Advice from a Caterpillar

Continuing with the Alice in Wonderland theme, I can tell this project is going to be huge in more ways than one. Yesterday, I forewent my usual Wednesday trip to Stitcher's Paradise as I wasn't feeling too hot, and I decided to stay home and stitch instead. Well, it turns out that I had found a mistake and that had to be frogged. Then I got oh, so hopelessly lost! I literally could not tell when one thread was tied off and another began. So, I ripped everything out and literally started over from scratch. I had Teh Hubmeister print out the first page again and I started that over fresh all over again as well.


It seems to have worked, as I have been stitching merrily away ever since, with nary an issue. Here are some lessons I have learned so far:


1. SLOW DOWN. Really, you would think this one would be a no brainer, but apparently, insofar as I am concerned, this is not the case. I think one of the issues I was having was that I was trying to rip through this piece, trying to break the sound barrier, and this is where I got lost and consequently in a fit of pique, ripped everything out and started all over again. (PMS played a part in that decision in no small measure as well, I'm sure! :P)


2. Print out the master floss list. Trying to work off of the Droid phone, while convenient, will not get you all of the supplies you need. And with 68 colors of floss, you're lucky you only had to go back to Hobby Lobby for only five!


3. Make sure you like the colors of the project. This is very, very important. You will be staring at these same shades of brown and grey for a really, really, REALLY long time. Jules would tell you to just start another one, but I want to see if I can get through this one first! :P


4. A support group is a must. Yes, this is one stitch at a time, but it can be overwhelming and frustrating and encouragement and sympathy go a long way in helping the process along!


5. Good lighting is a must. You have to see what it is you are stitching, and you have to be able to see to read the chart!


6. If you give the piece a name, make sure you pick the right one. As God as my witness, I had originally intended to call this one Morrigan, then I changed it to Elizabeth. Oddly enough, the Fleetwood Mac song Rhiannon kept playing over and over in my head and this time the name stuck. If I were paranoid, I'd say I had such issues with her because she didn't like the names I had chosen and wanted to be Rhiannon! o.o

At any rate, here is the reboot:


Design: All Hallow's Eve


Designer: Heaven and Earth Designs for Jessica Galbreath


Fabric 18 count aida in Antique White


Fibers: DMC


Here is what it's supposed to look like, eight pages of solid stitching later:

Here is what I have so far:

If I manage to make it through this project with my sanity in tact, I have picked out my first purchase from HAED. Her name is Cynthia and the artwork is by Ching-Chu Kuik. I LOVE the colors in this one and I think she'd look gorgeous on an opalescent fabric:

I will leave you all now with some Fleetwood Mac and the hope that you all are having a good day today! :)






Respectfully submitted,

C. (Alice I have been....)