Sometimes, I'm a sloppy stitcher. I admit it! And it's kind of embarrassing! Of course, I go through phases of absolute determination not to be a sloppy stitcher. I organize and re-organize, I take oaths, make promises, I vow to correct the fault... but once in a while, I do slide into Sloppy Stitcher-ness (or stitching sloppiness...) Let me tell you (and worse yet, show you!) what I mean!
I embroider in one of three places: the living room, where things are pretty casual and where I'm probably most comfortable but I don't always get the most done; my bedroom at my desk, right in front of my computer, where I get more done than I do in the living room; or out in the studio, where I work on larger projects that need dedicated space.
No matter where I am, though, I have a tendency to get engrossed in my stitching, and I generally always feel pressured when I stitch. This isn't necessarily a good thing - I don't advise you to feel pressured when you stitch - but for me, lately, it is the case, and this comes from balancing a full-time job with upkeep on the website here, while perpetually trying to make headway on stitching projects. So, when I sit down to stitch, I Just Want to Stitch and get something accomplished! And I don't want anything delaying me from stitching.
And this brings me to the topic of organization. If I maintained perfect organization in my stitching supplies, I know I would get more accomplished! It's true! I know it! And this is why I take oaths, make promises, and vow that I will be more organized.
But, oh. I get engrossed. And I pull what I need, and I leave the rest, and I burrow through, looking for this thing or that thing, and I forage about for this other thing..... until.... until.....
Yeeeesh. The insides of my pretty little needlebook kit box.....
Then, there comes a point where I can't stand it. The mess drives me nuts! I can't easily find what I'm looking for (yes, even in a 12" square box!), my threads are on the road to complete knottiness, and my needles - forget it.
So I stop stitching and I clean up.
And once I clean up, I start making those vows and promises, while I delve back into my (organized) stitching.
Sometimes, we pay a price for being sloppy when stitching. Lost needles, thread ruined by knots.... these little items add up and detract from our hobby budgets! So that's one reason I vow to be more careful about my organizational habits when I stitch, and to overthrow this tendency to get sloppy during my already-too-short stitching sessions. We not only save supplies (and therefore money) when we keep ourselves organized, but we save time as well - and really, this is more valuable!
For this particular case that prompted today's post, there was a casualty:
There are supposed to be TWO of those buttons!
Are you a sloppy stitcher? What do you do to keep yourself organized while stitching a project? Have you had any breakthroughs in your vows to keep organized? Learned any good lessons? Are you habitually a neat-nick with enviable good habits? If so, how do you organize yourself?
Go ahead... confess.
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