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Saturday, January 1, 2011

SALs

Are you involved in any SALs (Stitch Alongs)?  I am!  I am currently working on three different projects with stitching buddies all over the country.  I thought that I would share them with you today.

Here is a progress picture of Bent Creek's Snapperville:
My friend Pink and I have been stitching on this baby for a while now.  A really fun stitch!  We take one scene at the time, with no set due date.  I enjoy this stitch for several different reasons.  First off, this type of "whimsical" design is something that I would have never contemplated purchasing just a few years back.  There was also a time when I felt that overdyed threads were just too complex (and expensive) to work with.  It is truly a joy to feel movement and expansion in a hobby.  There is no end to all the fun that is to be had!  Another fun thing is that Pink is one of a handful of friends that I have gotten to pass over to the "dark side".  Pink is probably more of a chef and baker than a stitcher, so I figured that a SAL would keep her on track..  ;-)   Even though lately, she has been spending a good amount of time knitting or crocheting.  Her excuse is the large amount of babies that keep popping up in her family and among her friends.  We may have to sit down and have a talk about this (the knitting/crocheting part I mean, not the babies).  Another thing that is neat about this SAL is that Pink lives 20 minutes down the road, so every now and then we meet up and stitch, chat and drink snazzy coffee drinks at the local Starbucks.  As you can see, we are doing pretty well - only two scenes left and we are finished!  That reminds me that i should probably call Pink, wish her a Happy New Year and ask when we can meet for stitching and dishing next!

Here is another SAL - DT's Sampler of Stitches.  The progress photo is a bit out of date, we have since added on one additional part. 

This is a great SAL piece, since it is huge and get a bit overwhelming at times - support group and cheer leading troupe are recommended tools.  I am stitching this with my friends NJ-Babe and Having-a-Ball.  NJ-Babe also invited a couple of her friends which is really neat - a great way to make new friends!  We are 2/3rds done and we may even finish up this year.  Both Having-a-Ball and I discovered that we did not line up part 4 with part 1 properly.  Both of us realized this when we started working on part 6...  No, we are not going back to correct our errors!  I have slowly learned to be less OCD about needlework than I used to be.  A lot this more relaxed attitude is thanks to NJ-Babe who always says "can you see it from an airplane?".  You can't so I'm all right.  I have also decided that I stitch for fun.  Stitching is my hobby and I do it to relax, not to add some extra bonus stress in my spare time....

Here is the final SAL and this one is a really big one too; She Maketh Fine Linen designed by Rae Iverson of Moss Creek Designs.
Rae is in a class by herself when it comes to needlework design.  She keeps learning new techniques, which she then incorporates in her designs so that her students can learn them too.  I have been fortunate enough to participate in her seminars, ASG (A Stitchers' Gathering) a few times in the past.  I highly recommend ASG!  High class teachers and great projects every time.  The SAL group consists of four ladies that met at ASG; NJ-Babe, Fly-Girl, GoTo-Stash (she works at House of Stitches in Indiana.  Practical?  Life saving?  Dangerous?  You bet!!!), and myself.
I think that we are about half-way done on this one.  I am the one slacking here; we have had a part due for a long time now.  Guess I need to pick up the binder and get started on it today!

Tell me about your SAL experiences.  If you don't have any, try it - I am sure that you'll like it!  It is "safer" and more relaxing than Round Robins or exchanges.  No worries about items disappearing in the mail and if you need to take a break it's all right.  Just tell the rest of the group to go on without you for a bit.  You can always catch up down the road.  Works great!
I enjoyed the exchanges too, but you are not on your own time anymore.  I think that I did three or four rounds of the cross-stitch ornament round robin a few years back.  It was fun, but could get pretty stressful at times.  (I have yet to finish up all those ornaments, but that is another story....)

Happy Stitching!

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