Wednesday, April 27, 2016

How many WIPs do you have?

Anna of  http://www.stitchbitch.blogspot.com in a recent blog entry inquired into people's stitching strategy--whether they worked on only one piece until finished, alternated pieces, kept track of expenditures, etc.  Everyone has a different approach to their stitching.

As a shopowner, I basically do NO personal stitching.  It is either for a shop model or contract stitching for a customer.  I try to work on two projects: one at home and another at the shop.  I started this approach when I was forgetting my current stitching project at home when I was at the shop; and vice versa.  Simple solution, have 2 projects; one at each location.  No longer an excuse for stitching inactivity.  However, over the years I have discovered a tendency when it comes to class offerings that I lose interest in stitching them once someone can recognize their appeal.  So, I have a multitude (love that word!) of canvases that are semi-finished.  Notice I don't say half-finished---because many of them aren't.  At least on many of them I have stapled a bag to the back of the project with the fibers that were used.  Admittedly, I am not always so prudent.

Last summer I tried  to finish several projects that I had started in previous years.  On May 6, 2015, I discussed them.  I have almost finished the Clara Wells purse, but took a shop break and stitched a bunny from Associated Talents.  After I finished that, I continued stitching on the Associated Talents monogram canvas (I did, then passed it on to Macy for her to do for her shop stitching).  Of course, I am eyeing other projects. Right now I have interrupted my shop stitching of the spool angel to do some counted needlepoint for a customer.  It's a wedding sampler and there's a tree on it that has been a problem for the customer.  I guesstimate that it will take me the next two days to complete.  I didn't photograph it because she has already stitched the names of the bride and groom.

4 comments:

  1. I have two WIP: the angel stocking and a piece for my next NN column. Period. I dream of works-to-be and get tempted often when I go to my LNS and the owner shows me his latest acquisition.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What do you mean by "I lose interest once someone can recognize their appeal?"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These are projects that I am stitching for classes. Once they are at a stage where people are enticed enough by them to sign up for the class I move on to the next project. In a retail situation, stitching time is money and I can't take the time to finish that class project--it has already sold itself. So, I move on to the next class project or shop model.

      Delete
  3. I always have at most (or try to at least) 3 projects. one BAP (big a** project), one medium WIP and one small WIP. If a class comes along with a technique I want to learn I don't consider them as part of my WIP list. They go into a separate list. Because more often than not, It's the technique I want to learn and less the project itself.

    ReplyDelete