25 Stitching Questions

25 Most Asked Stitching Questions:

1. How old were you when you started cross stitching?
--- I was 18 years and 9 months pregnant when my doctor put me on bed rest and I needed something to keep myself occupied until I had my baby.

2. Who taught you to cross stitch?
--- I taught myself how to cross stitch thru trial and error.

3. What inspired you to begin cross stitching?
---I was on bed rest and I am not an avid television watcher. Basically I was going crazy.

4. What has been your most difficult cross stitch piece?
--- That is easy. The Bride by far was the hardest for me for a couple of reasons. It was the first time that I had used blending filament but the main reason was that it was for my best friend and I wanted it perfect for her.

5. Do you have friends that stitch?
--- My best friend, Renee, and a some online friends.

6. What is your favorite stitched piece?
--- It changes each time I finish a piece! When I am done with each one I think that one is my favorite that is until the next one is completed.

7. What is your favorite fabric?
---Eavenweave by far.

8. What is your favorite fiber?
---I strictly use DMC floss and Kreinik because that is all that is available around here.

9. What is your favorite needle?
--- Either a #26 or #28.

10. Do you prefer black & white or colored charts?
---I prefer to use colored charts with symbols but I will use a black and white chart if it isn't too hard to read.

11. How many Works In Progress do you have at this time?
---I currently have one project going at this time. It is a cherub angel from the Dreamsicles line.

12. How many UFO's do you have at this time?
---None.

13. How many cross stitch charts/kits/mags do you own?
---I generally don't buy kits so I only have a few of those. As for charts and magazines I have two file boxes full and I still want more :)

14. How much fabric do you have in stock at this time?
---I don't keep a whole lot of extra fabric on hand. Currently I have some 14count aida cloth and 28 count eavenweave.

15. Where is your favorite place to stitch?
---My stitching corner usually but sometimes I sneak back to the bedroom and stitch in bed.

16. What is your favorite time of day to stitch?
---My favorite time to stitch is when the kids aren't around to distract me. Ideally I like to stitch late in the morning or after they have gone to bed.

17. How many pieces have you stitched in your lifetime?
---Hundreds is all I can say. I have been stitching for 12 years.

18. Do you give your stitched pieces away?
---I give an occasional piece away for a gift but I am generally pretty stingy and keep them for myself.

19. How many different fibers do you have in stock at this time?
---I have the ALL the DMC floss and several spools of Krenik

20. How many pairs of scissors do you own?
---I have a small pair of scissors for my cross stitch and I have a pair of good fabric scissors.

21. Do you use stitching enhancers (lights, scroll frames...etc)?
---The only things that I use are a hoop and a needle. I have tried to use a scroll frame but it was way too awkward for me.

22. How many pieces that have been stitched but not yet framed or finished off in some other way do you have at this time?
---Too many to count! Unless I have a paricular way of finishing a project they get put away until I hit a slump and need to do something else.

23. Do you have a craft/stitching room?
---I don't have a craft room but I have what I call my stitching corner. It is in the corner of the living room and is next to the window for natural light but when it gets dark I have a floor lamp to turn on.

24. Why do you stitch?
---I stitch because it helps me relax and I love to create a picture on fabric. It makes me feel like an artist.

25. What is your most memorable time related to cross stitching?
---I would have to say when my son(he was 4 yrs) managed to step on a cross stitching needle. He had it shoved all the way up into his heel bone so off to the emergency room we went. The whole time my son was not crying all he wanted to see was the blood!

I have saw this popping up in some blogs so I figured I would post it also.

Angel Progress

This week I have made excellent progress on my Dreamsicles Angel. I have kept track of the time I have stitched on her but I haven't added up the total time. I felt a little discouraged when I added it up last time and compared the time to my progress so Ihave decided to wait until I am completely finished before I add up the hours. I am about 50 percent done with the stitching. I have the wings, the flower crown, and a small portion of the forehead to finish. I am not to happy with the color of the wings. The pattern calls for a blend of 746/3047 floss however, I think those colors are too yellow and should have been a more golden color. Other than that it is coming along great.

Since summer vacation has arrived my 2 daughters, Krissy and Allie, have decided that they want to do some cross stitching. Now as a stitcher I am happy to see that they are interested in learning but as a mother it is worse than walking across a bed of hot coals. I will be the first to tell someone that it is hard for me to teach stitching to a child and especially my two girls! I know that they will enjoy it for the rest of their lives but my nerves wont last forever.

SBQ Week 12

Today's "Stitching Blogger's Question" is:

How do you deal a "stitching slump?"

This is an interesting question as I usually find myself in a "stitching slump" about once a year. I have just gotten past one of these slumps in January. When I find myself looking at my cross stitching and NOT wanting to pick it up and stitch away I know that it is time for me to work on something other than stitching.

It is during these slumps when I will set aside my cross stitching and start on some crocheting. I am not good at making sweaters but I can crochet some nice afghans, scarves, and stuffed animals. If crocheting doesn't hit the spot I will work on sewing projects. I always have something to mend or to hem. I am by no means a seamstress but most of the clothing I make is wearable.

Bugs Everywhere!

I managed to get my bugs done earlier this week. Unfortunately, I have been so busy that I had not even sat down to my computer until this morning. I still have to clean and press the bugs but they are pretty much ready to be sewn into a pillow. I have to take my son to the fabric shop to let him pick out his favorite color (his favorite color changes daily!). I did have one small mistake that I just left and that was there is supposed to be 19 rows space in between the bugs on the top right one I miscounted and had 18 rows space. I don't think that it is that noticeable.

My boss has decided that he wants me to work everyday(M-F) in the mornings so I was able to get some good stitching time in on my cherub angel. I got to work on the angel for 17 hours this week. When I say it like that and look at my progress it seems so little. I have worked on my little angel for a grand total of 18 hours and 5 minutes so far and I am not even a quarter of the way done! I am stitching with 2 strands(loop method) on 28 count eavenweave. So far I have one pumpkins finished and another pumpkins half way done. I have also stitched the left leg and both of the feet, however I ran out of 3770 so I had to make a resupply run yesterday and I am ready to work on the rest of the legs today if I can. ( I had 2 kids spending the night with us last evening and do not know when they will be going home).

One another thing is I would like to wish my blog mother and best friend happy birthday. So.....

Happy Birthday Renee!!

SBQ Week 11

Today's "Stitching Blogger's Question" is:

How many strands of floss to you prefer to stitch with? Why?

When I stitch I mainly use 2 strands of floss. I have several reasons for using two strands but the main reason is I use the loop method all the time if I can get away with it. Another reason is I stitch on either 14 count aida or 28 count eavenweave because that is what is readily available where I live and I feel that 2 strands covers the cloth well enough.

Sorry this was put up so late but as my kids got out of school this week it has been kind a three ring circus around my home. It will be like this until Auguest 5 when they return to school as a 6th grader, a 5th grader, and a 2nd grader!!

A Not So Productive Weekend

I have been pretty busy this past weekend so I did not get a chance to get any quality stitching done. First of all we got a new recliner(my stitching chair from now on) and loveseat so that entailed most of Saturday day and evening arranging and rearranging the furniture. Then we had two spare kids spending the night so I did not even get a chance to look at my stitching.

I did find some time to work on the Insect piece Monday and today. I am so close to being finished! All I have left to do is the grasshopper and then sew it into a pillow. I have not worked on my little cherub since last week. With my insect piece so close to being done that I can not really get into stitching anything else.

I have been considering starting another project. It was my very first pattern that I tried several years ago to stitch on eavenweave. I bought the pattern when I was pregnant and on complete bed rest with my son and had all the time in the world to stitch(believe me I did!). It is an ABC bear pattern. This one is definitely a challenge for me as it requires French knots. I will be the first to admit that I used to omit the knots when the pattern called for them. Since that time I have learned how to make them but they are not the best looking knots. This whole pattern is my biggest challenge in awhile so hopefully it will turn out to be a better experience this time around.

Seeing Bugs

This is a big pattern which contains six small patterns of insects. My son loves anything that crawls or flies so I figured this would be a good throw pillow for him to use when watching TV or playing the PS2. I am stitching it using 2 strands (again using the "loop" method) on 28 count white fabric. The best part is it does not call for any backstitching so I should be done stitching in the next week. Well, that is if I can get some good quality time stitching and seeing how next Thursday my kids get out for summer vacation I may not get a whole lot accomplished.

I did manage to start on A Year Of Dreamsicles (November)Tuesday night and I also have managed to keep track of my time so far. I have managed to stitch on it for 85 minutes in the last two days. It definitely isn't the amount of time I would have liked to spend on it but once I get the Insect pillow done I will be able to devote more time to the little cherub.

SBQ Week 10

Today's "Stitching Blogger's Question" was inspired by a mini-poll that Vash (http://vashxstitch.blogspot.com/) has been running on her blog for about 18 months and is:

Given the option, would you rather buy a chart and get the material and floss together yourself, or buy a pre-packed kit?

I always purchase my own floss and material. From past experiences I have discovered that the floss that comes in the kits are usually weaker and break easy. Which this leads to another problem that I run in to and that is I end up using twice the amount of floss (they never give you enough of to begin with) and of course the floss that they provide and the DMC floss that I use do not match. These reasons are why I buy my stuff separately but I have been known to purchase a kit exclusively for the chart.

A Happy Dance Day For Me!

International Buffet is finally finished!! A little happy dance time for me! I think that it turned out great. I managed to finish the backstitching late last night and this morning I was able to clean and press it. As I have said before in my blog this is my "first" good experience with eavenweave. It was stitched on 28 ct fabric (all that is available here) with 2 strands for all stitching except the hair(used 3 strands) and backstitching.(used 1 strand) I don't know for sure how I am going to finish it off so for the time being it will be placed with all the other pieces that I have finished.

This is the back side of International Buffet. Doesn't it look great?! I used the "loop" method versus two single strands. I prefer to use the loop method because if not my backs look horrid. They usually have strands going every which way and just making it look messy.

Keeping Track

Today I completely finished all the cross stitching on International Buffet. I have even went ahead and started the backstitching on it. I am really proud of this one as it is my first good experience with eavenweave. I am stitching on 28 count eavenweave. I used 2 strands on all cross stitches except for the hair which I used 3 strands to stitch. As for the backstitching I am using 1 strand, although I think 2 strands would be a little better. Oh well, I will make my little change it note for the pattern when I do it again someday.

Since I am almost finished with this piece I think I will gather up my floss for my next project A Year of Dreamsicles. I am going to do the month of November which just happens to be the month I was born. With this project I am going to try to keep track of how long it takes me to stitch in hours. I bought a small notebook to help me keep accurate track of the time it takes from start to finish. Since tomorrow is Mother's day what a better day to start a new pattern. We are going out to eat for lunch tomorrow and after that I should get a good bit of stitching done.

SBQ Week 9

Today's "Stitching Blogger's Question is: Do you finish all your finished pieces? (pillow, frame, etc,) If so,how do you finish the pieces? If not what do you do with them?

I don't always finish my stitching pieces. To be honest I have more stored than I have made into anything. I have always wondered if I am the only person who just does the stitching and then stores the piece until a later date. When I do finish my projects I like to make throw pillows or throw blankets. I have done other things to like: framing (hoop and picture) the piece, making into place mats, greeting cards and wall hangings. I have been looking for another way to finish the pieces.


Today's second question is:What is your opinion of Internet "freebies?"

I love the "freebies" from the internet! (That is all I use my printer for is printing out patterns!) I have gotten some of my favorite patterns free from the net. I also like it because I can find simple patterns for my 10 and 11 year old girls to learn to stitch.

A Busy Week

I have not put anything in my blog this past week because I have been extremely busy and not with stitching. I did manage to get some good stitching time but because it was so stressful this week I managed to break three needles. That was the topping on the cake for me I wanted to be like an ostrich and bury my head in the sand. My husband was being thoughtful and went to Wal-Mart and picked me up some needles. He was bound determined to get me the right package of needles. He brought me home four different sizes of needles. I did not have the heart to tell him that I will only use one of the packages. However, my 2 daughters who are beginning to cross stitch will be able to use them for their projects.

I did manage to get some progress on my PM piece. I am almost done with the stitching. I ran out of 310 for the hair but I still have the rest of the table cloth to finish in 819 and 776. I have all the backstitching to do but it will be worth the pain. I adore Precious Moments so you will see I tend do a lot of their patterns. This is my first pattern working with the eavenweave and so far it is looking pretty good to me.


I also got some time to work on the insect pillow I am making for my son. I have three of the six bug squares finished. I am having so much fun with this project because the patterns does not call for any backstitching. These are good patterns for beginners to stitch. My daughter, A., who is 10 years old has done the lady bug pattern and it turned out really nice. I am stitching it on 28ct. white eavenweave. I am going to make it into a simple pillow as my 7 year old son will put it thru a lot of wear and tear.

I am getting the "Stitching Blogger's Question of the week put up a lot late but never the less I am still going to do it. So here it is : Do you set stitching goals?

To this question I have a hard time answering because I really do not set goals for my pieces but if I am doing it for someone in particular I usually have a time frame that I have to have it done. There is one goal I would like to set for myself and that is to actually keep track of how long a piece takes me to stitch. A lot of non stitching friends ask me how long a particular pattern would take me to do and I can give them an estimate in days or weeks on how long one takes me to finish. I would like to be able to know for myself how many hours it takes me to stitch a pattern from start to finish. I will try to keep track of my time with my next project that I will start sometime in the next week or so.