Sometimes, you have to quit. It’s true! Sometimes, in the middle of a needlework project, you have to quit.

There can be myriad reasons why you have to quit a project. And the quitting may not be permanent. But it’s never a bad idea, when you feel inclined to quit, just to step away from it.

And that’s what happened with this whitework-on-natural embroidered monogram project.

This is where I had arrived, when I came to the quittin’ point.

The stitching was finished, the piece was damp stretched and blocked.

It was time for me to mount the embroidery on stiff card topped with some stiff pellon interfacing. I was hurrying to complete the first stage of finishing this 3.5″ square piece of embroidery into something usable.

I pinned the embroidery onto the stiff card all around. I was working quickly, and not really paying that much attention to things.

I turned the piece over and started folding and trimming, so that I could work up some decent mitered corners.

I don’t particularly like mitering corners on something this small, worked on linen that is about medium weight and backed with another layer of cotton. It makes it somewhat difficult to get a nice, tight corner on the miter.

I was in the middle of mitering that corner and not having any fun with it at all. I was grumpy and scurrilous and not really in the mood.

Plus, I knew there was a problem on the front of the piece, but I was thinking I could just fudge it and keep moving forward.

The photo above demonstrates the problem. The pinning was off. The sides didn’t align with the card backing. And I knew it.

But I really didn’t want to pin again!

And I really didn’t want to take out as much of the mitered corner as I had managed.

And on top of that, I had to leave. This was immediately before I was supposed to take off on my short little bit of traveling. I just wanted to get it done, so that I could start the next stage right when I got home.

I Quit!

But I’ll tell you what! I’m glad I finally just said, “Nope. I’m stopping Right Now.”

I quit.

When I get home, I will find this piece with one corner mitered, with one side askew on the card, with the whole thing to take apart, and probably a new card backing to prepare.

But you know what? I can’t wait! I can’t wait to get home and get that thing finished – and finished right.

The moral of the story: when you know things are not quite right with the process (whether it’s stitching or finishing), and especially if you’re trying to rush the job for some reason, it’s always better just to quit.

I don’t mean be a quitter. I mean to quit what you’re doing and to come back to it later, when the mood is right, when your patience is restored, when your outlook is brighter, and when the pressure’s gone.

I’ll be back at it in a few days, and I’m excited about it now. If I had mitered all four corners and laced the back of that embroidery onto the card, my outlook on the project would be pretty dismal right now. All that wasted effort when I knew the piece was crooked!

But my outlook is good, because I quit!

On that note, by the time you read this, I’ll be traversing the nation again, heading back to Kansas. Home sweet home! I’ll see you soon, from my own little studio, and I’ll share the final outcome for this little piece of embroidery.

Happy Monday!