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Saturday, February 1, 2014

Is it Planning the Journey, being on the Journey or Arriving

that you enjoy the most?

My stitching group asked a while ago what did we most enjoy, starting a project, working on the project or the end of the project.

The best part of a project for me is the planning and the start.  It's like going a long trip - you spend time learning about where you are going, or exploring what you are going to do while you are there.  In the old days, you went and got the trip tiks, which is the equivalent of a GPS today, only it's a turn by turn road map of where you are going.   I can remember driving from KY to CO with my kids, we started out the trip singing, laughing, talking and having a great time.  About Kansas, the radio sang to us, the talking was at a minimum and the laughing…well Kansas is a LONG State to drive through east to west!  When we hit CO the sing, the laughing and the fun started again because we knew we were close to our goal.

So when I start to think about a new project I first have the find that perfect chart or canvas.  Since most of what I do, I do for others  I like to think about what they would like, or what reminds me of them.  The August Peridot Fairy is for my middle daughter.  The minute I saw the chart I knew I had to do it for her.  So I pulled out the chart, got the beads and threads and then found the perfect piece of linen.  Sometimes I try to get what the chart calls for, sometimes I go with something I like that I think would look good.

Next is figuring out where to start.  I used to start all of my projects in the middle but I found on the larger projects that I couldn't reach the top once I had expanded to the bottom.  So I'd end up putting the q-snaps over stitched areas :(   Or having to stitch upside down.   So now if the project is large, I start at the top with the idea that I can work my way to the bottom.

At the half way point I start to lose interest, I start to fade fast….and my eye starts to wander to the next project because that is the part I love most.  If the project is for someone and really has to be done, I plow through it, but a lot of the time the projects get put aside until I can find the motivation again.

One would think I have hundreds of UFO's stashed among my things, but I don't.  I have more than I care to count right now, but I have less than 100, so I'm still good.

Sometime the motivation hits with a vengeance to get something done.  I'll stitch and stitch until it's done, other times the projects get banned to the UFO file, they are always seen again, but sometimes not for years.  The angel shown here took me almost 5 years to finish, the Indian woman about 3.

So for me the planning and the starting are my favorite parts.  The middle is like driving through Kansas from east to west - it takes a long time and seems to go on forever!!  No wonder Dorothy went to Oz!!

When it's finished I can't say I'm ever sad to see it come to an end, I'm ready for the end by then because I know I have more  projects waiting to go!!  Or sometimes one that is calling my name again and begging to be finished line Tiny Leanie Witch did a few years back.

I've not been stitching the last couple of weeks, between having two different sisters come for visit and a trip to CO for a presentation and a cold in-between my stitching mojo has been gone.  But today I had one of my canvases out and worked on it for a bit.  Hoping to do a lot more stitching tomorrow as we watch the Super Bowl, need something to show.

Sandy


2 comments:

  1. Great post. I don't tend to feel over excited at finishing either and always thought I was weird. I do enjoy putting those first few stitches in the most I think. The clean, fresh fabric calls me somehow!

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    1. Thanks, I like the first couple of stitches myself too, was even more exciting when I found linen vs. aida.
      Sandy

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