The Stitch Up

Finding Focus

I obviously haven't been posting over the past few months.  I've found that I've had some difficulty with focus outside of work.  I haven't been finishing craft projects during the first part of this year. While stitching used to be my way to unwind at the end of the day, for the last few months I've had trouble even picking up projects, much less setting goals for hobbies and keeping to a time schedule to finish items.

I know it’s stress related, but I have been putting off really looking at how to improve how I’m feeling and instead just tried to push through it, thinking I’d get to the other side of the bulk of the stress and get back to normal. Unfortunately, I’ve realized that getting rid of the primary cause of my anxiety will not be happening right away so I have to find some ways to deal with it and try and get healthy.

In case anyone else is having similar problems, I thought I'd share some articles I've been reading about the physical affects of chronic anxiety, including difficulty concentrating.  This article points out that it is not so much that you can’t concentrate; it’s that you concentrate on the wrong things. Your mind is so preoccupied with worry that when you want to pay attention to a task, you can’t bring yourself to focus. it’s not that you can’t concentrate on a craft for instance; you’re just too busy concentrating on your fears.

The article also provides some great ideas for dealing with this level of stress. The tried and true recommendations of journaling and meditation are included in the recommendations, but also some practical ideas such as setting electronics to “do not disturb” so you can't search the web when working, or setting an alarm so you can time block your work.

I also found this great article that reminds us not to make hobbies another thing that stresses us out. And I really love the author's description of just going into her sewing corner, taking it slow, reorganizing fabric, and slowly re-engaging with her hobby. An area I might have also not recognized as a source of anxiety that she points out are all the images on sites like pinterest and instagram that can sometimes make you feel overwhelmed by content and lose your own inspiration.

This last article I found helpful focuses on creating a plan: First, making sure that you are healthy, there are no other reasons like side effects of medications, hormonal imbalance, or vitamin deficiency that are causing the brain fog/anxiety. Once you’ve confirmed you don’t have some other cause, then you can create a plan to improve the brain fog issues. This includes, eating well, exercising, meditating, and getting enough sleep. But also, setting aside 30min – 1hr for self care which can include anything from yoga to hobbies.  The final VERY useful point in this article is a reminder to set boundaries and learn to say no so you are not overwhelmed with obligations.

A quick suggestion I also saw in online forums was to sometimes work on hobbies at the beginning of the day, before work, when focus and passion are still there.  That's something I've really never done, but I might incorporate into my mornings instead of something that will probably just add to stress like reading email or headlines online.

So I am on this particular journey and starting to get a bit of a spark back. I've got another panel completed on my Mexican Tourist jacket and I'm looking forward to completing the embroidery and start stitching this all together:

 

I’m always interested to know how other people deal with things like waning interest in hobbies, lack of spark or just being too overwhelmed to do the things you enjoy. Any thoughts or tips? 

 

New Year Renewal

I'm just starting to get back to my normal schedule after the holidays.  I really do love the first week of January and the opportunity to plan out goals for the new year, but after that burst of excitement over starting fresh with a clean slate for the new year, I kind of slow down, embrace the cold weather and cuddle up inside.

The weather here has been encouraging the slowed down lifestyle with a little snow and beautiful views from the window.

I've been doing some baking: a little fresh bread and - in celebration of her birthday this month - coconut cupcakes using Dolly Parton cake mix.

I've been doing some stitching here and there and planning out the projects I want to finish this year.  I'll run down all my WIPs and exciting plans in my next post.  I hope everyone's New Year is starting off great!

Fall WIP Round Up

I've been juggling several projects for the last few months.  Part of it is the fact that I get a bit bored just working on one project for weeks at a time, and the other part is that some projects need occasional prep steps: transferring patterns, stitching different parts together or finding the right color of embroidery thread.  Despite the stops and starts however, I've made some progress on the various projects I've been working on.  Not enough to finish all of them by the end of the year, but enough to feel like I haven't lost all momentum and the finish line is close.

Project 1 - Spanish Ladies Quilt

I have about 3 “tile” patterns left to stitch for the bottom section of the front of this quilt.  Once that is done, I can move to some borders, a really cute backing fabric and then bind it all together.

Project 2 - Mexican Tourist Jacket

This has been slow going, mainly because I can’t work out exactly how to transfer the embroidery patterns onto the felt. I’ve tried a couple methods - heat transfer pencil and sulky stabilizer paper - but they don’t work so well for large sections.  Currently I’ve been doing some basting stitches to get the pattern down and then re-stitching with the wool embroidery thread. Since I'm basically stitching each pattern twice, I’ve just made it through the pockets and one sleeve.

I probably wont finish the whole jacket by the end of the year but I would like to get most of the embroidery on the jacket pieces as I think the most challenging part for me will be actually sewing the pieces together so that it becomes an actual jacket.

Project 3 - Sashiko Quilt

I really pick this up during breaks from my other projects.  It's pretty easy and quick to transfer a sashiko pattern to a denim square and start stitching whenever I need a short term project. I’ve made 10 squares and a couple of small panels.  These squares come together pretty quick and I think once I focus on it, this can be turned into a final product without too much trouble.  The one issue I do have is that I keep wavering a bit on whether I want these squares to become a quilt, or if I'd rather turn them into a bag, or some other end product.

 

4. Year in Stitches Tea Towel 

Surprisingly, I’m almost up to date on this.  I just need to stitch up something for the month of October. It’s been fun to think about the big events of each month and try to capture them in an icon or two.  This is another nice project to pick up whenever I want a break from my larger projects.

 

I wanted to give myself this sort of status check since we are fully into the holiday season now and I've got a number of Christmas projects in the works.  I'm hoping I can still find a little time over the next six weeks to work on my various WIPs, but if not - there's always next year!

Sending out my wish that everyone is having a wonderful Fall and enjoying a little relaxation before the holidays kick into gear.

Tourist Season

I've been slightly obsessed with the Mexican Tourist Jacket since seeing one on Shelley Duvall in "The Shining".

Over the years I've come across articles or photos or actual examples of the jacket which peaked my interest even more.  This great article from the fantastic Atomic Redhead blog provides a nice summary of the history of the Mexican Tourist Jacket as well as lovely pictures of the different versions that can be found.  Piecework magazine also had a great article with a little history on the embroidery used on the jackets.  I also loved this article from The Animal Quilter which again has a bunch of great pics of different styles of these jackets and has some additional insights on the history of the period and the popularity of these jackets.

Most recently on our trip to Tuscon last year, I ran into a lovely version of the jacket, framed on the wall of El Charro where we stopped for lunch.

This last run in made me decide that I needed to look into getting my own version of the jacket.  I shopped a bit online, and while I think I will probably buy one of the vintage jackets I saw online, I ultimately decided that I'd like the challenge of creating my own jacket: both for the basic sewing challenge and the opportunity to use the colors I like and personalize it a bit.

I bought a recreation of a McCalls vintage pattern for the coat from Revival Designed.  I'm not sure if they still have that particular pattern, but I've seen other versions online.

I loved the yellow of the jacket that Shelley Duvall wore in The Shining, but ultimately I decided to go with more of a bright green felt.  At this point, I've cut out the pattern pieces, and now I'm starting on the embroidery for each section before putting it all together.

It's a bit of an undertaking but I'm excited about all that I'll learn from this project and hopefully come out with a super cute jacket at the end!

Lastly, if you're not into making our own vintage jacket, or if you're not into vintage at all, I've seen new, reimagined versions of the jacket, including this version from Double D Ranch in suede!

I'm looking forward to sharing my finished version of this classic with everyone!

 

Memento Upcycling

I have a number of textiles I’ve picked up on our travels. I usually pick up a tea towel as a memento of the trip if I spot them in a store, but when I get home I just can't bring myself to use them for everyday stuff around the kitchen.

I’ve had a vague idea of creating something with the tea towels like a quilt or blanket of some kind but then while scrolling on Pinterest I saw a few examples of tablecloths made from tea towels and thought that would be a great idea and would be something I would actually use.

For this one, I used tea towels from our international trips. They include our time in Spain, trips to Ireland, Italy, France, Scotland, Latvia and Berlin - plus two tea towels celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s diamond and platinum jubilees– because she deserves two tea towels!

There are a few different tutorials on Pinterest that give great guidance on turning your tea towels into a tablecloth. Ultimately I think you have to figure out the size of your table, how many tea towels you want to use and how you want to place them.  You also have to decide how much you're willing to cut the towels for alignment.  Ultimately my alignment on the last row of towels is a bit off, but I loved the patterns on the Berlin and Italy tea towels and really didn't want to cut them down a bunch so I decided to just accept a little bit of an offset row.  I used a bright blue bias tape to edge the tablecloth that I thought went well with all the different colors in the various tea towels.  I've seen some super cute versions using pom pom trim and I almost went with that, but I want this tablecloth to be part of our regular rotation and I thought the bias tape might hold up to frequent washing a bit better.

I'm so happy that I can enjoy these tea towels on a regular basis.  This was a pretty quick and easy project, so I think I'll do the same with tea towels I've squirreled away from our trips around the states.  I really want to incorporate items that have happy memories attached to them into my regular daily life rather than packing them away.

Although I used tea towels that I picked up on our trips, this is an easy and fun project for vintage tea towels or linens that you might find at the thrift store.  I have a hard time not "saving" any hand embroidered pillow cases, tea towels or other items that I find in thrift and vintage stores.  This is a good way to use them and give them new life and let people appreciate their kitschy, fun beauty.

Southwest Spring

We took a trip to Nevada and Arizona in the spring. The desert is really my happy place and I feel so relaxed when I’m driving through that landscape.

We spent a few days in Las Vegas where I had the chance to see Miranda Lambert’s Velvet Rodeo concert (OMG!!) as well as eat some great food, and meander around soaking up the Vegas vibes.

One of the things I love to do whenever we’re in Vegas is go see the latest installation at the Bellagio Conservatory . This visit was a celebration of Spring and was so beautiful.

 

Most of our visit was spent with family in Arizona. I love the pace there and how every sunrise and sunset is a photo opportunity.

I get so much inspiration from the colors and the landscape in Arizona. It’s an amazing reset that I take home with me and incorporate into my home and my crafts.  I hope everyone had a great Spring and that your Summer is starting off amazing!

Stitching the Year - Spring

I think I mentioned that I was starting a “Stitch the Year” tea towel. I'm managing to keep up each month so far.

January included setting resolutions and goals during a full moon bonfire. In February we went to the Red Fox Inn in Middleburg, VA for Valentines Day and in March we took a trip to Vegas and AZ (and celebrated St. Patrick's Day of course.)

The small sections for each month make it manageable to keep up but it's also been a little bit of a challenge to find tiny patterns or design something myself but it's also been fun to work in a smaller scale.

I hope everyone is having a great Spring and enjoying the change of seasons!

What's Your Sign?

I bought these vintage Zodiac embroidery patterns in August of last year from ReGale Vintage Plus on Etsy.  I think from researching similar patterns on Etsy, that these patterns are from the 70s. ReGale Vintage sole these as kits, including additional fabric which I could have used to make a small pillow, but I wanted something a little bigger and to give the pillows a more 70s feel.  So, I used some stash fabric and bought some pom pom trim to make bigger pillows and a bigger statement!

The fabric on the front, around the embroidery patterns, is fabric I bought during a trip to New York in 2014 at The City Quilter. The design is a glittery “constellation" pattern that I bought in white and light blue and it worked out just perfect. On the back I used some “mid century modern” fabric I’ve used for other projects like these coasters and these pillows. I love the pop of color if we decide to flip these over.

I used a basic envelope pillow cover pattern that I found on Pinterest and as the pillow covers worked out to a basic 22x22 I was able to find some standard throw pillow inserts on Amazon.

I love the way these came out.  The plan is for these to be part of my Spring/Summer bedding update. I’m trying to put a little more of our personality in the bedroom. I’m including some of the things I’ve made by hand, which, along with the re-upholstering I did on the headboard and the bench is making up the room much more relaxing and personal.

I made the below color template as part of my effort to document the projects I'm finishing but also I’m interested to compare all of the templates at the end of the year and see if I innately use the same/similar colors for my projects.

Summer is officially on the way. I’ve started some seeds for a tea/fragrance garden. I’ve got lavender, bergamot, chamomile, white sage, and lemon balm. I’m hoping they all make it through the transplant process and I have a lot of yummy plants to use for tea and maybe some oil and other infusions.

I hope everyone is finding great projects that get them excited for the changing season!

Getting in the Groove

I've got a little momentum!  I wrapped up two of the projects I'd started this New Year:

First, I finished the macramé hat holder. I thought I could add in space for another hat but I ran out of yarn - plus I don't think three hats would fit well on the wall, so I'm sticking with the two hats. 

I have really been enjoying my macrame projects, but I probably need to give away more of what I make as gifts otherwise the whole house is going to covered in macrame.

Next, the project for my husband.  This is the "Predator" cross stitch.  It's all done, framed and ready for hanging in his office.

I'm still working on some of my longer term projects, the Spanish Ladies Quilt, the Sashiko Quilt and a couple of needlepoint projects.  I'm looking forward to sharing more finished crafts soon!

Organizing and Planning for the New Year

I’ve been doing some planning for 2023.  I've created an initial list of crafts I want to finish this year and I'm also trying to develop a process for tracking their progress.

 

My working list of projects for 2023 is:

 

-Predator Cross Stitch for the Husband

-Macrame Hat Rack

-Complete Spanish Ladies Quilt

-Tea Towel Placemats

-Complete Sashiko Quilt

-Leo Horoscope vintage pillow pattern (and complete making both the Leo and Taurus pillows)

-Stitch the Year Tea Towel

-Frank Lloyd Wright Saguaro Cactus Cross Stitch

-Start the Western/Cowgirl Quilt

-Sew a Mexican Tourist Jacket

-Participate in the 2023 Mystery Quilt a Long

-Create a New Textile Necklace

-Establish Mending Days (and work through mending 'to-do' pile)

 

A couple of highlights from the list:

 

I’m finishing this Predator cross-stitch project by Son of a Cross Stitch.   It’s a gift for my husband and while I don’t totally understand the Predator love, it makes him happy so I'm happy to make it!

 

I’m also going to start a tea towel calendar for 2023. In the past I’ve loved September House’s tea towel calendar kits but as she didn’t have one this year, I thought I’d try this "Stitch Your Year" template from Stitch Doodles Design where you stitch some thing each month to reflect what happened or what the month meant to you. I’ve only just made it to transferring the template onto a tea towel so I’ve got to get moving so I can do a little stitching for January – I don’t want to be behind the whole year!

 

 

I managed to finish all the quilt blocks for the Spanish Ladies Quilt this month but I still have several “mosaic” tiles to finish embroidering on the quilt and I plan to add some fabric to frame the squares.  There's a decent amount left to do, but I think I can get this done in the next month or two and check this long term “WIP” off my list.

 

The other big thing I’m working on is a plan to update my project documentation process.

 

Last year I worked out of a notebook: and I captured some information about my projects there, but I wasn’t great at updating the status of the project and once I'd completed something I would often just put all my thread and other supplies back in my “stash” before documenting what I'd used for the project in the notebook.  This defeated a lot of the point for me as there are some projects I think I'd like to recreate and I want to have all the details of the thread colors, fabric, pattern I used etc.

 

My plan for this year is to create a “stitch palette” at the beginning of each project to document the threads and colors I’m using and then use a form or maybe a spreadsheet to try to track the time spent on a project and my current progress. I’d like to regularly be keeping track of how long it really take me to finish a project and how much time I’m usually spending on them.

 

My “test run” for a stitch palette is here:

 

 

This obviously isn't all of the colors used for this project, but this was good practice to set up a standard palette template.  

 

I think these goals are pretty realistic. I know I will probably add to my “to do” list through the year. New inspirations inevitably come up and I sometimes just get excited and want to jump into something right that moment despite whatever I have scheduled to work on next.  If my project priorities change over the year I think that's fine, I'm just looking for ways to stay motivated and organized.

 

I hope everyone is enjoying lots of inspiration and new projects in the new year!