STNA's Stitching Bloggers Blog Hop

Today's Question:

Have you ever had a case of the “stitching blahs” where you just didn’t want to stitch? Or maybe it was more like you didn’t get to stitch because you were busy and that created a chain reaction sense of the “blahs” and led to even less stitching…. sort of like a case of “the Mondays” that we are all familiar with. How do you handle your stitching blahs and get back into stitching mode?

I have definitely had the 'stitching blahs'.   Not nearly as often as I get the 'doing the dishes blahs'!  When I have the blahs for an evening or two, I just go with the flow and do something else.  I don't let it stress me out or think that I "need" to be stitching.  Stitching is meant to be fun and relaxing.  It's not supposed to be work or stressful.

Sometimes I have a long "blahs" streak, days, weeks or even months.  This usually happens when I am working  on something really large or an obligation piece that has a time limit. There are 2 things that I do to break out of my blahs.  One is to finish up something small or something else that is close to being finished.  Nothing gets my stitching mojo back than a good old fashioned finish.  Something I can admire and show off.  You get that feeling of accomplishment and the world seems right again.  For this purpose I keep a lot of smalls around ready to pick up and finish in a night or two.  I love small beading projects for this.  I also have a project bag full of almost finished projects.  Things that just need to be framed, turned into a pillow or whatever, or even things that just need a hanging string put on them.

The second thing that brings back the mojo is a new start or some stitching shopping.  And by shopping I don't just mean buying stuff.  There are plenty of wonderful free designs out there, and plenty of fabric and threads I forgot I had hiding in my crafting closet!  New blood refreshes the senses. It brings back the excitement of stitching.  Watching something new unfold before you, new colors, new textures, new designs.

To keep from getting the blahs now days, I always make sure I work on 2-3 big projects (no more or you get overwhelmed) and swap them out often.  I try to make them completely different types of designs, colors, fabrics, and threads.  I like to mix it up a little.  I also set small goals for myself.  I celebrate each small finish, even if it's just a part of a larger design.  I also make sure to toss in a small or two into the rotation so I have some quick finishes.  Since I have started doing that my blahs only last a day or two.  And that's not really considered "the blahs" is it??


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