Don't feel guilty about keeping a little school of projects going at any one time. It's normal, natural and common. I find that I stitch more if I have half a dozen projects going at any one time. If I get bored doing one, I can switch off to another. I know there are some who stitch one project at a time, and other have what they consider an embarassing number of unfinished projects lurking around. Only you know how many are appropriate for your personality and lifestyle.

I usually have a variety of projects to work on. I'm currently in a few round robin groups which keep me occupied a few days of the month. I usually have a few seasonal pieces: a Christmas project or two, a warm weather piece, maybe another holiday piece. I usually have one sampler to work on (right now it's the Marget Drake sampler which I'm horribly behind on; this is an online class of a lovely old sampler). And of course I always have that one "hateful" piece that is just drudgery to work on. The past few years it's been the Pageant Kings from Treasures Magazine. I started it, oh, five years ago or more! Ack! It's huge, it has something like 130 colors of floss, 20 metallics and 15 or so bead colors...I am down to the backstitching (and actually have a lot of that done) and the beads. So the end is in sight, but I can only work on it a little at a time. It's gorgeous, and it'll be a happy happy day when that monkey is off my back.

Other projects I currently have going: a Curtis Boehringer Angel of the Month Afghan I started as a group project at a needlework shop in La Crosse, Wis. (7/12ths done!), an over-one heart-in-hand sampler, an Apple Tree Branch bellpull piece that is a branch through the seasons (Spring at the top through Winter at the bottom), a Christmas stocking, two Mary Engelbreit pieces (a jolly Santa from her first book and a line of teacups from her second book). Hmmm...that's about it. I did finish quite a few pieces this last year. Here are some ideas for how we can all diminish our piles:

First of all, don't set unreasonable goals. If you have a hateful piece, don't FORCE yourself to work on it until it's done. That takes all of the fun out of stitching, and stitching should be fun, shouldn't it? Take it in pieces -- "This week I want to finish the top corner of that piece" or "This week I'm going to backstitch the ________." Let yourself put the piece down when you start feeling crabby about it.

You may want to set priorities for which pieces you want to finish first, or at all, this year. Get a storage container and place your pieces and charts in envelopes or folders in the order you want them finished. Maybe one is intended as a gift, so that one must be finished first. Maybe you want to finish them in order (finish the oldest ones first). Just getting them organized a little will inspire you to get stitching. You may find that some of them are closer to completion than you remembered.

Many of my customers say they give themselves rewards for finishing projects. Many will allow themselves to start one new piece for every two or three they finish -- working in the right direction! I've also heard of incentives like a little shopping spree at the needlework shop (online or not!) for X number of finished projects. Some stitchers buy a new project -- all of the supplies. Then they tell themselves they can't start that fun new project until the old one is done. Now that's pressure! Take projects you've finished to your needlework guild meetings to inspire others (and get a group-sized pat on the back as well.)

You might consider giving yourself "homework assignments" -- map off areas of your chart to finish each week. Say you have half of a large piece finished. Map off (with a highlighter or pencil) 30 by 30 sections of the chart, for example. Each week, finish a 30 by 30 section, and then stitch on other projects the rest of the week. You'll find the smaller bits much easier to handle than just staring at a large chart helplessly.

Another way you might inspire yourself to finish is to gather all of the materials you need to finish your project and put them all in one place -- in a zippered baggie or craft bag. Place this project with the materials next to your easy chair, in your car, or in a drawer at your office. During breaks or your evening respite, it'll be easy to pull out this UFO (UnFinished Object) and work.

I have heard it said that it's OK to NOT finish a project. I agree that you shouldn't spend a lot of time on something you don't like or enjoy. You could salvage what's left by donating it to your guild (maybe someone else would like to finish it) or other group (women's shelter, convent, retirement center/home). You could sell it at a garage sale. You could wrap up the supplies you didn't use and save them for other projects. It's up to you. But honestly, if you've started something and have a bunch of time invested, using one of the above incentives to just buckle down and finish it might be appropriate. By the time you finish, you might love that old thing. And while the feeling of starting a new project is so exciting, it doesn't compare to that feeling of stitching your initials and the year at the bottom of something you've just finished.

Look on my web site for other general ideas for stitching resolutions for the new year. Count your blessings this year for all you have -- including your eyesight, your fingers and your needle. I count my customers as a big blessing in my life -- thank you for your business!

© 2007 Theresa Venette. Articles on this site may be reproduced in needlework group newsletters or other handouts with permission of author and proper attribution. Send questions, comments and suggestions to: xspeddler@yahoo.com