Organized Stitching

I decided to do a little organizing of my stitching supplies this weekend. For starters, I pulled out the plastic tub where I'd been tossing all of my patterns and decided to put them in a binder instead. This method keeps them so much neater, and I can flip through very easily to see what I have.


One thing that's great about a binder with sleeves is that you can take the sleeve out of the binder and bring it with you when you need to shop for supplies. I was able to throw in the flosses I did have, along with some Aida cloth and linen choices, and bring this with me to my local shop, Always in Stitches, to pick up the flosses I still needed.



Occasionally, I will store the cloth for a future project in the same sleeve as the pattern. Mind you, it's probably best to store your cloth where it gets a bit of air circulation. But this is a nice temporary solution:


Did I show you the fabulous gift my mother gave me for Christmas this year? Just look at these lovely Gingher embroidery scissors! I know, I'm spoiled. Thanks, Mom!



I began work on a new old pattern this weekend. This one is so old, in fact, that I think I must have picked it up more than five years ago at a little stitching shop in Tecumseh, Michigan. Oftentimes, a shop will provide free reproduced patterns that have been given to them by a designer. I remember thinking how precious this little pattern was when I saw the finished project at the shop. It had been done on a pale green cloth, and it was so sweet and delicate.


This design is called "First Robin of Spring" by Elizabeth Foster of Elizabeth's Designs. The pattern called for a 28 count olive green Cashel linen. When I looked in my stash, I found an 18 count moss/celadon Aida that I thought would work just fine. I'm stitching this with two strands, one over, and it is very small work for me. It seems much smaller than an 18 count...maybe it was mislabeled. But I think the smallness just adds to the delicate nature of the project. I'm going to finish this project into a little stuffed doorknob hanger for my bedroom.

Now, I know what my sister Jenny is thinking right now. "It's winter, and you're stitching spring projects! That's not living in the moment!" True. But I'm tired of stitching snowmen! The snow may be swirling outdoors, but inside I'm having warm thoughts of future days. A girl can be hopeful, right?