Five Months Worth of WIPocalypse

Five months.  Where did this year go?  I've been here, on Facebook, on DeviantArt, the NCCIH website, but mostly on job sites looking for work soooooooooo............

This morning I decided to do what I have done before and answer several month's worth of questions in one go.  I kind of like doing this, but it does make for a long blog.  Hope you have coffee or tea and have taken that potty break!

May:  Where do you love to shop for stash?

At first I wanted to just say 123Stitch.  But then I thought Etsy.  These two were followed by MyNotions, Casa Cerenina, SewNSew, Everything Cross Stitch, PTP, Sparklies, Jodyri, Ebay, and so on.  Honestly, that doesn't even cover every place I love to go but you get the idea.

June:  Tell us what you think the ideal stitching retreat would include.

Having never been to one, and only reading about and watching Floss Tube videos, and discussing a retreat with my girls, I would have to say it would be nice to have a retreat at a lodge or a castle.  To me, the entire idea of a retreat is somewhere secluded.  Going by that, wouldn't it be wonderful to just be in a huge lodge somewhere surrounded by nature and none of the outside interference we all endure daily?  Even a nice castle would be refreshing and secluded.  Walking trails, stitching inside or outside on comfortable patios or in a large dining hall would be wonderful.  

Granted, if it were to be a lodge or a castle, the retreats would be smaller and more intimate.  But who is to stop someone from having several a year so more people could enjoy the setting?

One thing I would like to see are seating placards.  From what I've seen so far, everyone just goes into the big conference room and sits wherever.  Why not have seating arrangements?  When everyone leaves for lunches or for the evening, switch them up!  This way more people can meet more people.  This idea might not be valid since everyone has their stitchy stuff and it will need to be moved, but it could work in certain situations.

July:  How are you doing with your goals so far this year?

As of July I wasn't doing as well as I had hoped I would be.  I wanted to have more WIPs finished and as of July, NOPE.  No WIPs finished.

August:  Which is more satisfying to you and why – the process of stitching a piece, or the finish?

Well, that depends on the project I'm working on.  My Fire and Ember piece is my first full coverage and I'm enjoying the page by page finishes to expose parts of a bigger picture.  I really DO love a complete finish so I can move on, but overall it really does depend on what I'm working on.

September:  How do you keep your stitching stash organized?

Flosses

Hoops, rulers and fabric

Floss boxes, drawers, two boxes and project bags and a cupboard or two.  I live in a 5th Wheel RV and space is limited.  It took me many, many years to downsize from the hoard I did have to the minimal stash I have now.  I still feel I could downsize more but I'm hoping to figure out a better way to store my stash in ONE PLACE and not in four different places.  I suppose now that winter is almost here I could figure that out this year.  For now my spread out method works because if I cannot see my box of kits and patterns then I am less likely to want to start EVERYTHING.

Kits and Hard Copy Patterns

Project bags of WIPs

Also, with the learning to sew up my own project bags I have double insured that new starts or out of order starts don't happen.  It also helps me not to feel overwhelmed as I sometimes do.  I can finish something and then put another WIP in and soldier on!

Looking at these pictures I'm actually feeling more inclined to figure out how to get everything in one place neatly, but I'll let my mind munch on that idea for awhile and see what I come up with.  For now, it works as is.

I do hope you have enjoyed this huge amount of WIPocalypse!

Until next time.....Keep on Stitchin'!!