I am having a larger project than I normally do bought for Christmas by DH & I wonder if you could give me advice please? Do many of you start & not do any more projects until the main one is done, or do you stitch for while & then go to smaller things in between to ease the tedium & also give your brain a rest?
I am having Madonna & Child which is done in beautiful bright colours & a lovely modern design, I fell in love with it straight away. Plus it is being sold under half price & with free p&p for UK. Size is 12 x15 inches. I usually do 5x5 inches or less (mostly less) so although I do really want to stitch this I would like your ideas please.
Thank you for all the tips I have read here, have gone back several pages but not read right back to the start. Have a couple of larger x stitch projects to do but they are stamped cross stitch so like tapestry except with different yarn & I know I can do those all in one go. Well, that is my intention & maybe will do a few cards in between, but the counted cross stitch project is the one I need advice on. Thank you
It's all a matter of personal preference. I stick to a single project for the most part, but my projects usually take several months to do; the one I'm working on now has been in progress for 11 months and I figure I still have five months to go. Sometimes I need a break, so I'll take an evening and do something different -- like do specialty stitches in a sampler band -- then I go back to my main project. Other folks here have a rotation where they have several projects in progress and work on each one for a specific period -- maybe switch each week or do one during the week and to another on the weekends. You'll have to work out what works best for you.
I agree that this is completely personal preferences. Before I joined the forum I was a one project at a time stitcher (for over 20 years). I acted like the cross stitch police would arrest me if I started a new one before finishing the one I was on. I have gone to the opposite extreme as you can tell by the number of projects in my signature. I tried strict rotations but I found that didn't work for me so now its pretty much work on a project until I would rather work on a different one. That wouldn't work for some, but seems to be the way I am, for now, happiest. This isn't in stone either so if I want to change I will. There aren't any rules (or laws) about how many you can work on, other than the ones you make. And for me, if I make the rules, I can break them or change them as I want to. I'm sure this doesn't help a lot, but I think that is what makes stitching such a great hobby (passion?) and this such a great forum!
Carole
WIPs
Star Wars Afghan:Chewbaca
HAEDs:
O Kitten Tree
Dancing with the Cat
Everything else "on hold"
2022 Finished: Star Wars Afghan: Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Finn, Rey, Poe, Han Solo,Darth Vader, BB8,Luke Skywalker
I still do one at a time.
My current one is a photo of my wife when we were on honeymoon. I fear if I stop concentrating on her, it'll be curtains for me...
As the others have said, it is a personal preference. I do find that when I am working on a larger project I will take breaks and work on something small for a while.
Work in Progress
Dimensions Passion Flower Angel
Tempting Tangles Welcome SAL
Various small designs
rcperryls wrote:I agree that this is completely personal preferences. Before I joined the forum I was a one project at a time stitcher (for over 20 years). I acted like the cross stitch police would arrest me if I started a new one before finishing the one I was on. I have gone to the opposite extreme as you can tell by the number of projects in my signature. I tried strict rotations but I found that didn't work for me so now its pretty much work on a project until I would rather work on a different one.
I was/am the same as Carole, and I agree with the others who say do what feels best to you. Once I realized I could "cheat" on my project by having more than one, I think I became an eve happier stitcher. (It does, however, sometimes lead to a case of startitis.) I especially like having smaller things to work on when the bigger ones start to annoy or frustrate me.
Also, and this is very important, don't be overwhelmed by the size of the piece. Whether you're working on a big project, or a small one, it's still just a stitch at a time. If you look at it that way, the size won't be intimidating and you'll enjoy it so much more.
I do hope you'll share pics of it when you start. Oh, that's another thing...try to take weekly (I do daily) pics as you're working on it. When you start to feel like you're not getting anywhere, the pictures you've taken will prove you wrong. It's a huge morale boost.
Debby
(main) WIPs
Angel of Love
Book of Mythical Creatures
Cache la Poudre
Past Present Forever
Fishing Friends
Taking a break from a big piece is often very helpful, especially if it's to work on a smaller item which you can finish -- such a feeling of accomplishment! I often take breaks from hardanger (which is usually tone on tone) to work with a bit of colour, and it really helps. If you feel yourself losing interest, do something small or work on another UFO. We will cheer you on, no matter what!
Thank you all for your comments & thoughts. I will remember to not let it overwhelm me & remind myself it is one stitch at a time, thanks for that fccs. Also realise Serinde that I do not have to beat myself up if I do want a break, no one is after me so I will not have to stand on the naughty step As most have said cross stitch is a hobby & should be enjoyed, not become a chore. A good idea to take pix regularly so you can see how you are doing. Have recently opened Photobucket a/c so hoping to make use of it soon esp now I have finished the silhouette project I was doing.
Thanks everyone for your input, appreciate it. Hope I can help someone else another time
Like everyone else said, you make your own rules here...
Since you tend to do smaller pieces, I'm guessing this means you're used to reasonably quick finishes, so I have a suggestion - keep atleast a rotation of one large and one small piece going. This way when you're starting to feel that there's no end in sight on the larger piece, you can pick up a small project and finish it in a few days. That is how I stitch most of the year (december being an outlier.. christmas.. aaahhh how many days till christmas???) I work on one larger piece, be it for myself or a comissioned piece, and alternate with a christmas ornament. I find that after completing the ornament, I am all motivated to get back to my larger piece again. I do also usually keep a single color piece such as a sampler on the go.. this is my go-to piece for when I need to take my stitching somewhere with me and I don't want to fuss with multiple colors of floss, or if I need a break from the 90 color confetti in my HAED piece.
Find what works for you... and while you're at it, figure out if you're a process based stitcher or a product based stitcher. I think that those of us who have multiple pieces on the go are often primarily process stitchers - we're not necessarily after the finished piece, but rather about the pleasure we get in the actual stitching so we work on which ever one appeals to use at time time and take joy in that. My (but not all!) single project stitchers are primarily product stitchers.. they want to see the progress and finishes on a piece. Of course, it's possible to be a bit of both... that's when alternating large and small projects come in handy.
I agree with the above. With a large project- and yours is large, I think doing small side projects from time to time will keep you interested. Before I started my one and only huge project (10 yrs in the making) I was a one project girl. This caused me to get frustrated to the point I put my project away for several years. I just couldn't see any end in site and it was just so complicated. I actually started to dread working on it. Then I started a nice easy project that took about a month and I got my interest back. I wish I had done so sooner because I wasted years of doing nothing on my big project-which I did finally finish. Stitching should be fun, so when you feel it isn't, take a break and do something small and fun, then go back to the big one. Good luck!
My thanks once again to those who have added since my last post. I will do what you suggest, small projects in between the larger one so I do not get in a rut. Will do one colour ones in between too as I like the outcome of my silhouette & want to try other colours rather than just black. Have a couple of blackwork kits stashed away so can work on those too. I realise this bigger project will take months to finish but I want to stitch it properly, it is too pretty a picture for me to mess up by getting bogged down or rushing it.
I admire those of you who do even larger projects & I understand how much patience & love of cross stitching has gone into each one
The hardanger you mentioned Selinde is really lovely. There are many types of needlecrafts & each has its own beauty. I did not realise just how many there are until I looked into needlecraft books. Some take amazing patience I should imagine.
Serinde wrote:Hardanger looks much more difficult to do than it is -- really. And it works up so quickly, too.
I'll second that -- it's remarkable what you can produce in relatively little time
As for your original question, I'm very much a small project girl myself and have found that very large projects tend to get consigned to the UFO drawer
The larger ones I have actually finished tended to be interspersed with other things. I generally have something small and simple on the go that doesn't take too much thought and which is a nice relaxing break from anything complicated.
