Stash Management

I have accumulated such an enormous collection of fabric, fiber, charts and embellishments over the years that I am well-provided in my retirement.

I have been organizing my stash so as to better enjoy it.  One of my loves is fiber.  There are just so many options available and I have a fairly representative collection.  [See my Gallery Post - Fibers as evidence of this].    The ownership of a favorite silk company, Belle Soie, has changed hands.  Since I am unlikely to find much more of the stuff and have many partial cards of many colors, I am systematically using up my stash of Belle Soie on smallish projects like the Prairie Schooler Primitive Americana and Prairie Schooler Year Rounds and this Prairie Schooler promo card, Stars and Stripes, from 2009.  Substituting the Belle Soie for DMC allows me the pleasure of stitching with silk and the righteous feeling of using what I have.  It would be such a pity to waste such lovely stuff.  I enjoy seeing the silk on linen.  I collect to use not to hoard.  

My next needlepoint starts, two small Nutcracker Christmas ornaments, will involve the same strategy.  I have loads of partial cards of Rainbow Gallery fibers of all kinds: perfect for adding interest and texture and shine to needlepoint canvas.  I've never understood the mentality of saving stuff just in case you'll need it later.  That works for money but not much else.  It's rather like never enjoying the good china at meals and always dining off Melmac.  I am probably dating myself by even mentioning Melmac, a hard plastic dinnerware that was a popular wedding shower gift back in the late 60s/early 70s.  Ugly designs and stubborn indestructibility were its main features.

But I digress.  I should stick to talking about stitching.  I need to buy a set or two of stretcher bars before I can start the ornaments.  Which is just as well considering all the WIPs in the basket already.  Even so, I have rediscovered a fondness for needlepoint and am anxious to start these little beauties in time for this Christmas.  I am afraid I am like a kid in a candy store now that I am retired ... I want to do it all ... and all at once.




I have also been trying to gather all my stash in one place, a sort of pre-inventory browsing and organizing effort, if you will,  In doing so, I have found four tubes of white linen I had forgotten I had,  A godsend really since I thought I was all out of white and needed to restock.  I also gathered up an appalling number of stitched but unfinished pieces that need to be transformed into useful or decorative items.  I'll be taking care of the Fall pieces first, and then the Christmas and then the miscellaneous.

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What's Next?

I am closing in on finishes for the larger pieces in my stitching rotation.  Not quite yet, but soon.  It's time to do a little browsing through the binders to pick the next pieces for the rotation.  

Monday's piece is a BAP so the logical choice is Piper's Christmas Stocking.  But I may be rethinking the whole plan of adapting a Dimensions Gold design not meant for a stocking.  I have a feeling I'll be browsing some sites for stocking charts.  I know I want to order Teresa Wentzler's Woodland Santa stocking for Rocco.  I may find something equally suitable for Piper.  It'll break my rule about ordering new charts, but, hey, we're talking grandchildren here!  But if I do choose to order new charts, what shall I stitch in the meantime?  The Jacobean Elegance Afghan hasn't seen any action in quite a while and, if finished by April or May, it would make a great birthday or Mother's Day gift for my Mom.  

Tuesday's piece is always a small.  Once I've finished the Mint tea towel, I'll have to choose another small chart.  I have Sean's Name Tree ornament from M Design's in my stitching bag.  That will do nicely and will carry on a long standing practice of mine of doing a little Christmas stitching in January.  After that, it'll be the Prairie Schooler Year Rounds and Town Square ornaments.

Wednesday's piece follows a theme.  In 2014, it was dragons.  I think, in 2015, it shall be Workbasket's Quaker animals.  I haven't worked on the charts for my quilt in a very long time indeed.

The class piece for Thursday's is an easy pick: Victoria Sampler's Sturbridge Box.  I'll be taking a class with Thea Dueck in October and would like to have as many of her pieces done for Show & Tell night as possible.Here is a photo of the completed box lid.  I do have to frog out one heart in the upper right corner and re-stitch it correctly.

The second photo is one of the side panels of the lid.  The remaining three panels finish up the alphabet.    Once all the pieces of the box are stitched, there are the stitching accessories that go in it left to stitch: scissor case and fob, needle book and pin cushion.  This should keep me busy on Thursdays for several months to come.  

I'll keep Fridays for sewing and assembly finishing.  I really do have quite a lot of that to do.