I’ve got embroidery projects coming out of my ears. Does this ever happen to you?
Right now, I feel a bit like Mr. Toad. I go careening down one path, soon to be distracted by yet another project, so I go careening off in that direction, until I’m all tied up with a million little things that I need to finish, and the result: confusion and mayhem!
For me, the best way to get through a situation like this is to sort out what needs to be done and put the Needful Things in order, according to when they need to be done. Those things that don’t have a specific deadline can be sorted in other categories.
Obviously, everyone’s situation is different. This is my current situation, and I’ll show you how I’m getting through it.
Needle ‘n Thread Projects
First of all, there’s Needle ‘n Thread. I have two projects hanging on a perpetual string for you guys – the hummingbirds and the redwork runner.
They both need to be finished, photographed, and written up, to end those projects once and for all!
But they aren’t “specific deadline” projects. There’s no date attached to them.
Sometimes, having a date attached to a project is a good idea, and I tried to do that with my Feather a Day approach with the hummingbirds.
Unfortunately, I fell behind on the feathers when a flurry of Other Stuff took over, and I still have about 7 tail feathers to work.
Besides those two projects, I always have content to create for the website – stitch tutorials, small projects, project series, and so forth, that I try to plan ahead on. Right now, I have another series developing on paper, some small projects planned, and a two-mile-long list of tutorials.
Other Writing Gigs
Secondly, I have other writing commitments. These come in spurts, although I write for Craftsy pretty regularly. (You can find my profile and all my articles on Craftsy here.)
Right now, I have a few articles I need to complete for Craftsy. The Lorum Ipsum quote above is a small project (5″ x 5″) that I need to finish for an article deadline. The article is on embroidered quotes, to go along with an article soon to be published on embroidered handwriting.
(Those of you in publishing, web design, and so forth will probably get the whole point of that particular quote! For those who don’t know, Lorum Ipsum is the popular filler text used as content filler in publishing. So I’m not trying to show off my highfaluting Latin skills here. It’s just my sorry sense of humor!)
Following that deadline, the very next week, I have another project deadline – a small “how to” on making embroidered bookmarks.
So, for Craftsy, I also have two projects to finish – Lorum Ipsum and a bookmark.
Personal Projects
Then there are the personal projects. The embroidered book cover that I showed you yesterday is an example of a personal project. These are normally gifts that I’ve committed to making.
Right now, I have one other gift commitment – a baby ensemble hand embroidered on knit, which I’ll show you eventually. It’s due in 18 days. (Not the baby. The gift.)
I’d probably scrap this last one and opt for a purchased gift, but I partnered with my mom on it – she’s crocheting a yellow baby afghan and I’m working up a yellow duck theme on baby goods. There are certain people in the world you just can’t let down, and your mother is always one of them!
The Other Projects
Then there are those projects that don’t fall into any specific category – the ones just for pleasure – like Late Harvest.
I have two other projects I’ve set up that fit into this category, that I haven’t done anything with yet.
The nice thing about these “just for pleasure” projects is that I learn things from them, and I can share what I learn with you, which helps me create content for Needle ‘n Thread.
All of the projects in this category must languish until I clear up other pressing projects.
*Sigh*
Organizing it All
So, how to attack the list?
1. The small, quick obligatory ones go at the top of the list. These include the two Craftsy-related projects (Lorum Ipsum and the bookmark), the baby ensemble, and a couple stitch tutorials for Needle ‘n Thread, in that order.
2. The hummingbirds are next. They get top billing for large projects that must be completed. They’ve been hanging around far too long!
3. Then, project and content development for Needle ‘n Thread.
4. The Redwork Runner is next down the list, even though it’s the longest-running project here on the website. It was initially a grab-and-go, work-on-it-when-you-can project, and I still consider it that.
5. And finally, the Other Projects – projects for pleasure.
On the list above, 3, 4, and 5 can all be mixed up together, more or less, once 1 and 2 are out of the way.
It’s All Good!
Now, it may sound like I’m pulling my hair out. But in fact, I’m not!
I got behind over the past three weeks, especially finishing up Stitch Sampler Alphabet, so I’m pretty much just in catch-up mode right now. And while catch-up mode can seem frustrating, the fun thing about it is this: I have plenty to do, and plenty to share with you!
What About You?
So, that’s what I’m up to! How about you? Any projects going? Do you ever get yourself into these Mr. Toad situations, where you’ve jumped from thing to thing until you wind up in a mess? How do you get out of it? Feel free to share your project organization secrets below!
