SBQ Catch up

I've been really bad. I guess I must have blinked three times because I've missed three week's worth of questions...


June 29:
Today's SBQ was suggested by Cheryl and is:

What do you do with your charts once you've stitched them? Do you keep them or dispose of them? If you keep them, do you organize them in a way that is different from the way you keep your unstitched charts?

It's always been my practice that once I stitch a particular design, I don't stitch it again. The one exception to this is a (I think) Mill Hill heart wreath (sorry, can't remember the name) chart that I've done several times as wedding presents.

Having said that, because the majority of my stitching was done before I actively used Ebay, I just couldn't throw away a perfectly good chart, so I just kept them until I either found someone to give them to or just gave them to Goodwill.




July 5:
Today's SBQ was suggested by Vash and is:

What is the biggest mishap you have had with your stitching material (i.e. spillages)?

I've been lucky that I've not really had any spilling mishaps. While still ignorant of how hand oils and other stray material (i.e. chocolate) affect delicate cross stitch fabric and thread, I did manage some miscellaneous smudges, but nothing to cause abandoning the project. Now, I couldn't imagine not washing my hands before stitching and even during. But, I'm sure Frontier women didn't think about such things when creating their crafty items, either.

User Error, on the other hand, has led to larger mishaps. My two biggest are Santa of the Forest and Toy Gatherer.

As I confessed in an earlier post about Santa of the Forest, I didn't know my Landscape from my Portrait...

And for the Toy Gatherer, I worked on good 'ol St. Nick, but for a diversion, I also worked on the border, starting at the little lamb on the left, up and over to the doll on the right. I blocked out from all memory forgot what exactly I did wrong, but I think I royally messed up the curves at the top of the arch, making the width of the area inside less wide than it should have, squishing Santa's belly into the poor little doll's nose. *shudder* I didn't even think twice, I was so disgusted, it went right into the garbage. I did start it again, and it's a design I plan to finish in this lifetime, but I haven't picked it up in years.



July 12:
Today's SBQ was suggested by Carol and is:

Since you started blogging, have you noticed any difference in your stitching habits? Tell us about them.

Hmmmm. Not sure what's exactly meant with this question. Other than there being the slight self-imposed pressure of having some completed craftiness to show with each post (which I try to totally ignore - and why it's so great to have kitties to photograph and chronicle :o), blogging (having my own blog) really hasn't changed my stitching habits.

Now, reading blogs, on the other hand, has greatly changed my stitching habits. It's amazing how reading blogs of others from different geographical areas, with different tastes, and varying levels of accomplishment has influenced what pieces I want to work on.

- I've seen designs that I wouldn't have otherwise known existed.

- There are designs or techniques that I probably wouldn't have considered doing.

- I've heard of cross stitching events that I wouldn't have known about.

- Attending these events sounds even more exciting, because aside from the event itself, it would be a wonderful opportunity to meet, in person, some of my blogging buddies I've 'met' in cyberspace.