It Works For Me

I've tried many times to do a rotation. I've tried stitching 10 hours on a project. I've tried having a focus piece to stitch on every other slot in the rotation. I've tried rotating projects weekly. Nothing seemed to be right for me and I just went back to being a one-at-time stitcher. That was great until I started the SAL for Petit Sampling Etui with my sampler guild. I found that I was stitching on it all the time, trying to keep up with the SAL. And I really wanted to be working on some of my other projects, too. As I was stitching one night, I thought about the method I use to keep myself motivated during difficult parts of stitching or on boring borders. I stitch three needles full of one color, two of the next and one of a third. Then back to the first color. Why couldn't I do that with my projects?

And thus, a rotation was born. I chose four projects and rotate them, stitching four days on one, three on the next, two on the next and one on the last. When I'm through the rotation, the "four day" project goes to the bottom of the list and the "three day" one moves into the four spot, and so on. This way I end up giving about equal time to every project and I get a little variety. It's also made me think about mini-goals for each piece. If I know I have only one night to stitch on it, I might choose to stitch the border with few color changes rather than the flowers. I've been doing this for about six weeks, and finally, it's a rotation that works for me.

The projects? Well, you've seen Petit Sampling Etui and Not For Us Alone. Here are some recent pictures of my other two:


Keep Me Sampler by Moira Blackburn (I love the colors!)

Jane Longstreth from the Vassar Sampler Collection This is a reproduction of a sampler from Chester County, PA, close to where I live.

Comments

  1. StefJune 3, 2009 at 9:38 AM

    WOW - you have a great bunch of samplers that you are stitching! I'm drooling!!! They are all beautiful! And you are making great progress on NFUA, I love this sampler and stitching it is such a joy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 9, 2009 at 11:28 AM

    That's an awesome idea for a rotation! I may try to borrow it. I'm struggling with how to see my WIPs when I have obligation pieces... Stacy

    ReplyDelete
  3. MysteryKnitterApril 30, 2015 at 5:51 PM

    Wow! You sure can stitch!

    ReplyDelete

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