One of my goals for this year is to kit three projects per month. If I can end 2023 with 36 projects kitted, I may never have to kit a project again! Kitting, for me, means working copy of chart made, linen cut to size and serged, project page made, floss on ring with floss tags made (if necessary).
Up until the middle of 2022, I mostly just stitched on a fat quarter or a fat eighth of linen but now I’m working more from half yards or even yards so I have to cut the fabric down to the size I need it to be.
Once I decide on a chart, the first thing I do is run the numbers through the stitch calculator. This is the point where I think about how I will finish the piece. It could be an ornament, a pillow, framed, mounted to a board . . there’s so many ways to finish. Then, I decide how large or small I want the piece to be. I can stitch on 32 count for the largest, up to 46 count for the smallest. I do have a few pieces of 56 count linen but I’m not that brave . . yet.
I had been wanting to kit Hannah Dawson 1831 by Fox & Rabbit. My main reason for going to Hobby Lobby last week was to get the floss for this that I didn’t already have.
I ran the numbers through the stitch calculator and since 40 count is my favorite linen, and the linen that’s more abundant in my stash, and since the numbers worked out fine with 40 count, that’s what I’m using.
This will be stitched with DMC so I made all the floss tags.
I tried it with Duxbury by Fox & Rabbit.
The called for linen was Paperbark by Fox & Rabbit and that’s what I ended up deciding to use.
I made my working copy of the chart and filled out the project sheet.
There’s everything ready for the project bag. Two more to go this month and I will have met my goal for January. I’m really surprised at how long this all takes. Choosing the linen color takes a lot of time. I have to keep the punches for the floss tags and the wooden stick I use for measure the floss all put away because Oscar is always looking for trouble. I have to either go into the sewing room or the downstairs bedroom or put Oscar in the crate before I can take pictures. Having it all done will make it so much easier to get new projects going.
Toni W. says
I 100% agree that it takes a long time to get everything kitted up properly. At least, it does for me. I just can’t relate to those who love to kit projects! One of my stumbling blocks is if I have to substitute fabric. I am so indecisive! And then, that might lead to needing to substitute some floss colors…either because the called for don’t show up well enough on the fabric…or I don’t have them in my stash. I keep my fabric in my sewing room in the basement and colors show up differently in that light than in the upstairs light. And on and on it goes! 🙂 🙂
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I understand. I have been trying to pull out one strand of floss and make sure it will work with the linen. I’m pretty much of “once it’s in the bag, it’s what I’m using” kind of stitcher. We’ll see how this goes . . my great ideas sometimes aren’t as great as they initially seemed.
Cindy F says
What a great idea to kit everything up! I’ve purchased fabric for something but didn’t put it with the pattern so when I go looking there are times I can’t remember which fabric goes with the pattern I had intended! And I love the idea of a project sheet for each chart!! I definitely need to do something like that. It’s a great way to keep information organized!
JackiesStitches says
Kits take so much time and kitting really isn’t my most favorite things to do probably because I don’t like making a ton of photocopies. I generally do not cut my linen down though. So many things change and sometimes another project becomes a higher priority and I will use that linen. I stitch mainly samplers though and have plenty of pieces smaller than a fat quarter for smaller things. Looking forward to seeing what you decide to kit up!