Sorting stuff out

[RozMinis]

I've spent the last couple of afternoons sorting out my cross stitching fabric as I have been trying to decide exactly which to use for the Cottages of the Month pictures. They don't all need to be in the same fabric, some would better on white, others on cream, and others on something darker.

I still haven't decided on which as I have so many different counts, many of which needed the edges oversewing, as well as the thread count marking on them in some way. I have everything from 22 count up to 36, that isn't including the Aida, which I hate, the canvas, or the very fine silk gauze.

Needless to say I won't be using the gauze, the canvas, or even the plastic canvas and perforated paper, have to use some sense! Most of what I have is 28 count something or other. It comes in many guises, including linen, so I will probably use that. I have all the specialist threads, but may need to replace one or two of the DMC range as I go through that like there is no tomorrow.

The question is.............. what the heck do I do with all that Aida? Most of it goes back to the early 1980's when I made my first tentative steps into the world of cross stitching. I now hate the stuff, and will even avoid buying kits with it in. I won several pieces of Aida and evenweave in a New Stitches competition last year, no idea what the comp was, but then I don't usually remember anything, unless really important, that happened more than five minutes ago.

I took the Aida to the Monday stitching group, along with a few other pieces, but I still have loads of it left. I did consider selling it on eBay, but that is more trouble than it is worth. Wonder if there is a charity group somewhere in the area who might like it. It is taking up valuable space, but I don't really want to throw it out, not when it is so expensive to buy.

Oh well, I'm bound to think of something eventually, probably just as I am dropping off to sleep, then will have forgotten what my good idea is by morning. Does anybody else do that? :mysmilie_496:

Roz

[glynisrose]

I keep a notebook by the side of the bed to write down any ideas that come to mind!! Started as a dream - recalling project many years ago but has proved itself extremely useful... Yes, sometimes there is utter nonsense in it, but its MY utter nonsense!!

[suban]

Sorting through all of my stuff as I'm trying to destash. I'm going through all the patterns I've kept and dumping most of them - I'd never get them done in a month of Sundays. Then going to match up stuff that has, for want of a better expression, divorced itself from threads, fabric or pattern. Some of the aida has discoloured - funnily though the evenweave hasn't. Thinking of tea-staining the aida as I really don't care for white fabric, unless it is totally and absolutely essential!

[RozMinis]

Tea staining sounds like a great idea to me Susan. I signed up to the Sparklies hand dyed fabric of the month in December. Not sure if we will be receiving any for a couple of months though as the lady who runs it is having an operation this month, plus taking a few weeks off to recuperate. Shame, but it isn't as though I am exactly short of the stuff. I bought her last goody bag at Harrogate, brilliant it was too, loads of fabric and a beaded scissor keep.

I gather I missed Jane Greenoff today. That is a couple of times she has been on when I've been at the stitching group. Oh well, I don't s'pose there was anything new. I was given a couple of her kits for Christmas, so what with one thing and another I should be busy for the next 20 years! ;)

Roz

[suban]

Never heard of Sparklies. Now wish you hadn't told me about it. I'm putting the Aida to one side so that I can use that for cross stitching when the old eyes can no longer cope with even weave.

[Muffintop]

Ladies, just a thought (steady now... brain wobbling)...

Could you use any of your Aida for card making? Tea dying sounds interesting and vintage-y to me.

[Little Jan]

I used to love cross stitch, in fact my very first hand made cards, long before card making came to tv, were all cross stiched, sadly little pinkies are not up to it anymore. Shame as I found it very relaxing, on a good side daughter would have wanted cross stitch invties.:mysmilie_468::mysmilie_850:

[suban]

I actually received a Cross stitched Christmas card this year - first time ever! Once did a set of Australian 12 days of Christmas for friends at work. I think to do a large number I would have to start ..... 3 months ago!

[RozMinis]

I intended making cross stitch cards this year Muffintop, in the end, apart from three of them, they ended up as ornaments instead. I think there were about sixteen of them altogether. That was on some evenweave I bought in 2012 from the NEC with snowflakes printed on it. I had intended using it for a Christmas picture, then realised there was too much white stitching that wouldn't have shown up on the evenweave. Bit disgruntled about that, but there wasn't anything I could do about it, other than backstitch around everything. I know I am a fan of backstitching, weird I know, but it would have looked silly. Used some dark cream evenweave instead.

I only received one cross stitch card this year, plus a prick and stitch card, all the other hand made cards were either decoupage, or Hunkydory toppers. Not that I am complaining you understand, just an observation. ;)

Well all the decorations have been put away until late November. My 12 days of stitcher's Christmas hardly saw the light of day, but no matter, it will be something fresh for next Christmas when no doubt I will have forgotten all about it. I want to stitch more decorations for the trees for next Christmas, but they will have to wait until I have finished a few other things, perhaps when I come back from holiday in June. I might be feeling depressed enough to want to do Christmas stitching by then. :)

I've sorted out 12 pieces of evenweave for the 12 monthly cottages. They aren't all the same colour, but that doesn't matter as I won't be having them all on display at the same time, just one each month. They won't be getting framed either, would take up space I don't have, so I will probably make them into cushion covers, or even get hangers for them so I can change them each month. I'll worry about that once they are done and dusted. :)

Roz

[RozMinis]

Never heard of Sparklies. Now wish you hadn't told me about it. I'm putting the Aida to one side so that I can use that for cross stitching when the old eyes can no longer cope with even weave.

Forget I ever mentioned 'em me ickle flower. ;) I think if my eyes give up on the evenweave I shall chuck in the towel, or even trowel. Mind you I did invest in a pair of x2.5 magnification prescription specs four and a half years ago. The first pair cost me about sixty pounds from Boots, but the last pair, including a pair of vari-focal glasses, cost me just over £100. At least I think it was over the £100.

I was amazed how cheap they were having paid so much for the previous pair, nearly £300 including the magnification reading specs. I know they were good, had them for over 4 years, and still going strong, same prescription as my present ones, but even so, that is a huge difference in price.

Roz