Sunday, January 26, 2020

Stitching Rotation Explanation

January has been a very good stitching month. I've been rotating my projects with great results. With 15 WIPs going on right now, the rotation is the best way to manage them all. I read someone's comment (not on this blog) that a rotation was too confining. The way I rotate couldn't be farther from that definition! Let me explain how I do it. I stitch on a project for about three days, then choose another one. Stitch on that one for three days, then go on to another. That's it. Not complicated or confining at all! And guess what. If I want to go back to the first project next, then I do that. Oh, and if I want to stitch on something for four days, I can! Wow, I'm such a rebel.

Stitching is supposed to be fun, and a rotation is just a way to get a little stitching in on all of your projects. Make up your own rotation "rules". My "three days" time frame is just my own thing. Yours could be one day or two - or a week.

So what is the result of all of this rotating? Just look!

I worked on "Tulip's Praise" by Gracewood Stitches.
Yes, it's a huge project, but I'm now on the top row of tulips. It's stitched on 18 count evenweave in white or off white. Maybe a finish this year?

"Angel of Divinity Stocking" by Dimensions was up next.
I got a lot done on the back half of the lamb. Lots of light, pale colors in there! This is a kit and is being stitched on 18 count white aida.

I worked quite a bit on "Bluebird's Salute" by Luminous Fiber Arts at my last stitch day. Then I was really motivated to finish it!
So I have a finish! I know how I'm going to FFO it and will be able to show that in my next post. The fabric is 28 count white Jobelan.

I picked up Linen and Threads Mystery Sampler 2017. Yes, I know it's 2020.
I like this project a lot but am going to be so glad to get to the February portion. I'm stitching this on 32 count white Jobelan with my own DMC color combination.

I got a little framing done.
This is "The Light Upon The Lawn" by Blackbird Designs, and I finished stitching it late last year. I put it into this thrift store frame. Wasn't sure I was going to like the light frame color and thought about painting it, but I really like it! It's very nice to get something totally finished and ready to hang.

So January was a good month for stitching. There are a few days left. Let's see how much more progress I can make. How is your January going? Cold? Snowy? Maybe you need a dose of spring. These daffodils bloomed just before it was going to freeze so we cut them and brought them in.
It was a way to bring a little spring into the house when there's still about two more months of winter. These are just early daffodils. They always come up when winter is in full swing.

Thanks for visiting today! Happy stitching!

Friday, January 10, 2020

New Year, Resolutions, And A Winner!

Happy New Year! After the excitement and busyness of the holidays, it's nice to get back into a routine. And first, as promised, I'm going to announce the winner of the assortment of six lace zippers.
The winner is Faith!

Faith, I will leave a comment on my previous post to notify you. Please email me with your mailing address and I'll get these cute zippers sent to you! Congratulations!

Now back to that routine. I haven't made too many crafty resolutions (and no regular resolutions!) this year. I do want to:
  • Organize my overdyed floss better.
  • Stitch every day.
  • Quit looking at my phone during stitching time. I know, I know. That one sounds familiar.
  • Go back to my WIP rotation.
  • Try try try to stitch from stash.
  • Finish something already.

OK, that's a lot of resolutions. But they're all pretty sensible and doable. That phone one though. Ugh. Why is it so important to keep checking my phone? It isn't. Do I need something like this to put my phone in while I stitch?
 
 Ha ha ha! Just a thought.

I have been stitching! I worked on "Bluebird Garden" by Artful Offerings.
Significant progress was made on his tail and into that blue checker-y area.

I also worked on "Life Tree" by Rovaris.
This is one of my favorite projects. I'm stitching it one over one on 25 count Lugana in the color Potato. I lightly tea-dyed it. Very lightly, just to give it an antique look. When this is done, I know exactly how I'm going to finish it, AND exactly where it's going to go.

I also did a little finishing since my last post.
This chart is by Little House Needleworks from the Farmhouse Series. It's "Horsin' Around". I finished the first in this series as a little pillow, but wanted to do something different with this one. I used the exact same materials that I used in the first one and will continue to use the same fabric and trims for all of the charts in this series.

With all of the Christmas decorations gone, the house looks a little..... bare? blank? stark? So I tried to liven things up a bit with some wintery decor.
I have found that the secret to decorating the three-tier tray is to not overthink it. I have a container that has all of the Christmas and winter decorations for the tray. As I put the Christmas things away, I took out the winter pieces. I think I arranged this in about ten minutes. Another tip: elevate small items by hiding small boxes (like the boxes that jewelry comes in) under fabric.

Thank you for visiting today! I hope you like the craftiness that I have to offer. Please consider following my blog if you haven't already. I hope that you have the happiest of new years. Come back and visit again.