My stitchy life has been fraught with all kinds of boredom, dissatisfaction, and worry lately, Dearies. I plant my ample heiney in the chair every day with needle and thread in hand, but within minutes I'm exhaling loudly and sighing dramatically that whatever is in the q-snap in front of me just isn't blowing my skirt up.
Phooey.
I think I've put one or two stitches into three dozen different projects lately in the hopes that I'll find that "aaaahhhhh factor" again and just play with a piece until it's complete.
My poor WiP bin has been rummaged more than a thrift store, and I'm about thiiiis close to putting my shoes and socks on and hitting the Toll Road for a House of Stitches splurge, but the better angels of my brain kick in and I remember that spending the rent money on silk thread is not very adult-y and I put the checkbook away.
Last night I stitched the two stitches on a WiP that I think has to be at least 20 years old...The Drawn Thread's Sampler Game Board:
After I did the two stitches, I decided to do a thread pallet instead of just chucking the whole thing back into the basket, so there is a bit of hope that this might make a return appearance this afternoon and evening.
In case you're new to the whole thread pallet concept...it's basically a quilt block design board (that you can purchase or make yourself), that you use to park your working threads. I purchased this one from Fat Quarter Shop, and I used the little bobbin labels from DMC to identify the colors.
I've also made thread pallets....a simple process of attaching batting to a piece of mat board and then glueing fabric around the edges, and instead of DMC labels, I've also used little round stickers with the color name indicated, but you can do any method to suit your fancy. I just find that having the threads readily available makes the stitching time that much more enjoyable.
(Another great tool is the Bitsy Bob, but Kelly is no longer making them, sadly, and most of the ones I have are already assigned to other projects.)
(But you all are crafty and brilliant, and I'm sure you have devised your own methods for keeping things tidy and efficient.)
So.
That's my story for today. I have now completed all of my medical testing and am now waiting for the follow-up appointments to tell me which direction my little CrazyTrain of Medical Wonder will head next.
In the meantime, I'm going to just behave myself and remain calm. (hahahahahaha)
What's new with you?
Good morning Coni! I was surprised to see the sampler checkerboard on your blog today! I started that last year for a Leap Day start. Unfortunately, I didn't measure my fabric properly (and it was hand dyed as well, so wasn't about to scrap it), so ran out of room when I got over to the right side. I ended up taking out part of the left side border and all the letters up on top and just stitching the right column on the left side and moved the border out. I love the pattern (houses are a thing for me) and have been enjoying very gentle stitching on it since the fabric is so soft.
ReplyDeleteLove your idea of a thread pallet. May have to try it myself!
Have a great day and I hope your stitchy bug returns soon!
Love that you have this piece in your WIP box. I also have it in my WIP closet(yes! a whole closet!!) I may have to find it and bring it into the light of day again. I am stitching mine in the Gloriana silk threads, what a beautiful thread to work with. OK now you have me all of a lather about finding it and putting some time in on it .
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful rest of the day.
What's new with me is, not nearly enough. My daughter asked for a design, based on a photo of high mountains with farm land at their feet. So, blue sky, white clouds. Then, row of mountains with dark, bare rocks and a few lighter flecks and dark hollows. Then, distant wild vegetation, followed by medium distance maybe grazing land. In front, lots of geometric shapes in different shades of green, plus a small pond with reeds. Based on a photograph, it seemed quite doable until the doing started! The foreground is done; so is most of the grazing land. Then I decided that I needed to put the mountain rocks in place and fit the rest of the vegetation in under them. So here I sit, trying out Rocky Mountain Stitches until, well, perhaps another cup of coffee might help - always worth a try! I suppose it's stage fright, really, but I'm trying very hard to make it go away. So far, it hasn't. But it will; soon, I hope. Good luck with your stitchery too! All over the world, people are following your story, hoping for better health, and, through our giggles, respecting your cheery courage.
ReplyDeleteHi Coni! I have finished the Sampler Gameboard and it's hanging on the wall. The great thing about that piece is that you.can set a goal of just doing one block and it's a small, manageable thing and then you can work on something else. I do a stitching rotation, where I have (right now) 5 projects I'm actively working on and I work on a different one every day. Works for me and it worked with the Sampler Gameboard, which is a great piece! Colleen
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