Getting out of a Stitching Slump

It’s been an overly busy summer and my stitching has suffered. Too little time, the projects I chose not working well, and way too many deadlines; all have conspired to interfere with quality stitching time.

So I have also been thinking about what to do when you are in a stitching slump. And here are some ideas I have:

— Go stitch with someone else. I haven’t been able to go to my regular stitching group much lately (soccer practice) but last week I went with a friend to my LNS while she took a knitting class. The friendship and the fun of the people in the class made the stitching a breeze.

— Are you bogged down on a big project? Then it’s time for some quick-fix needlepoint. Christmas ornaments work well for this as do inserts for Romancing the Past’s small Treasure Boxes. The openings are 2.5″ square and a needlepoint for them can be done in an evening. I like to do these and have them in my pile to make for last-minute gifts. If I see a canvas this size I like I make it, so I will have it on hand.

— Don’t feel inspired? There are two things I do. One is to look in my many needlepoint and art books. I was doing this a couple of weeks ago with a friend and had so many good ideas. I also (and you should too) keep notebooks of things I like. I cut them from magazines and paste them in, not worrying about the order. Looking through the notebooks always gives me ideas for stitching. I then mark them with Post-it flags.

— Too stressed to stitch? I used (and now I’m starting again) to keep an all Tent Stitch piece in my stash for stressful times. No blending of threads, always a stitch-painted canvas. If everything I am working on is making me more nervous, doing simple needlepoint helps calm my nerves. Background stitching is also good for this.

But the slump passes, they always do. Life gets calmer, the weather cools (although not this week), the hurricane passes over, and you will find yourself inspired again.