Cross Stitch Bonanza #17 : Temperature Stitching
There is much to talk about here at the end of April. I’ve decided to work on two stitchy sessions a day. In the morning, I have a focus stitch. Something that I want to make a lot of progress on in a short period of time. Something that I’m vibing with. This is the time of the day that I have all to myself and I am unlikely to be interrutped. I noticed that I had some dead time in the late afternoon. That is why I introduced temperature stitching for this time period. Honestly, I would ruminate on my anxiety if I wasn’t occupied with something. It is better for my mental health.
This means that I have quite a lot of stitching to share with you this month.
I also want to show off my cross-stitching journal. For the journal junkies who might be interested in what I’m doing. Maybe I will inspire you. Do you keep a diary of any sort?
The last bit of goings on is that Monday is another fiber arts meetup in my town. I missed one session due to a doctor’s appointment. I’m looking forward to seeing the gals again. I don’t talk much during sessions but they are very inclusive and will ask me questions about my work. That is much easier for me to handle than thinking of something to say. I hope they are looking forward to seeing me again.
Let’s get on with it now.
Starts
Mad Tea Party by Bella Filipina
I had a new start! This is for Stuart in Stitches Birthday SAL which starts on the 28th. Yes, I’ve gotten a head start. This is because I want to do about a week’s worth of effort on it before moving on. That’s right! I’ve got a planned start for May 1st.
It isn’t much now. You can make out the head and neck of Alice. The green represents the strap of her dress. I’m going to try to move dowwards so that I can stitch the skirt. On second thought, it might have been better to have started in the bottom center of the chart.
WIPs
Capybara crew
I’ve continued to stitch on this little guy. The whole pattern is about 3,000 stitches. I will probably have this done sooner than later. It is called again in the next week with temperature stitching. I’ve seen that Sturate has finished project only stitching about a hundred stitches at at time. I can’t wait to see this progressing over the next few weeks.
Cats and Mandalas August
This is the project that I’m making for my mother. I haven’t paid much attention to it. Making it a great candidate for temperature stitching. Hopfully, I’ll complete this in the next few months.
Floral Dragon Meadow
This was my morning focus piece. I was inspired by Lu in the Catking and Lillie Patreon community. They have completed theirs. I’m jealous. I love the Foxxy Floss Shop design but doing the meadow bits takes a lot out of me. I start and stop on this project a lot. I had to put this down again but will come back to it.
Spring wellies
This was my spring start on the equinox last month. This is another small pattern that I’m hoping to complete with temperature stitching. I’ve realized that if I work on something ten times that is about 1,000 stitches. As I typically can stitch between 100-200 stitches a session. I filled out the outline of the right boot.
Wiibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey
Ah, the Doctor Who inspired cross stitch. There are things that I love about this project. The weeping angel is my reaons for stitching this in the first place. Do not like working silks with two threads. They slip out of the needle all the time and it is difficult to get them back in. I’m not able to complete as many stitches because of it.
Plans
I am a journal fanatic. It is a hobby of mine. It seems that is isn’t uncommon for Flosstuber’s to have some sort of diary or planner for their cross stitch. It occured to me that it might be worthwhile for me to join them.
Cross stitch is my stress relief. It makes sense to keep a diary tracking what I’m working on and how I’m feeling. I fill it out at the end of my day before I go to bed. To get out my thoughts and prepare for the next day.
I’m using a Hobonichi Techo. It is a planner that comes from Japan. It was develped by Shigesato Itoi. He has had many job titles. I know him as the person who created Earthbound. A quirky RPG for the Super Nintend that I played as a kid.
It is considerd less a plan and more a life book. You use it as you see fit. Many peoplle keep it as a memory keeper. They paste in emphemera from their travels and daily life. I’m kind of using mine in three ways. As you see there are monthly, weekly, and daily spreads. I use each for a different purpose.
Monthly
This is a simple calendar used to track important dates during the month. This is where I mark appointments for the most part. Or any significant event like my mom’s medical care. I also track our bank balance at the beginning and end of the month. Pretty Typical.
Weekly
The weekly spread lets you see what is happening at a glance for the week. It offers a daily time table to schedule out your day. This is great for students and for work. I don’t have much use for it in that regard. My days are Pretty routine and I don’t need reminders of what to do at what time. But, I have thought of a use for this. I want to keep a food diary. I can write down what I eat at what time.
Daily
I’m sure this is what interests you the most. This is how I keep my cross stitch journal. I write down the days temperature (for temperature stitching). I also write down how I’m feeling that day. As an important way to track my mood. I then split my page in two to cover my focus piece and temperature stitching. I then record what I worked on. Any plans. Anythng related to each project.
I also got a cute little stamp set to decorate a bit. I also have some washi tape that I don’t use frequently. Still thinking about how to incorporate it more into the journal. I love collecting washi tape.
Does any of this inspire you? Do you keep a journal?
That’s all for this week. I know this was a long one. Thank you so much for reading if you have. I’ll see you in another two weeks.