First a Happy Dance - Celtic Quilt, Block A4 by Chatelaine Designs
And a progress picture of Egypt Garden, also by Chatelaine Designs
Not so much progress on EG since last photo. Eh, whatever.
Actually, there hasn't been a whole lot of stitching the past few months due to Diva's senior volleyball season. That's winding down, so I'm starting to think about my stitching for the remainder of fall and winter.
I pretty much punted goals for this year. Just didn't happen. As a result, I've felt the lack of direction. Part of my problem is that Nativity Story Table Runner took so much longer to finish than I expected. I've also reached the portion of EG where I get bogged down. Feeling slightly burned out on it. This happened at the same stage when I stitched it before. I need to put it down for a while, but I feel guilty about it. I just need to finish the darn thing already.
There are so many things I want to start!!! Like yesterday. But, I have seven WIP slots, and that is still too many on an ongoing basis. At least for my comfort level.
I need ideas. So, I'm asking for opinions. My current WIPs:
- Egypt Garden by Chatelaine Designs (approx 60% complete)
- Evening in the Park by Chatelaine Designs (approx 60% complete) see a trend here? yeah, the 60% mark is where I tend to get bogged down in just about any BAP. And, I have to confess that I don't really love this design. I like it, and want to finish it. But, I'm not in love.
- Misty Morning Vineyard by Chatelaine Designs (less than 10% complete)
- Celtic Quilt by Chatelaine Designs (5 of 16 blocks complete)
- Elizabethan Sweete Bag by Chatelaine Designs ( 80% complete) Another project I like but no longer love. Hard to get motivated to finish as all that remains is one over one ON BLACK FABRIC.
- English Garden Sampler by Teresa Wentzler (less than 10% complete) I love this. But I hate the slow progress of the confetti stitches. Zaps my motivation. But, I do love the project and the fabric.
- Various Christmas Ornaments - I have several in various stages of completion. I will probably always have an ornament going as they are good travel projects. I just need to be better about actually finishing them.
Things I want to start sooner rather than later:
- I want to stitch the other three seasonal arbor designs by The Drawn Thread. I stitched Autumn Arbor earlier this year and loved it. Took me about 10 days of my stitching time.
- I want to stitch Halloween ornaments/smalls.
- Of course, there is my Stitching Bucket List. It is in need of some revision. But a bit of a moot point right now as I don't want another large or BAP project until I finish at least one more WIP.
So, stitching friends, please help me with ideas. I'm feeling like a sailboat in a calm sea.
Hm. Stitch an ornament, then put the amount of time you spent on the ornament on EG since you're getting stuck on it?
ReplyDeleteI really like Celtic Quilt.This design is rarely taken to embroider. Thank you for sharing photos with all of us.
ReplyDeleteHere's what I would do: continue either Egypt or Evening in the Park (pick one, not both), and rotate it with short projects such as ornaments or Celtic Quilt blocks. When the big mandala is done, stitch one or two of the missing DT arbors. Then get back to the other big mandala and follow the same pattern.
ReplyDeleteThe Celtic Quilt block is absolutely beautiful!
I would choose from the big ones one which is the quickest to finish, and dedicate a small given amount of time each day/week (dependign on your free time) and do what I can during that time (maybe half of them is spent simply looking the pattern, but never mind :)). Or the other solution is to finish each time a small portion, eg 100 stitches and do not stop until that is ready. And step by step the project is finished, and usually after a few sessions I am on the road again.
ReplyDeleteBy the way all your projects are beautiful, so do not give up!
I'd pull out the TW that is calling to you. Maybe by the time you get bored on that one something else will be calling.
ReplyDeleteOr you could do an ornament and then the TW.
The good thing about lots of WIPs is that usually there is at least one that is calling to you and drowning out the voices of guilt the others are trying to project rofl
I had a long comment typed up and then when I tried to post it blogger complained that I wasn't "signed in" and didn't save my comment. SO bummed!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, my advice (more succinct this time I hope) is to try and power through on the Elizabethan Sweete Bag since it's so close to being done. I might even focus on that and then reward yourself with a DT arbor start when it's done. I know you are trying to cut down on the number of wips you have, but the arbors are so quick (I've finished one and have the other 3 calling me too!) and you really want to start them.
Next I would recommend picking a Chatelaine mandala as your second "focus" piece and get a length or two in on that every time you can force yourself to do so. I have 7 Chatelaines in progress and found that it takes forever to get anywhere if I'm rotating through but if I focus on one it goes much more quickly (that's how I finished Japanese Garden recently to cut that number from 8).
Anyway, I totally feel your pain on having too many projects going; I had 23 at the start of the year which is way (!!) too many for me. I'm down to 18 now and trying to cut it a couple more before the end of the year. My goal is to eventually keep it under 10, maybe 5-7, but that is years away I fear.
Good luck with your rotation!
Lovely stitching, Cheryl. As for your stitching dilemma, if you're losing interest in your WiPs, how about starting something small that you could finish fast? An ornament or one of the Drawn Thread arbor would be great. Hopefully the finish would give you renew interest and motivations to continue your WiPs?
ReplyDeleteYour progress pictures are lovely!
ReplyDeleteI'm in favor of working on an ornament, and then putting some time into one of your BAPs. When you are feeling frustrated with it again, then work on another ornament!
Gorgeous stitching! Celtic Quilt looks lovely and EG is just spectacular.
ReplyDeleteI say stitch an ornie and then put an equivalent amount of time into ESB (since it's the closest to finish) and then pick something else you like stitch and put an equivalent time into a WIP, rinse and repeat.
Or you could just stop worrying and stitch what you like. Just let the WIPs pile up...
If you want a rotation going again I would do
ReplyDelete1) Halloween Ornament
2) A Chatelaine
3) Christmas Ornament
4) TW
Once Halloween is past I'd do an the arbour design that calls the loudest in that slot. This way you get things done in the ornament slots but also see progress in the big ones. If you feel like a bigger rotation you could always add
5) another Chatelaine
Once you have the rotation started fiddle around with the hours a bit until you are comfortable with it. You could do ten hours each slot, 5 hours each slot, 5 hours on the small slots (1+3) and ten on the big slots (2+4), you could do ten hours on the big ones and do the ornament slots goal oriented, say, till you finish one...whatever works for you.
What wonderful stitching, makes me want to get out my Chatelaine
ReplyDeleteHappy Stitching
Chris
Just do what I do! I have declared cross-stitch an absolutely "no-guilt hobby." I have quite a few WIPs and UFOs, but if I want to start something else I do it. Eventually I actually want to finish one of the projects that is close to being done. I'm more of a "journey" stitcher, so finishing them is second on my list. I just love to stitch!
ReplyDeleteJohanna