In this episode, I share day 4 of the 10 minute cross stitch challenge. You can listen to the episode below to help keep you on track with the challenge. Or keep scrolling to read the tips from today.
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10 Minute Cross Stitch Challenge: organising your projects
How organising helps you have more time
The more organised you are with your cross stitch projects, the less time you have to spend looking for scissors, floss, etc. And the more time you get to spend stitching.
I have a detailed episode deciding what to stitch and when that you can listen to here but here are some quick tips.
Decide how many projects
I like to decide what my top 5 favourite projects to stitch are at that moment in time; I usually do this seasonally. So every 3 months I will rotate my projects and pick my top 5 that I want to stitch that season. Whether to stitch one at a time or multiple we spoke about on day 2.
Then I work through those projects until the next season comes around or I finish them.
Your supplies
The way this is “organising” is because I put all of those projects into bags with their own pair of scissors, own frame/hoop and all the floss needed.
This can be quite costly if you’re thinking you only have 1 pair of embroidery scissors and now you need to buy 4 more. But you don’t have to buy it all in one go. Work towards building your stash slowly. Ask for them as birthday presents, look out for sales, add a pair to your next floss order etc etc.
I think it’s so handy to have multiples and the amount of multiples you need is how many projects you stitch at one time. If you only stitch one at a time then you’re probably set. If you stitch 3 at a time, work towards 3 bags, 3 pairs of scissors, 3 needles, etc.
You also have to decide what you’re using to hold each project, if anything. I usually use a hoop to hold my projects so I have a few different-sized ones that I can spread around my projects. I have 1 scroll frame I can use for specific-sized designs and occasionally I will just hold the project in my hand if it is small and easy.
Your floss
Now your floss. I think organising your floss is the trickiest part about stitching multiple projects at the same time. If your projects use the same colours you have to find a way to split that colour across the different projects.
Your first option is to buy multiple skeins. I don’t do this. If you use bobbins, buying multiple colours can be annoying. However, I have multiples of black (DMC 310) and white because these 2 colours are usually in most projects and run out the fastest.
Another option is to try and remember what colour is in what project. This fails me sometimes, but it is what I currently do.
When you are organising your top 5, you can try and pick projects that don’t have similar colour themes. For example, one that has browns and reds and oranges and another that has pinks and blues. Or different shades of colours; one with pastel colours and another with vibrant colours.
Kimberley from The Cross Stitch Club shared a great idea. She makes herself a floss organiser. You just need some card and a hole punch. Punch enough holes for how many colours there are, cut off a bunch of floss and attach to each hole, writing the number down next to it.
I’ve made many of these for my kits before so I know how easy it is. If you write in pencil, you can just rub the number off at the end and use it again for another project. You can also buy plastic ones but you can’t write the numbers on them the same way you can with homemade, card ones. It takes a little more time upfront, but think about the time you will save when you can’t find the colour you need halfway through your stitching.
These tips are a little redundant if you only stitch one project at a time. If you do just stitch one then you just need to make sure you have got your needle, floss, scissors, etc all in one bag.
Keep them safe
The final tip on organising is to remember where your projects are. If you just have one project bag, keep it in the same place so you always know where it is. If you stitch multiple, you can spread them around the house like I do. You can even leave one in your car/handbag/office.
I hope you found a little nugget of help in this episode so you can be more organised and get more time to stitch.
Extra episodes and posts
- My Cross Stitch and Reading Routine
- 5 Tips to Find More Time to Cross Stitch
- Cross Stitch Routines and Why You Might Need One
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