I have been a stitching fool lately, and currently have around 125 models in my 1-year-old shop (most stitched by me, some borrowed.) Recently, I finished Autumn Arbor (Drawn Thread), Bee Treats (Trilogy), Take My Heart (Shepherd's Bush), eduCATed (Bent Creek), There's No Place Like Home (SamSarah), and I've been hacking away at Marjolien Bastien's Four Seasons Sampler (a HUGE piece which I am doing for an EGA show this fall) on 36 count linen with one thread over-two. It's GORGEOUS! Spring is a great time for stitching, and I love sitting in front of my kitchen window with the morning sun over my shoulder and NPR on the radio.

Why is it that stitching time seems to go in spurts. I will have a couple of dry spells each year, and it really has nothing to do with how busy I am (since I seem to maintain a pretty consistent status of "very busy.") Maybe mentally I need stitching more sometimes than others. A local customer this morning remarked that her work as a baker is stressful right now with Easter, graduations, First Communions and Confirmations going on. She turns to her stitching at home to help her relax.

I hear regularly from customers: "I haven't been doing much stitching lately, but I have been knitting (or quilting, or scrapbooking...). But now I'm ready to get back to stitching." Sometimes a customer will buy a fiber, or a fabric, or a designer's chart before that is new to her, and that will set her off on a stitching binge. Some of my local customers hadn't used Sampler Threads or Weeks Dye Works until I opened up, and they're stitching fools, now, too.

If you ever don't feel like stitching, don't feel guilty. Who says you HAVE to stitch every day, or even every week? Maybe put away the big monster you've been working on, and pick up something small and quick. You'll feel like you're making good progress, and you'll have such a feeling of accomplishment when you finish something less daunting. Or go get some quiet time out in the garden or standing over the stove. Creativity has many outlets.

This morning I looked at my Four Seasons piece on the kitchen table, took a big breath and put it in its bag, fibers and all. I need a little break from it. But the Fresh as a Daisy piece (Cross Eyed Cricket) I started last Friday beckons...

© 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