Saturday, May 02, 2009

I am Curious, Yellow

Here's something I've found interesting about you choosing my next project. You all have very different ways of choosing which project to stitch. Kathryn won't "make" me stitch on black fabric. Cathy does eeny-meeny-miny-mo, even for her own projects. Doris wouldn't stitch what you picked out of spite.

So, how do you choose what to stitch?

I suppose when you have a smaller number of projects on the go it might be easier. And maybe it's easier when you don't give as much stuff away. Still I'm curious.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

I've put a little bit of discipline into my stitching life since blogging by making a set of yearly goals. This year I am trying to focus on UFOs, so I had a list of ten projects, three of them new starts that I had kitted up and the rest things I had already started. I also had four extra credit items. Most of these are medium to large projects, though last year I included several small new ornaments and UFO ornaments. I have finished one goal, A Gift of Love, and one extra credit UFO, French Noel. I have also started one goal, Three Gables, and should have it finished this year. I'm working on another goal, Hawaiian Mandala now. This doesn't mean that I will stitch only those items as none of them are really good for stitching on planes. So I also finished Life is Good and will probably stitch other Bent Creek Sheep when we start flying more often in the second half of the year. I know I will be drawn to start other projects Not On The List towards the end of the year, but for now, this list focuses me without putting too much pressure on me to do certain things every month. And since I do like these patterns, I don't really feel constrained by working on only these goals. Next year's list should have a lot more new starts once these UFOs are finished.

imnverted said...

This year Im trying really, really (really) hard to work on my WIPs (and UFOs) but the new stuff keeps calling me! I have to say Ive been pretty good and have really only started a few new things that arent for me (friends and family). Nora's letters are calling me harder now that I see she has M-N-O out. I can now get started on the letters for my nieces.
For the most part though I start stitching on what Im in the mood for and have time for.

Anonymous said...

I keep a list of goals on my blog. These aren't the only projects I want to stitch, but the projects I've decided to put in the front of my mind. When I've finished a project, I pick from my goals. Unless...If another project I want to stitch that isn't on my goal lists keeps coming to mind while I'm working on a project, I'll stitch that. I think that if a project "calls" me, I'll enjoy stitching it more than a project that feels assigned.

doris said...

LOL ... I sound like a pill in your post. I stitch on what captures my interest at the moment, what I'm obsessed about finishing (ATS), or what I can't wait to give as a gift (only the people I love get those gifts). A couple of silly acquaintances have offered me money to stitch something (not models for a shop, but just because they wanted something stitched), and I've told them that no one has that much money. My time is limited and I stitch slowly, so I wanna love what I'm stitching.

By the way, I'm working at disliking you (even though you make it so difficult) just because you choose inexpensive frames and you get a framing discount.

mainely stitching said...

I'm a total spaz when it comes to making choices. However, if I say I'm going to do 'such and such' a project, that's almost certain to be the LAST thing I'll actually work on. LOL!

drea_dear said...

I choose first based on gifts, and I have a hard time committing to things that are for me. I also will pick up a WIP that is closest to being done first.

Unknown said...

Other than participating in the SAL last year, and occasionally "deadline" stitching for others, I'm a totally at random chooser.

Diane (di) said...

The harder the better (and yes, I'm pretty sure I'm talking about how I choose what to stitch)! LMAO I love, love, love detail and it's got to *challenge* me. If it's a BAP, has beads, over-one, specialty stitches, stitched on black, overlays, etc... I'm there! And yes, I know I should seek help for this problem. Since I have enough stash/patterns to last this life and the next, it really comes down to whichever one is screaming the loudest! :)

Donna said...

Too often I choose by what is calling to me. I don't know why certain things seem to sing a song and beckon me, but they do. Nothing logical about it at all.

Sarah said...

I'm with Donna - occasionally, something (either being purchased or in my stash) stands up and goes "OH! OH! ME! STITCH ME! STITCH ME!" So I do.

My next line of dealing with what to do is run a poll on my LJ AND ask my husband. He doesn't always vote on my LJ polls but even if he does and what he picked "loses" I might go with it anyway... he has to watch me stitch it! Or watch it go on the walls.

(Wow, that's all pretty random. WTG, self!)

Coni said...

I have a very sophisticated system in place that requires me to take out every single thing I own and then place it in an A-B-C type of piling situation. Then I narrow down the A pile to ten or so projects that call to me the most and then I obsessively kit these ten projects, place them in a basket, and take them down to the dining room table. For decoration, apparently, because not 24 hours goes by before I am usually sitting in front of the piles again choosing another ten projects. Ten? Did I say ten? I suppose that ten would be a reasonable goal, but why limit myself to something that makes sense when I can act like some kind of compulsive idiot savant and go through stitching stash for days at a time and then end up stitching the project that was beside the chair in the first damn place. Why! Why can't I be a normal human being and just have some kind of system or rotation or rules or something! Why!

Oh. Thanks for asking.

Lelia said...

I'm still laughing at the above comment by Coni. Believe me, she is just as entertaining in person. She has a positive, humerous take on life. Such a delight.

I stitch deadline stuff first. Usually for the EGA chapter. Everything else is random.