Saturday Sampler: "7-11" Project Edition

Thanks for all the well wishes on my last post and for all the sweet comments about Tiger Lily. She really is a precious girl. Lil' bit bossy (and spoiled, which isn't her fault), but very sweet. She made several days sick in bed a lot more tolerable. So we're getting back to normal around here. Let's catch up on a few things. Grab a cup of tea!

Here's my January memo board. I described making this in this post back in October and if you scroll back you'll find pictures of my November and December boards. This ribbon is from post-Christmas clearance at Jo-Ann Fabrics (85% off!).

I'm almost, almost ready to start Russian Hunt. Here's what happened. I intended it to be a New Year's Day start, but when I measured the fabric in the kit, I discovered there was barely 2" of extra fabric around the edges. That spooked me. I know good framers can work with that, but I really didn't want to spend y-e-a-r-s on this project and then worry about the framing. So I decided to buy a larger piece of fabric for it. Then I debated with myself. I haven't stitched on Aida in donkey's years, but since this is a fully-stitched project, I didn't mind it. Then I thought about using an even weave, but in the end I decided I wanted the stiffness and body of the Aida to support this huge piece of stitching. So Aida it was. And then I decided to stitch it on 16 ct. instead of the 14 ct. intended, just to give me a bit of wiggle room on the threads in the kit. I'm frugal with my thread and don't anticipate running out, but again, for such a long-term project, I don't want to worry about it. 

Still with me?

So I ordered a huge piece of 16 ct. Aida. Of course, that delayed my start. I decided to start it last weekend. Of course, I got sick, for the first time in probably five years. Of course. So here we are, past mid-January, and my New Year's Day start is still "un-started." But it's all ready to go!

I am one of those stitchers who likes to have the entire work area visible and accessible, so yes, I made a ginormous frame out of my Q-snap collection. I've done this before (when I stitched CEC's Skeleton Crew) and it works well for me because when I work on a big project I sit on the floor and just prop the frame against something so I can mostly stitch two-handed. I know that sounds unbelievably awkward to most of you, but I sit on the floor all the time and it really does work for me! This frame is 23" x 17".

Naturally, I had to make a special needle minder just for this project. This matryoshka charm is from AC Moore. 

Russian Hunt is the biggest project I've ever tackled, and the only fully-stitched one, so it's a double whammy. I see lots of large designs (HAEDs, usually) that I think are pretty, but none of them have appealed to me enough to spend a couple of years stitching them. This one (a Riolis kit) hit me hard. Had to have it. Have to stitch it. I'm normally pretty finish-oriented when it comes to stitching; I want to have things done in a timely manner. I don't have a bunch of WIPs or UFOs lying around. Obviously, that wasn't going to work with a project like this. Too much life happening. And I didn't want to stitch this to the exclusion of other projects. To me, that would make it feel like if I wanted to stitch it would have to be this or nothing, and that's not fun. A fellow stitcher (waving at Melanie and Potpie!) referred to this as a "7-11" project: not always doing business but always open. Brilliant! (For those in other countries, 7-11 is a chain convenience store/gas station that is always open, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.) This concept is perfect for my approach to this project: I may not be putting stitches in every day, but it's always ready for my attention. Hopefully in the near future I'll have a very exciting blob of stitches to show you!

If you read my January memo board (and my December one, posted 25 December), you probably noticed a project called "Christmas Gathering." It was supposed to be a finish last weekend, but we all know what happened to that. Anyway, I thought I'd share a tiny peek at my WIP. I'll provide all the details on it when I can show the finished piece, but for now I wanted to show you a designer's inspired use of variegated thread. This little red barn is stitched in one color (DMC 4140) and in columns (as opposed to rows; I stitched each of my columns bottom to top). The effect is a beautifully weathered look. Such a smart way to achieve this result.

I'm going on and on, aren't I? Anyway, now that things are getting back to normal, I hope I'll have some finishes to share before too long. I haven't picked up a needle in about two weeks! Perhaps I'll have a burst of productivity to make up for it.

Happy Saturday!