WOYWW 303--Messy Desk, Happy Crafter

It was a dark and rainy morning...that sounds like the beginning of a story. But it was just Tuesday morning actually, and the story of the mess on my desk begins with my junk journal opened up to a page I did on the gelli plate, getting ready to add a little tag of journaling. 

Also finishing up my fourth c-s matryoshka doll--those stitched together pretty fast. I've decided to make a vertical banner, bell-pull style, with the dolls to hang on a wall near a shelf where I have some of my actual matryoshka doll collection. Perfect, right? In the banner I'm going to stitch with a couple of handerkerchiefs that belonged to my mother, she had so many pretty hankies, so I don't mind using a couple to incorporate into this piece of cross-stitch art!

Many crafters have told me that they don't have the time or patience to cross-stitch. But as my friend Jan says, there is something soothing about the feel of cross-stitching, dipping your needle in, the feel of the aida cloth, feeling satisfied after a row of x's is completed. I love how you put that Jan. It truly is therapeutic. I've been a cross-stitcher for almost thirty years now. So here's the secret, if you do love it but feel like it takes too long--go small! You still get free therapy, lower blood pressure, and a beautiful little design that can't be manufactured. And you can't beat the price on your supplies.

One of my reindeers from Christmas done with variegated floss.

I used to stitch massive size tapestries of designs when I was younger--it was the "in" thing to do with cross-stitching. But let's face it, a major tapestry took me a year. But I didn't do a lot of other crafting at the time. So now, there are too many fun things I love to do. I'm not that patient anymore either. My small cross-stitch patterns get incorporated into mixed media pieces, little art quilts, wearable art and little framed pieces--much faster. These dolls, for example, only take me a week or two of my very sparest time. Then, they will be stitched into a piece which will look like a bigger deal than it is. Another option is to use one skein of variegated floss on a simple design, so the colors are changing for you automatically. It's magical. Try it! This world needs more calm, happy, cross-stitching people.

Link here to What's-On-Your-Workdesk-Wednesday

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch