Needles and a Pen » Knitting, Sewing, and Nursing School

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  • Welcome to my blog!

    Hi! I'm Traci. I'm a Registered Nurse who loves quilting, knitting, cross stitch, and the great outdoors. In my pre-scrubs life, I owned Real Photography, and you can still see my old wedding and portrait photography site here .

    I've created a map that shows links to our camping/hiking/general family fun review posts that you can find here. It's pretty much the coolest thing on this site. Thanks, Google!

    I great big puffy heart *love* comments, so please let me know you visited! I try to always reply!

2021 Make Nine Plans

For 2021 I’m setting similar goals to 2020–some building, some knitting, some sewing, some scrapbooking!

  • I loved finishing my yearbook album quilt at long last, so I’ve chosen another quilt in WIP purgatory: this bow tie block quilt whose quilt top is actually complete but requires a quilt back and quilting.
  • The Carolyn Pajamas are one of my favorite instagram hashtag projects to follow. I am intimidated as all get-out though after reading reports that people have spent DAYS on the pajama bottoms. (Days! On pajama bottoms!)
  • Like last year, I left this ‘dress’ category open, but I’d like to continue my coverstitch journey and finish off my Comic Con dress this year. Sadly Comic Con in Denver has already been cancelled for 2021 (as it was in 2020) so motivation on that dress is low
  • My front porch is a bit of an eyesore with all of its shoes and run-down looking milk box. I have a building project I’ve been designing in my mind for a couple of years that would incorporate a bench, some less in-your-face shoe piles, and a milkbox. We’ll see if I can finish the mental design and draft it into reality!
  • The almost-complete sweater really does need love in 2021.
  • My week-in-the-life project got two albums completed last year, but I still have holes to fill completing the 2015, 2016 and 2018 albums. I’ll see if I can prioritize some computer time to completing at least a 2021, 2018, and 2015 album this year!
  • I cheated last year and made shirts for Ellie instead of myself. This year the goal is an ADULT shirt!
  • My mudroom closet needs some reorganizing, and I have my eye on using the Ikea PAX system to remodel this closet.
  • I always meant to make Christmas stockings. Let this be the year it happens!