What's in Your Stitching Basket?

I recently had to relocate my stitching basket so the husband could set up the magnifying light during my recent vision impairment. My vision is still impaired, but it's back to "normal" and I can see to stitch again without the magnifier! Hooray! So, since I had to lug the thing to its new location, I got to thinking, "Why is this thing so stinkin' heavy?!?" That got me taking an inventory of what's in the basket.

This is what I found:

My current SNS project, LHN Seasonal Saltboxes

Caroline, my current ornie, which is close to being finished if I can bring myself to liking the way it looks after I fill in the snowflakes which cause my stitches to look all wonky. I hate that! I also need to finish the garland, too.

The now left side frogged "Evergreen" which is my Sunday project when I feel like stitching on Sundays. Thank goodness football season will soon be here!

This is the September Flip-It from Lizzie*Kate's first series of Flip Its. It was my "traveling project" way back in the day, maybe 2003 or 2004 or something??? Who knows? It's a cute little piece and easy to stitch. Why can't I bring myself to work on it?

Then there's this piece:

Another great little piece that I really like, but can't bring myself to A.) remember that I have it, and/or B.) remember that it is so close to finished I could do it in less than a week. *sigh*

I also discovered this Trilogy or BC project, Snapperville, started many, many moons ago. It was supposed to be a SAL piece with a friend, *cough* *cough* but she never got around to starting it and I've had no motivation to work on it. Again, I love the design, love stitching on it, but just can't bring myself to pick it up because my ADHD stitching brain forgets about it. (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!)

I also found this pretty piece, which I truly love, but again, find myself having difficulty picking it up. You know, gotta find the q-snaps, then put the thing on the q-snaps and all that stuff. I'm really beginning to think I need an intervention!

This one I need to finish simply so I can say, "Yeah, I've stitched a Paula Vaughan." I need that to bring credibility to my stitching and so people will think I'm one of those elite stitchers because, after all, only "accomplished" stitchers would ever dare to stitch a color chart full of quarter, half, three-quarter, and popcorn stitches that included an INSANE amount of backstitching and color changes. Right?

Ahhhh....Blessed are Those by Blue Ribbon Designs. This is truly my final WIP, which is really a UFO. Beautiful, beautiful design, but a HORRIBLE chart! I think that's what discourages me from stitching on the thing. I have to use a magnifying glass just to read the darn chart! Why do designers do this to middle-aged women whose eyesight is fluctating?!? Does this chart come in a large print version? LOL



I found these two FINISHES in my basket, which aren't really finished. This one needs to have the charms attached and I need to decide if I want to stitch the border on it after all. I've seen it done both ways, and I just can't make up my mind.


And then there's this Jeremiah Junction project that was a round robin with a bunch of wonderful stitchers from the OOE board. It's beautiful, isn't it? Did you notice, though, that there's backstitching missing on the 2 corners at the bottom? Yeah, those were the ones I stitched and I haven't added the backstitching on them yet. Should I be embarrassed to admit that I stitched this in 2005?!? Yes, it's been languishing in my stitching basket that whole time. Five years worth of whole time.



Lest you think that was it in the stitching basket, I'm hate to disappoint you. There's more! I also found a couple of calendar pages I was recording my time on from when I actually stitched enough to record my time (*cough*), a semi mutilated 2009 JCS ornie edition magazine (still in usable condition, though), a couple of charts that I was going to stitch at some point in time, two (2) gardening newsletters from a nursery in San Antonio that my wonderful Dad sends to me each month after he's read them, written funny comments throughout the articles, and used for scratch paper (I could subscribe to the online version, but that would take away his fun.), a skein (new) of yellow yarn from some long-ago plan to crochet something useful, and yet another skein of yarn, this one a pukey seafoam green that I practiced with. It must've been on sale when I bought it because I'd have never purchased something that ugly if it wasn't and if I was in my right mind! Lastly, there's a framed print in there that belongs to my husband. I think I gave it to him for our anniversary or Christmas or maybe even for a birthday gift MANY years ago. I could probably wrap it up and give it to him again and he'd never known I'd regifted it!

On that note, I think I'll leave you with a challenge to tell what's in your stitching basket (or bag or whatever you store your projects in) if you're feeling brave. I'm off to find some kind of support group for my affliction!