Oops. Midnight just squeaked by me. I’ve been stitching – working on my seasonal exchange piece, so yay me. Here’s the final installment of the 25 questions:
21. Do you use stitching enhancers (lights, scroll frames…etc)?
I have an Elan lap stand, given to me by OtherHalf last Christmas. It is wonderful, and my stitching has improved both in speed and quality since using it. When I started stitching I used hoops, but never again, after being unable to shift the hoop marks left behind on a few projects. Now, I love my Q-snaps, and pretty much everything gets stitched in those. I do also have a collection of Lokscroll scroll bars, which I love the look of, but find tricky to achieve the tension I like on the fabric. Behind my stitching chair I have a regular floor lamp, fitted with a daylight lightbulb. That helps the eye strain a bit. I would love to have one of the magnifying lights we used for surgery when I worked in the lab, they are fantastic. Cost the earth though.
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?
Well, given that I answered I had finished around 50 pieces, and I think 8 are framed, and about 12 ornaments “ornamentified”, that leaves about 30 waiting. Meep! Most are ornaments which I had vowed to finish by last Christmas. Oops.
23. Do you have a craft/stitching room?
Sadly, no. Only in my dreams. We live in a small 2 bedroom unit, and my stash is in several places – a blanket chest holds a lot, and a large plastic tub, and my red box. I would love to have a spiffy organized room, or even part of a room. I am very much looking forward to my father-in-law building me a stash cabinet that I designed. That will solve a bit of the clutter.
24. Why do you stitch?
For relaxation. For sanity. For the love of creating beautiful things. For something to do! Mostly for sanity, it really helps me to have a hobby I’m passionate about. I also greatly enjoy the online stitching community, it’s something I’ve not experienced before, and has been a major factor in my continued interest. On a side note, I was asked recently why I didn’t want to design my own pieces. I was slightly offended – I felt there was an insinuation that stitching in itself is not a valuable way to spend my time. I equate it with asking a reader why they don’t write their own books! Stitching, the actual physical act of stitching, is the pastime I love.
25. What is your most memorable time related to cross stitching?
I don’t know whether I even have an answer to that. I haven’t attended any stitching events as such. Perhaps it might be the whole of 2003. During that year, I became involved with the TWBB, and started to discover online needlework shops and cultivate my stash. A time of discovery and growth :giggle:
And there you have it. A brief history of me as a stitcher. And off I go now to do a bit more of it before bed 🙂