Stitching Goals for 2015

With a brand new year ahead, this is the time for me to decide what I want to accomplish and improve this year.

1.  Takin' care of business.
I've been embroidering for 2.5 years, and I've had this blog for about 18 months.  My blog has been steadily growing to the point where I now have readers beyond the circle of people who are legally obligated to love me.  My State Fair accomplishments and doing the Torah mantle on commission has been garnering me local attention.  When you get good at a craft, it inevitably leads to people asking to you to make things for them . . . or for their neighbor's sister's cat.  I do think about the idea of turning my embroidery into a business, but I can't lie to myself.  It is incredibly difficult to run a viable craft business, and there is probably a broken light on Broadway for every failed Etsy shop.  This year, I want to develop parameters for how I am willing to do paid work.  That includes the number and type of paid projects I am willing to do, how I will make expectations clear for me and my customer (for example, with a contract), what I should charge for my time, and how much I actually want to promote myself.  If I don't want to do a particular commission, it is acceptable for me to say "no."  I need to find a way to adequately reward--and protect--my time.
     I'd also like to promote my work in a wider variety of ways.  Last year I had a summertime gig as a guest blogger.  I'd like to explore what other opportunities are out there.  (One is already in the pipeline!)  This blog could also use a fresh new look at some point.

2.  Learn to frame.
I've figured out how to frame in a hoop, but for projects that don't fit in one I've been going to a framing store.  This gets very expensive.  I'd like to try framing at least one project on my own to give me more options.

3.  Get more items into the State Fair, place higher, and recruit more friends.
Faster, higher, stronger!  That applies to crafting, right?  I'd like to keep improving my State Fair showing.  I got two friends to join me this year, and I'm always looking for more.

4.  Learn blackwork . . . or something.
Ok, so this is a repeat of last year.  I am, however, giving myself more leeway.  I'd like to keep learning different styles of embroidery.  I have kits for blackwork and Hapsburg lace.  The library has new books on Hardanger embroidery and Swedish weaving (which is actually a type of embroidery that makes it look like the stitching is woven into the fabric).

Of course, finishing every project I can is a goal that will remain every year, and I've already succeeded in finishing one.

December 2014--Hansel & Gretel

Finished in less than a year.  Still counts as 2014

What are your stitching goals for the year?

Looking Back at 2014

In January, I wrote a post about my stitching goals for 2014.  Let's see how I did . . .

1.  Finish, finish, finish!
This year, I managed to finish the following projects:

Winnie the Pooh Quote

Polar Bear

Drop Cloth feather stitch sampler

Torah mantle

FPS's Mysterious Halloween Town

FPS's Autumn Harvest Festival

Uncle Morrey's WWII Diary

Hopefully joining these will be the Once Upon a Time sampler.  I've got a week left!

Of course, this barely makes a dent in my craft queue.  Some of these projects were really ambitious due to their size and complexity.  I think that I have finished a decent number (thanks to HabitRPG!) and I have reason to be proud of my accomplishments.

2.  Submit another entry into the State Fair.
Succeeded x3!  I got two ribbon winners, and placed higher than last year.

3.  Try a new technique for transferring patterns.
Thanks to the light pad I got for my birthday, I have now transferred several patterns through the tracing method.  It really opens up the possibilities for designing my own patterns.

4.  Learn blackwork.
I bought a kit.  Does that count?

Next week, I will share my goals for 2015.  What did you accomplish this year?

Gone Bloggin (Part 2)

Check out Part 2 of my guest blogging at &Stitches e-zine, where I reveal how my fair items fared and the lessons I learned this year.

Don't Fear the Fair (Part 2)

Fair Highlights

I am working on part 2 of "Don't Fear the Fair" for &Stitches e-zine.  In the meantime, here is a photo gallery of what I saw at the fair on Sunday.

Make your kid the cuddliest shark around.

Best in Show--Hand Knitting, Crochet, Tatting

Best in Show--Counted Thread Techniques, Counted Cross-Stitch 

Knitted child's dress with ram in stranded color work 

Wonder Woman sweater! 

Peacock, cross-stitch on linen

I have a fondness for embroidery of plants with their names.

One of those entries that completely changes my ideas on needlepoint.

A Pokemon character, Chester Cheetah, and a happy turtle

This crocheted owl afghan got our attention

I'd love to do something like this with illustrations from antique Haggadahs

The Drop-Cloth Sequel Sampler, made into a bag!

A village made out of machine embroidered lace panels

I don't care what the ribbon says.  This is a winner in my book.

The T-shirt quilts get . . . interesting.  I never knew there were so many bad Christian T-shirts out there.

Sharks were a popular theme this year.  Influenced by Sharknado?

A dollhouse log cabin, complete with crafting studio.  Can I live here?

Pipe cleaners protesting the poor treatment of their brethren. 

The 4-H organizers might want to think more carefully about how they arrange the entries.

Gone Bloggin'

I am one of &Stitches guest bloggers for their Summer Bloggin' Series!  You can read a post about my State Fair preparations by clicking the link below.

Don't Fear the Fair (Part 1)

Super Mega Project Update!

I've been productive the last few weeks, and all it took was spending every free moment stitching!

First, I finished the June square for Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Once Upon a Time Sampler.

June 2014--The Princess and the Pea

Six down, six to go!

The mattresses were fun with all of the different patterns.  That princess looks very well rested, all things considered.

Then I completed week 5 of Follow the White Bunny's Furry Nice class.  Now my polar bear has wonderfully textured fur on his face and body.

I love the way the light hits the fur when I hold the fabric at a tilt.  Next up--satin stitch on the scarf.

I have a lot on my plate (including some projects not related to embroidery) and REALLY shouldn't be starting other projects, but Frosted Pumpkin came out with the first part of their Mysterious Halloween Town Sampler.  I have been dealing with some health issues this week and this sounded like the kind of simple, meditative project that would help put my mind at ease.  My husband saw me working on it and said, "Jorie, it's not pumpkin weather!"  This adorable little town doesn't care.

These are my friends:  Russell Crow, Cameron Crow, Crow Diddly, Hugh Crownin, Gregory Peck . . .

Mysterious blank town

There is some method to the madness of working on spooky patterns in June.  The ladies at Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery asked for feedback on how people prefer to receive holiday or seasonal patterns.  People responded with the following answers:

1. More time to work on each section of a multi-part pattern.  Some speedy stitchers can finish a section in one week, but the rest of us are mere mortals.
2. Release patterns far enough in advance that people can finish them before the holiday.  For some reason, people stop wanting to work on Christmas-themed patterns after December 26.

The Frosted Pumpkins listened to the feedback, and have changed the Mysterious Halloween Town pattern release accordingly.  Starting in mid-June, they are releasing one section of the pattern each month.  The final section comes out in mid-September, with several weeks to finish the entire pattern in time for Halloween.  The timetable is perfect for people who are also working on the Once Upon a Time sampler.  This way, I always have some cross-stitch to work on.

Other updates:

• The Torah mantle has been my most difficult project to figure out, but I think I've found a workable solution.  Hopefully, I will have pictures up soon.
• Rebecca Ringquist at Drop Cloth featured my Filling Stitches Sampler on her blog!
• I've been selected to be a summer guest blogger at &Stitches!  I will be writing two blog posts chronicling my and my friends' efforts to infiltrate the State Fair.

Fair Enough, Part 5: La Resistance Lives On

It's hard to believe, but the deadline for the Iowa State Fair Fabric & Threads competition is only three months away!

In order to inspire more people to enter their work, I have started a State Fair Takeover Facebook Group.  It's a place for us to remind each other of deadlines, bat around ideas, encourage each other, and plotting world domination.

My group is focused on the Iowa State Fair, but there is no reason that you can't start your own groups in your respective states.  Have you visited your own state fair?  What is the competition like?  Does it need some new blood to shake things up?

Stitching Goals for 2014

I've never really been in the habit of making New Years resolutions, at least for the usual calendar year.  It always made more sense to me to set goals for myself in September or October.  That was the time when the start of the school year and Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, coincided, so it seemed natural to use those as an opportunity to start fresh.  With so many year long stitch-alongs and other projects beginning in January, I thought I would use this as a time to set out some goals for growing my embroidery skills this year:

1.  Finish, finish, finish!

Obviously, I want to finish the projects that I have in my "crafting queue."  I still need to complete the rest of my Drop Cloth Samplers of the Month, get started on the Torah mantle, finally figure out how to construct the Torah binder . . . In the past, it was hard for me to get the most stitching out of my day because most of my apartment has bad lighting.  Fortunately, my mom saved my grandmother's old OttLite, and it works wonders.  More saturday night stitching for me!  I also want to try a technique I read about to keep on track with a project.  Every day, I set a timer for 30 minutes and work on a specific project until the timer goes off.  That way, I can make progress on a project every day instead of waiting for a time when I'm "in the mood" for a marathon stitching session.

Luckily, I've gotten a head start on finishing my UFOs (un-finished objects).  I've completed Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Woodland Sampler for 2013!

2.  Submit another entry into the State Fair.
I learned a lot from my experience in entering the State Fair, so I want to submit another entry.  I'm not going to make grandiose goals to submit more items or make the things I submit more complicated.  I just want to start working on my project earlier so that I can stitch at a more leisurely pace.

3.  Try a new technique for transferring patterns.
So far, all of my projects are ones that are either already printed on fabric, or they are ones I draw on fabric with a regular pencil.  This year I would like to try a new technique for transferring patterns onto fabric myself.  The least expensive is to tape a paper with a pattern onto a lit window, tape fabric over that, and trace the pattern onto the fabric with a pencil or water-soluble pen.  If drawing on a window is too tricky, the same thing can be accomplished with a light box, which are available at art stores.  They can be pricey, but I do have a milestone birthday coming up . . .

4.  Learn blackwork.
Out of all traditional styles of embroidery, the one I find the most fascinating is blackwork.  It is a type of counted thread technique that usually involves black silk thread on white evenweave fabric (though today it can be made with a variety of threads, and some embroiderers use other colors for different effects). Pictures are stitched with thick black outlines and fillings of intricate geometric patterns.  A stitcher can play around with shading by changing the number of strands of thread, or adding and subtracting lines in the pattern.  The problem with learning how to embroider in this style is that all the lines in a filling pattern need to be stitched in a certain sequence, and there aren't too many beginner-friendly guides available for learning the right order.  A few of my friends are interested in learning more about blackwork, so maybe if we band together we can find a way to learn.  For some more resources and examples of blackwork (including the technique in other colors), check out &Stitches.

What are your stitching goals for 2014?

Fair Enough, Part 4: Next Year, In Des Moines

I got my matzah cover back in the prepaid envelope I provided.  The cover came with the 4th place ribbon, the judging form, and a surprise--a cash prize!

Don't spend it all in one place.

Now my project is on display at Home Ec Workshop with the other winning projects made by store patrons.  Congratulations everyone!  Now to start working on next year's projects!

Yes, it's hanging correctly this time.

Fair Enough, Part 3: The Day of Reckoning . . . and Funnel Cakes

On Saturday, my husband and I made our long-awaited trip to the Iowa State Fair.  We went with two of my Home Ec friends, Cassie and Angela.  We were glad to go with two people who had such an appreciation for hard work, craftsmanship, and the success of friends.  We were very excited to see two Home Ec patrons practically sweep the hand knitting division.

Sooooo many blue ribbons.

After winding through the breathtaking quilts and evening gowns, we found my matzah cover.  My first impression was, "I got a ribb--wait, they hung it upside down."

*Sad Trombone*

While the border is a circle made of the steps of the Passover seder, the middle of the pattern contains the word "matzah" in Hebrew.  That definitely has a specific orientation, and they hung it 180 degrees in the wrong direction.  I found a fair worker and explained the issue.  He asked how it is meant to be displayed, and I replied that it is meant to be flat on a table, on top of food.  He said that if they had known that, they might have been able to put out a table to drape it on, so I will know that for next time if I make a similar item.  He also said that I am probably one of 3 people over the course of the entire fair who would notice this problem.  That is probably true, but I still worked very hard on the item and would like it displayed correctly.  My friends wondered why they didn't use Google to figure it out, but frankly, I don't think they had enough knowledge of the subject to even know what to google.

So, how did I actually do?  I got a 4th place ribbon in the Embroidered Holiday Decoration class!  I am still gathering my thoughts on this . . .

On one hand, there were only 4 items entered in this class.  (Contrary to my prediction, the class was not dominated by Christmas decorations.  Two of them were for Thanksgiving and St. Patrick's Day.)  

On the other hand, I have looked over the overall results and the judges clearly do not feel obligated to just give ribbons to everyone, even in smaller classes.  There are even categories with the results, "First place--no award given.  Second place--no award given.  Third place--Mary Sunshine, Ames."  If I got a ribbon, then it is clearly because the judges felt I had successfully achieved a certain standard of skill.

On the OTHER other hand, the three items that placed ahead of me were all small quilts with some embroidered blocks. In contrast, my item focused entirely on the embroidery.  (A barricade prevented us from examining the pieces more closely, but it appeared that I used a wider variety of stitches as well.)  Were the other items considered better because they were quilted, even though this was in the Embroidery division?  It seems like these items should be held to two entirely different standards in separate categories.  On first glance, a quilt probably does look more impressive than embroidered white cotton.  There is also some talk that most of the judges are quilters.  Ultimately, I will not know the judges' reasoning until I receive my critiques.  

This is another reason why I was glad I went to the fair with my husband and friends.  When I said, "But--"they cut me off.  "No, there is no 'but.'  This is an accomplishment and you should be proud."

And now for something completely different!

Old-timey linotype machine

"Sun Bonnet Sues" of Many Lands

When you want to go hunting and look good while doing it

Aaaaaaah!

All hail the Iowa Urban Poultry Queen!

Fair Enough, Part 2: Lessons Learned

This weekend, I submitted my matzah cover to the Iowa State Fair!

I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this (in one awful night, quite literally), and now I have the satisfaction of meeting this exciting new goal.  I am also glad that next year, I will know what to expect.  Here are some lessons that I learned that I hope will be of use to other crafters who are considering competing in their state fairs:

1. Budget more time than you will think you need.  I was able to finish my matzah cover in about one month, but I would definitely start sooner on my state fair projects next time.  Maybe not 11 months in advance, but enough time that I won't have to rush.  I had to prioritize this project above other projects--including decorating fabric squares for a friendship quilt for the co-owner of Home Ec, who is leaving to go back to school.  I also felt rushed towards the end, which can result in mistakes.
2. Pay attention to deadlines.  I had to go to Des Moines and submit my project in person because I missed the deadline to turn it in by mail.  My husband and I ended up making a day of it, going to an IMAX movie and shopping at the only Trader Joe's in the state.  That was pleasant, but not everybody can make the trip.  Some of my friends had planned on submitting items, but did not realize that the Fabric & Threads department (which covers yarncraft, needlework, sewing, and quilting) has a MUCH earlier deadline than the other competitions.  Find out early what the deadline for submissions is and put it in your calendar.
3. Read the rules.  The rules (or premium book) say what condition your items should be in, how to attach the tag, and other specifics of preparing your project for submission.  It also lists every single division and class for which the fair accepts items.  As I was waiting to submit my matzah cover, I overheard the woman in charge talking to someone about how every year, people show up who have not only not filled out their tags--they haven't even looked at the rule book to figure out if their item fits in any particular class.  Entries can be disqualified if they are submitted to the incorrect class.  Don't let your hard work go to waste.  Reading the rule book is what inspired me to submit my matzah cover.  I figured it would be a breath of fresh air in a Christmas-dominated Embroidered Holiday Decorations class.  (Interestingly, there was a division that had both a Christmas Decoration class and a Non-Christmas Holiday Decoration class.)
4. No crafter is an island.  In the midst of a competition, your initial instinct might be to work on your project in secret.  After all, you might be submitting in the same categories as people you know, and you certainly don't want to give them clues on what you are planning!  No--fight that instinct.  Work on your projects with friends.  Give them updates.  Ask them for advice.  If they are also working on state fair projects, do the same for them.  Before making the drive to Des Moines, I stopped off at Home Ec to use their iron to flatten the wrinkles out of my matzah cover.    After working on it during Saturday brunch for several weeks, the regulars were so curious to see it.  They loved it, and told me how beautiful it was and how they were so happy I got it done in time for the competition.  After we left, my husband told me how nice it was that everyone was so happy for the success of others.  Maybe in a few weeks, we can organize a group trip to the fair.  I may not earn any ribbons or prizes, but the compliments of friends make me feel like a winner.

Fair Enough

I grew up in the suburbs of a major city--one that my family has lived for the last 100 years, ever since arriving in the US.  I am so accustomed to living in or near a city that driving out in the country makes me nervous, because I get worried that I have driven too far in the wrong direction.  As a result, I grew up without exposure to a lot of the things that my friends have some connection to through their families or childhoods.  Canning, hunting, 4-H clubs, and especially the state fair.

Iowa is particularly famous for its state fair.  It is included as an essential event in 1000 Places to See Before You Die, and it even serves as the backdrop for several movies and a Rogers & Hammerstein musical.  You simply can't find anything more state fair-y than the one in Iowa.  I went with my husband the first summer we moved to Iowa.  I saw many things that were easy to joke about--chocolate-dipped cheesecake on a stick, cheap carnival game prizes, and a hastily-made 4-H poster about ATV safety.

When I entered the pavilions showcasing the entries for arts and crafts competitions, I stopped joking.  (I also stopped joking at the Butter Cow.  You do NOT joke about the Butter Cow.)

I was astounded by the level of craftsmanship I saw in a wide variety of categories.  There were quilts with squares of photographs copied onto fabric, and wood furniture pieces that looked like they belonged in everyone's fantasy log cabin.  The grand prize winning doll house included an attic . . . with a doll house workshop.  I saw so much skill and pride in these entries, many of them in areas I didn't even know existed as hobbies.  Prize ribbons fluttered everywhere.  How many of these treasures have gone unnoticed by people like me, who had never attended a fair before?  How many people have these gifts, but aren't aware of the opportunity to showcase them?

I began my regular attendance at Home Ec Workshop about a year later, after I took up embroidery.  It was after the state fair was over for the year, and one of the regulars had just gotten back the entries she submitted in the knitting category.  Immediately, rumblings began that we should "take over the state fair."  I asked my new friend Cassie what they meant.  She explained some of the divisions in the craft section, like knitting and embroidery, tended to get very similar entries every year.  And every year, the Home Ec regulars talk about submitting entries en masse to shake things up in terms of style and content.  Normally, the revolutionary talk peters out after a while until the cycle repeats itself the following August.

Several weeks ago, Cassie completed an embroidery project she had been working on for a while and debated over whether she should submit it to the state fair competition.  She then turned to me and said, "If I'm submitting something, then YOU are submitting something too."  I made excuses--there was so little time left.  What would I submit?  I had made so much progress over the year, but what if I wasn't good enough to compete?  She responded, "There are two reasons to enter the state fair competition.  You can do it to win awards.  Or you can do it to just be able to see your work up there, with all the other projects, and know that you did that--and possibly get some good useful critiques from the judges in the process."

I decided to take the plunge and enter something.  The great thing about submitting state fair entries is that they make it easy to apply, but the cost of failure is low.  They have a website where you can apply electronically.  You have to ask for entry tags by July 1, and the cost is $5 for 1-10 entries.  That means that, theoretically, you can ask for all 10 entry tags for $5, then decide for yourself how many entries you will actually end up sending.  If, in the end, you don't send anything, then all you have lost is $5.

Once you get the entry tags, you label each tag with the division and class for your entry.  (The department is already listed).  You can only submit one entry per class.

For example, I am planning on submitting an embroidered matzah cover from my great-aunt's stash.  In the Fabric & Threads department, I can submit this in the Embroidery division.  Under this division, I think it qualifies for the "Embroidered Holiday Decoration" class.  Once you fill out the tag, you attach it to your project with a safety pin.  You can then either bring it to the fairgrounds on a certain date, or mail it in a package before that date.  Once it is there, it will go on display with all the other entries.

I have no idea how my embroidery will be received when it goes up against projects from women who have years of experience.  Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if my matzah cover gets a note from a judge that says, "Which holiday is this for?"  I'm just taking this on as a new experience in order to grow as a crafter, to have the pleasure of seeing my work up in public . . . and maybe start a revolution.