Blog Hop #4 - Stitching Stereotypes

Do you experience the same assumption from society in general that just because you're being crafty, you're also driven by some unseen force to be in constant 1950's housewife mode? And then...who actually does the cooking and cleaning in the household?

Personally, I have never been accused of the 1950's housewife stereotype just because I'm a stitcher. I have had people assume that because I cross stitch, I also sew (as in clothing). I do sew but quilts, not clothes. I've also had people assume that I embroider - I don't, I stink at it! Anything stamped for embroidery, even cross stitch, is my mortal enemy. Since I have friends that can make stamped items that are gorgeous, I know that it's just me.

The other assumption that I've had to deal with is that since I cross stitch, I must want that simple kit of plastic canvas coasters that they never had time to open! I'm not a cross stitch snob (okay, maybe I am), but I prefer projects with some style or statement. I would much rather do a band sampler by The Victoria Sampler; an ornate piece by Teresa Wentzler or Mirabilia; or a pure art piece like those by Heaven and Earth Designs.

As to the cooking and cleaning, I'm no 1950's housewife but I do most of the cleaning with the exception of the dishes - my husband does most of them (we don't own a dishwasher). I'd say that we share the cooking.

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
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Rotating again

Well, the randomizer chose Heirloom Christmas Sampler for my rotation after Rapunzel (Dawe).  I made it through band 15.  With this one, my choice to stop and move on to another project is based on when I would need to roll the scroll frame.  If I can't do a band without scrolling, then I move on.

For my next project, the randomizer has chosen:  Rapunzel (Dawe).  Looks like these two projects are the randomizer's favorites!  I don't mind since I can definitely see progress on both of them.  The poor HCS hadn't seen any progress in years and now I've reached the half-way point on it!

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Rapunzel progress & Next WIP

Tonight I finished another page on Rapunzel (Dawe) from HAED.  I should mention the reason that I always specify (Dawe) after it.  HAED has more than one Rapunzel pattern and the one I am doing is by the artist Alexandra Dawe.

Here is the progress picture:

This means that I have 3 pages done now.  I've also printed the next page so that it's ready the next time this ends up in my rotation.

For the next project in my rotation, the randomizer has chosen:  Heirloom Christmas Sampler from the Victoria Sampler.  I am so glad that I remembered to purchase the one Caron Waterlilies color that I was missing - I needed it for the first band on this round of stitching.

I've already made progress on HCS tonight.  Bands 6 & 7 are both done!  Band 8 requires cutting the actual fabric so I thought I'd stop for the night and save the cutting for when I'm fully focused.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Crocheted Dishrags

I've been crocheting dishrags lately.  Mainly, because I have so much of that type of thread. 

These were made using Bernat® Handicrafter® Cotton.

This first one is a pattern from the back of the yarn label.

As you can see, it's basically a large granny square - about 11inches.

This is also a pattern from the back of the same label.

This one is the first pattern from this leaflet:


At the moment, I'm working on the second dishcloth in the leaflet.  I know I have enough yarn to do all of them and I just might!

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Giveaway!

This giveaway is closed.

Well, no one even came close!  The floss that I have the most is 800 and I have 27 skeins of it.

I'll definitely have a giveaway sometime in the near future and I promise that it'll be easier!

Now that I've cataloged all my floss, I thought I'd do a floss-related giveaway. 

What you have to do is Comment on this post with the DMC number of the floss you think I have the most of  and how many skeins of that color.  Now since DMC has 450+ solid colors, I will narrow it down for you.  I will mention that two of the color numbers that I'm going to list are original variegated because at least one of them made my top ten (in quantity).

Here are the updated colors to choose from:

Ecru · 321 · 517 · 666 · 677 · 738 · 800 · 895 · 913 · 938


Happy Stitching (and guessing)!

Stacy

New Stash

Yesterday, I received an order that I'd placed with 123Stitch.  Considering my recent posts on floss, I hate to admit that I bought more.  It was justified, though!  I either truly didn't have a color or I needed an extra to use in an existing project.  In total, I bought a dozen DMC and one skein of Caron Waterlilies.

I did order one pattern as well: Flower Power from the Crossed Wing Collection.

I'd been hearing about/looking at this pattern for years and finally broke down and got my own.

Happy Stitching!!

Stacy

Floss storage

Since I've already blogged about organizing my floss, I thought I'd show how I store it.

These are ArtBin Super Satchel Slim cases.  I got mine at JoAnn's.  The top five are my DMC; the bottom, larger case (thread case) is home to my Kreiniks.












Here's a view inside the first bin.  As you can see, I keep all my duplicates together and all the floss is in numerical order.  This case has numbers 48 - 372.

I got the plastic bobbins from JoAnn's as well.  I had been buying the small packages (20-28 per pkg) of bobbins for years then I finally broke down and bought 1,000 bobbins (only available online at joann.com).

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Rapunzel progress picture

Here is a progress picture of my current WIP, Rapunzel (Dawe) from HAED.  Since this is one of seven projects that are in my rotation, I'm not sure how much time I've put into it.

I'm currently working on page 3 of the pattern.  I would guess that I'm nearly half way through this page.  When I finish this page, I'll have my randomizer app choose what my next project will be.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

WIP storage

Like many stitchers, I have more than one project in progress at a time.  Here is how I keep track of them.

Projects waiting for their turn, are hung on the wall.

Ok, I admit, I have more than these four.  The others are propped up against a chest of drawers.  As you can see, I hang the floss for each project with it.

















The color photo, pattern and color key for all of my projects are kept in a three-ring binder.

Here I have La Belle Dame Sans Merci from HAED.  On the left is the color photo, when I turn the page, I have the next page in the chart and on the right, the color key.  The color key is laminated so that I don't mess it up and have to reprint it.  Peeking through the color key, you get a glimpse of another HAED, God Speed.

Floor Stand and Scroll Frames

I've had quite a few people ask how I hold my project that I'm working on.  I use Lokscroll™ scroll frames and a Gazelle floor stand from Artisan Design. 

My Gazelle is the original version.  I think the second generation model is supposed to be even sturdier though I don't see why.  I've had 30+ inch wide scroll frames on my stand and never had any issues.

The Lokscroll™ frames ROCK!  Not as in wobbly but rather as in awesome!  There is no basting/tacking/taping, etc. to attach your fabric.  It gets "locked" in place with a small bar that fits inside a channel in the scroll rods.

Here is a picture of one of my projects (Rapunzel by Dawe from HAED) in the scroll frame on the floor stand.  You can see that I also have the optional chart/book holder and I have an extension arm for the book holder.  The extension arm gives even more angles and maneuverability to the holder.

I own the one floor stand and several of the scroll frames.  The sidebars and scroll rods are completely interchangeable.  My only problem seems to be wanting to do more projects than I have frames for!  Currently, I have 7 projects on scroll frames.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Review: Floss Tracker Apps

My name is Stacy and I'm a geek.  No, there is no cure.  But it's okay, I'm a geek that cross stitches!

Here's a combination of my stitching and geekiness:  apps that inventory floss!

This review is for Thread Tracker 117 (app version) and XStitcher for the iPad.  I do own both.

Thread Tracker 117 covers all the DMC solid color floss (including B5200) and the original variegateds. 

Positives: 

• In the variegateds, it lists #57 which is not listed on the current DMC color card but is an actual color.
• Lets you choose:  Don't Own, Do Own, On Bobbin or Need to Buy.  You can also specify how many. 
• The filter options let you turn on/off each of the previous choices so that you can see, for instance, which flosses you have on bobbins. 
• There is a Search Option which allows you to search by floss number.

Neutral:  Thread Tracker only works in landscape mode.

Negatives: 

• If you Own 1 skein of white, have 1 On Bobbins, yet need to buy 1 more, you can't specify that.  You either have to list that you Own 2 -or- have 1 On Bobbins -or- Need to Buy 1; you can't differentiate. 
• All the floss is sorted by number in one long list starting with #48 and ending with White.

---

XStitcher covers all the DMC solid colors (including B5200), original variegated, colour variations, light effects and satin floss.

Positives: 

• Covers the different kinds of floss.
• Lists numbers 57, 61, 62, 75, 91, 95, 101, 102, 103, 104, 108, 112, 114, 116, 123 and 126 in the variegateds which do not appear in the current DMC color card.  I know that I own most of these.
• Floss is listed in small groups for ease of organization.  The sections are:  Ecru - 434 • 435-729 • 730-898 • 899-3045 • 3046-3810 • 3811-End • Colour Variations • Light Effects • Regular variegated colors • Satin Floss
• Has a shopping cart feature.  Even if you own several skeins of a color, you can click on a shopping cart icon for that color to add it to a shopping list.
• Has a Matcher option.  You can search for floss by the color name.  Also has an Anchor to DMC conversion.
• The My Stash option lets you view either all the flosses or just those you own.
• Update to the review: specialty threads now include Anchor, Gentle Art Sampler Threads (GAST) and Week's Dye Works (WDW).

Neutral: 

• Works only in portrait mode.
• Has a Project Manager option

Negatives:

• If you tap on the quantity for a floss, it automatically erases whatever number was there.
• If you edit the quantity on a floss while in the Project Manager, it alters it your total inventory.

I started out using Thread Tracker and during a backup of my iPad, lost all my data.  Note:  this is NOT a Thread Tracker flaw.  I was on the App store looking for something to inventory all my patterns and magazines when I stumbled across XStitcher.  Between the two apps, Xstitcher is the one that I am using.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy.

Floss

We all know that as stitchers, we can never have too much floss.  Well, I'm re-thinking that philosophy!  (just kidding).

I have finally finished getting all of my floss onto bobbins.  I purchased 1,000 plastic bobbins from JoAnn.com and have about 250 that I didn't use (yet).  Prior to getting the 1k bobbins, I already had most DMC colors on bobbins.  Yes, I have floss...lots of floss!  I've discovered that I have floss DMC doesn't even make any more!  For those interested: numbers 101, 222 and 357 for certain.

Tonight, I will start to actually catalog all of my DMC.  Yes, there is an app for that!  The app I have is ThreadTracker 117 (the number 117 refers to DMC 6-strand floss).

Thankfully, I have five of the Art-Bin Super Satchel Slim for storing my floss.  Hopefully, it will all fit in five!

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Blog Hop #3: Stitching Goals

I just discovered this blog hop which is why I'm starting with Hop #3!  Here's the question being asked:

Do you set stitching goals for yourself and how do you plan them out? (Weekly, monthly, annually?) What are your current stitching goals (if you don’t mind sharing)?


In addition to setting goals for yourself, do you have a special reward that you reserve for when you reach a stitching goal?

I have to say that for the most part, I don't set goals.  If I'm stitching something for an event (wedding, birth, Christmas, etc.), then I drop everything else to concentrate on that piece until it's done.

I've always had more than one project going at a time.  Until recently, I would rotate between projects but without any particular structure to which project would come next.  That meant that some pieces didn't get worked on for years!  Now I have a random, yet organized, way to rotate projects.  Most of my projects are BAPs (Big A** Projects).  Of the seven I'm currently stitching, five of them are from HAED.

When I get to a natural stopping point in a pattern (one complete page, element, band, etc.), I'm ready to move to another project.  How do I choose?  I don't!  I have a randomizer app (RandomMastr) on my iPad that makes the choice.  Even though it is random, ALL of my projects are in the list. 

Just last week, the app chose TW's Heirloom Christmas Sampler that I hadn't touched in years!  It's a band sampler and I hadn't even finished the first band.  Granted, the first band is a very detailed Christmas tree but I hadn't finished it!  Now, I have five bands completed!

As to rewarding myself for completing a goal...I don't.  Maybe I should.   Hmm...  I think I'll start a "fund" for framing completed works.  When I finish a project, I'll raid the fund and actually frame something!

Happy Stitching!

Stacy




Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.