of fabrics had been used as a cat litter box!  Even if I wanted to try to get the cat urine out of the fabric, I couldn't get past the idea that my face would be snuggling up to it every night. 

So now, the duvet cover will most likely become a twin size duvet cover, thanks to one very misbehaved cat.