is it just me........

[jemma1986d]

Is it just me that gets a little fed up of stitching once i have done a big chunk of a project i then end up putting it back in the cupboard and then dont get it out for a few months until i get the urge to do some more then the cycle happens all over again. i really would like to enjoy my stitching all the time. i just wondered if anybody else has the same problem ???

[jocellogirl]

Hi Jemma. That's not a problem, that's a rotation!!!!

[Evedeve]

Watch out a few more days here and you will become........
A serial starter with rotations of doom

Just like the rest,of us

[jemma1986d]

Whats a rotation ? sorry im a little new to this site so not sure on the jargon yet lol

[Reta]

Rotation is where you start one. Work on it for a week or so then put aside and start another

Then when fed up with that get the other one out Or start another

I have 2 on the go one smallish one is for when in caravan and larger projects I do at home

[ashleyclark]

I have this all the time. I start on a picture, get tired of the "colors" and go to another. I usually have 3/4 different ones going at one time or another. They are usually different colors. Adia, who I pulled out of the closet this morning, has yellows in it, and is replacing The Lady of the Snow, which had greys and blues. Next week, I will replace Adia with someone else.

[Fljotsdale]

I do that too, jemma - most of us do! Sometimes I don't feel like stitching for weeks - even months - but then the bug comes back.
Usually I only have one project at a time to stitch, but at the moment I have a second as well. As ashleyclark mentioned she does, my second is a totally different colour-scheme.
So don't worry if you don't want to stitch at the momennt. The urge will return. Keep coming in here to see what people are doing and you will soon want to get yours out again!

[Totality]

i used to be the same and i think rotation is a great idea especially if your working on something big, having a few small projects can help you get quick results. Having said this as of yet i don't do rotations cause on the rare occasions i have i often think if only all that work had gone on the other work I'd have so much more done lol. When i first started stitching i would leave mine and lose my stitchy bug for months, but in recent years i find it nicer to turn of the TV listen to some audio play on my iPod and tune out. I think is also important to not lose the sight on enjoying stitching, for example if you like goals then set reasonable ones that work around your life, say a page a month, something that's attainable for you but wont make you feel as though its a chore or burn you out. Don't feel guilty for not having picked up your project either, it'll come eventually and you'll enjoy it more. Big areas of random colours can be really time consuming as-well, with constant thread changes, especially when you cant see it initially making that much of an impact on the design, at the moment I've stitched a whole second page of hair which has been been a bit boring. Make sure you don't rush into starting a project unless you really want to stitch it or it'll become a UFO. In all the years I've stitched I've only just decided to make a pattern for myself. Also check on the forums stitch along section and maybe start one, its fantastic seeing peoples progress. This community has made the biggest difference for me in terms of cross stitching, i was able to see peoples different styles and it made me realize that you don't always have to stick to the same old winnie the pooh style of stitching, by this i mean not so cutesy looking

[jemma1986d]

Thank you everyone for your replies. its such a relief to know im not the only person who does this. at the moment im concentrating on just one project (although i do have another one that i will be picking up after this project that i really want to get it finished tonight i only have the tiniest bit left to do and then ill upload it to the gallery i must warn you though its a bit different its a sugar skull ive really enjoyed stitching this.

[steptash]

Like everyone else i have 3 or 4 pieces on the go at anyone time, my main piece is Schim Scimmels leap of creation which at the moment is all 939 and 310 the next page is all 939, then i have one that i started 14 years ago and am determined to finish, one my mother in law asked me to do and one i'm doing as a gift for my kids head teacher as she is retiring this year and has been head at the school as long as i have been taking my kids there around 10 yrs now, i sew until i've had enough and then change so they can get worked on as little as a couple of days or for a month or more depending on how much i want to do.

[ashleyclark]

Like everyone said. Change is good. During the day from 5am on to about 6pm I cross stitch on whatever piece I happen to be working on. In the evenings, after supper, I knit making sweaters for nothing beats a home made wool sweater here in the cold winters of Montana. I knit until bedtime. In the morning, with coffee in hand, back to stitching. These are my 2 favorite hobbies in the winter. In the summer, it is more the greenhouse, my roses, my flower beds, my herb beds, and sitting out on the deck next to the small pond and either cross stitching or knitting.

So do not worry about it. If you feel like stitching, then do so. If not, then do not. I learned the hard way that if I stitch when I do not really want to, then I end up with frogs. So do what feels right for you.

[crosstitcher1]

Just BE YOURSELF.
I have been stitching going on 30 yrs., this July, and in ALL those years, I have ONLY put down my stitching ONCE for a WHOLE year, when my grand mom was really sick, didn't know WHEN I was going to have to leave, as she lived 1 state from me, so I just PLUNGED into my Bible, from Genesis-Revelations, and went to work each week, in 2004, and on Good Friday of 2005, she passed away.
In the time I took off for her, I had falling BEHIND in my projects, as I was ONLY stitching on Sats. and Mondays, as I had a 3 day weekend where I worked.
I contacted the people that was getting the gifts, and they were so kind in understanding my situation, they just told me, "Just when you can get to it, will be fine."
Then on Nov. 6, 2008, I got laid off and after looking in ALL of 2009, with only 3 BITES the WHOLE year, B/H and I decided I wouldn't go back to work. So I decided in Jan. of 2010 to TACKLE the projects with GUSTO. I did a TOTAL of 14 projects by the 2nd week of Dec. of 2010, and took them to the people, at work mostly, and some local people. Since then I have been working 8 hr. days, 6 days a week on my projects, as I do 1 project at a time, I line up the people for a year and I tell them NOT to expect them til the end of the year.

Like others in here has said, WAIT til the URGE comes back, and it WILL, and ENJOY your stitching time.

HAPPY STITCHING IN STITCHING LAND.

[jemma1986d]

Thank you for all your advice i have just finished the project i wanted to get done tonight ill be posting some pics soon im sorry to hear about your dear mum! it sounds like you have had a really tough time of it but hopefull things are now on the up for you, were having some tough luck at the mo but im staying positive im sure my stitching will help me through

[BizzieLizzie]

When we're stitching we're effectively staring at the same picture for hours every day. It's no wonder we get bored of it!

I stumbled across a rotation forum a few months ago and there are some good ideas in the 'How do I begin?' section if you want help setting up a rotation. (Some of those ladies have an alarming number of WIPs , but the principles are the same even if you only have two or three): http://rotationstitchers.yuku.com/" target="_blank" target="_blank

[jemma1986d]

oooh many thanks for the link ill have to have a look at it today. i think the only way im going to get my wip done is if i do some rotations as the wip im doing at the mo Ive been doing on and off for the past 4 yrs its my biggest project to date, im used to normally doing just small projects which as we both now are satisfying because you get the results so much quicker as apposed to a big wip which takes time and patience

[stitchingmae]

I will have to look at this too, as I now have about 3-4 that I am working on LoL

[rcperryls]

I took a peek at that forum and decided there must be a forum for everything! However, I did bookmark it to go back and do some "lurking" and perusing. Can't join another one or I'll need a rotation just to get to all the forums and won't have time to stitch.

Jemma, I have said this before so hope others don't mind my repeating it again. For the 20+ years that I stitched before joining the forum I only stitched one chart at a time. Not only had I not heard about rotating projects, I behaved as if it wasn't allowed. (Don't ask who made it a law, I just behaved that way). As BizzieLizzie said, that means you are staring at the same picture and not surprising that you get bored and lose your stitchy bug. Happened to me periodically. Of course, after joining the forum I have gone totally in the other direction. But I haven't lost my bug and I enjoy my stitching even more. And the best part is that you are in total control of your rotation and can change it, toss it or do whatever you want with it. I love finishes but I love the process even more.

Carole

[Rose]

I very seldom get bored with a project. Although I do stitch more then one at a time because I usually have my head full of gifts that I want to give to people. Sometimes one project is easier to stitch at a particular time then others....ie dark fabrics, or small count during daylight and things like that. So far I can only think of 4 projects that I forced myself to finish stitching.

[elementaryteacher77]

I had this same problem jemma and I had never heard of a rotation either rcperryls, until I came here. Now I wonder how often do people change out their rotation pieces? I know it's up to me, and I'll probably do it based on how "bored" I get with what I'm working on, but do most people switch every week? two weeks? or what? Thanks everyone for your input. This is why I love this forum!!

[jocellogirl]

I think I have a rotation going . I stitch whatever takes my fancy until I feel like stitching something else, or until there's an event looming and I want to stitch something for that. Some people rotate by the page, others work for an allocated period of time per project. Just find out which works best for you. I personally never keep track of how long I'm stitching, I just stitch wherever the fancy goes. I do like to have the odd finish now and again though, so smaller projects pop in from time to time. The main thing to remember is that you're doing it for FUN