From May 2021

Did someone say squirrel? I think so! As per my usual, new projects and workshops have caught my attention and have taken me all directions! A lot was accomplished in April, but alas, I am taking the onslaught of new projects in stride. Taking breaks is important – as each workshop ends, I take stock, organize and add them to my project spreadsheet (more on this below). Three workshops down and two more to go!

Glitter & Gogh workshop with Natalie Dupuis was just amazing! So worth the wait and I must say that using zoom as a teaching platform works rather well. I appreciate being able to stitch at home and have all of my things near me (including snacks, dog and hubby). I also really appreciate having the week between classes. It was an unexpected delight to have some extra time to work on the piece between classes.

Lady Anne’s Needlework Festival has just finished – what an experience! There were a number of very interesting lectures given during the 10 days and the 2 workshops I attended were great.

https://www.crewelwork.com/pages/needlework-tours

My favourite lecture was given by Sara Thursfield, the Medieval Tailor. She discussed and demonstrated women’s clothing in detail from the 16th and 17th centuries, from the skin outward. It was a VERY interesting lecture. Sarah’s website is below if you would like to learn more about her https://www.sarahthursfield.com

I thought I was a fast stitcher – until my goldwork class with Deborah Wilding! This was the fastest paced class I’ve ever taken. A lot of stitching was accomplished and my one finger has a nice big hole in it from pushing the needle. Up next is the EAC Seminar and two more projects coming up. So 5 new projects in one month (and yep, a blog post on my new projects is in the works)! Check out Deborah’s site – she is an amazing artist and embroideress!

Main

My Goldwork Journal is Finished!!
Fortunately I was able to get quite a lot off my plate in April. The biggest one is that MY GOLDWORK JOURNAL IS DONE!!! After 7 months, one 10 week couching course, lots of stitching samples and practice pieces, and muddling through how to actually make a fabric journal – my journal is finished and it’s lovely! Instead of an instructional video, I wrote a tutorial on my blog.

I’ve also filmed a lovely little video showcasing the journal (I just couldn’t do it justice with pictures alone)

Link to the tutorial on the cover assembly: https://finishingisfun.ca/2021/05/18/a-finishing-tutorial-goldwork-journal-project-assembling-and-attaching-the-front-and-back-covers/

Taking stock …managing my projects … and Excel spreadsheetsTaking on 5 projects in one month is no small feat – I wanted to share with you how I organize and manage my projects.
I do like to prioritize and write notes about each project – it helps me decide if I can start something new, or if there’s a project nearing the finish line that I should focus. My list is evergreen – always changing, always hand written – until now. I’ve formalized my project list into an excel spreadsheet and am finding it a very useful tool to help plan, coordinate and finish projects. Here’s my spreadsheet!

How do you organize your ongoing projects? Do you work on one project at a time, or have multiple projects in rotation? Have you made a list of your projects (embroidery and other)?? I am not a “one project at a time” person and always have many projects on the go – I rotate through projects frequently to keep myself interested (and I find I get more done this way).

Mary Corbet – New Daisy Tutorials

Mary Corbet has been posting a new tutorial series on embroidering daisies – another very sweet little project! Her posts are definitely worth the read. She’s posted 3 of 7 parts so far on her “how-to-embroider” page:
https://www.needlenthread.com/2021/03/how-to-embroider-blank-project-index.html

I hope you are all keeping well and have been enjoying the lovely spring weather. I’ve been able to stitch outside a few times now which has been great and, with the warmer weather, our yard is starting to burst with spring flowers. It is truly the best time of year!

Happy Stitching!