I do feel like the buying frenzy for cross stitching supplies has pretty much ended. I look at new charts that are being introduced, remind myself of the ones I have already and have hardly been buying any charts. Linen has been what I’ve mostly been buying but I think I’m done with that now too.
Charts:
While I can’t say for sure, and time will tell, I think it will take something outstanding to cause me to buy a chart now. I love the ones I have and probably already have more than I’ll make. There are many smalls offered for free by designers so I’ve saved some of those. They’re always good or when I want a finish just to remind me that I do sometimes finish something.
The smalls give me the satisfaction of stitching, can be finished quickly and made into pillows or framed with a store frame so they aren’t terribly costly.
It’s hard for me to pick up a project after I’ve put it down. Not so much with things like Farmhouse Christmas that are broken down into separate patterns or segments but just big samplers that require months of work . . I need to learn that if I’m going to start something like that, I need to stick with it til it’s done. Remember how much progress I was making on “A House Is . . “? I haven’t touched it in weeks. I’m going to start on the April block of Farmhouse Christmas, maybe work on it til it’s done, then get back to A House Is . .
I was supposed to be stitching Pet all The Dogs with a blog reader and I’ve failed miserably at that project but I am still going to do it because I love it.
Linen:
In the beginning I ordered small pieces (about 9″ x 13″) of lots of linens thinking those would serve as swatches because online colors don’t always match real colors. Then I realized that seeing a fabric online and ordering a small swatch was kinda useless because that color may never come back in stock again. Linen is still hard to find; some brands harder than others. There are places where the online colors match more closely but I’ve accumulated a decent (not really over the top) stash of 32, 36 and 40 count linens in shades of tans, grays and creams. There will be times when I need a different shade or a larger size than I have in my stash but for the most part, I should be able to find something in the stash for most any project.
I did join XJu’s Monthly Linen of the Month Club and I’ll probably stick with that because it’s so fun to have something like that to look forward to receiving.
Floss:
I quickly learned that the overdyed floss is expensive . . way expensive and it adds up quickly. It’s in the $2.50 range for 5 yards where DMC is 60 cents for 8 yards. On large areas where shading adds depth and interest, I’ll use overdyes but for smidgens here and there, DMC is just fine with me. Now that I’m comfortable going in Hobby Lobby again, I can run in and get floss and they almost always have every color in stock.
After having been on Colour & Cotton’s wait list for hand dyed floss, I finally moved up the list and should receive my first shipment in a few days. Each month I’ll get 5 skeins of whatever they dyed, along with 5 skeins of primitives/neutrals. I’ll keep doing that for a while.
Organizing:
If I do say so myslef, I think I’ve done a decent job of keeping the cross stitching supplies organized.
Overdyed floss – it’s all on rings divided by company (Gentle Arts, Classic Colorworks and Weeks) and it’s all in alphabetical order.
DMC floss – it’s all on bobbins and stored in floss storage containers in numerical order.
Linen – it’s in a plastic drawer cabinet according to the thread count.
Charts – the charts that are kitted (have fabric and floss with them), they’re in plastic bags. I debated about whether plastic was a safe choice but they are not air tight and they’re stored away from the sun and hopefully they won’t be stored forever!
I cut the hang tags out of card stock and each bag has a tag attached that indicates the name of the project. I do see in the picture that the first three or four (which I just bagged up and put in there this morning) have their tags in the back instead of in the front where I can see them. I’ll fix that as soon as I get up.
On the second shelf (not shown because I took this picture for something else) are the bags for the projects I’ve started. There aren’t many of those so I have the containers of DMC floss stacked on that shelf too. The door to that cabinet closes and I do keep it closed. I may even keep it locked after Vince arrives! Somethings are not meant for his eyes to see. 🙂
For now, that’s my cross stitching plans.
Janet Orr says
I have those same bags for organizing my cross stitch projects. They work so well. As a quilter with a stash beyond life expectancy and a long time cross stitcher I know I’ll never get to them all. But I don’t smoke or drink (much – there is always wine at quilt retreats) I know I don’t spend on those things and feel my “habits” are much better for me healthwise and necessary for my mental health.
Judy Laquidara says
That’s how I feel too. Plus, neither of us like to travel so other than the occasional trip to visit family, we rarely leave home. I prefer cooking at home to eating out, our cars are 20 and 17 years old. I don’t get manicures, pedicares, massages and apparently . . I’ll never get a professional hair cut, so I don’t feel extravagant at all with the supplies I’ve purchased.
Above all, we all make our own decisions and live with the consequences so who am I to criticize how anyone else spends their money, so long as they aren’t asking me to pay their bills and, so far, no one has asked so we’re all good! 🙂
Tracy says
It’s okay Judy, 🙂 I think you might have taken on too many projects at the beginning of your “new” hobby. They are all so exciting and fun. I have been only stitching on Pet All the Dogs, and I’m almost done. I just need to finish the top border flowers and the lower border crosses. It is a large project, it has taken me two full months of stitching an hour or two at a time, to get this far.
Judy Laquidara says
You’re right but I’ll probably never be a one project stitcher. I’m so happy for you almost having yours done.