Lost Your Stitching Bug? Ways To Get Re-inspired

Rekindle your love of cross-stitching

Contents

Introduction

Oh no your stitching bug has decided it needs a vacation! It happens to all of us from time to time for various reasons, small kids to look after which tire you out and don’t allow much “me” time, boredom or frustration with your current project, depression, illness or simply life getting in the way so you don’t have the time.

peace out ant

It can be quite frustrating to be making good progress and then suddenly lose interest in a project, especially if you are working on something with a deadline and you just cannot motivate yourself to work on it.

Here we will offer some tips to try and reignite your interest in your projects…

Don’t Worry

The desire to stitch will come back and trying to force yourself to stitch is not enjoyable and it becomes a chore, so take a break and don’t beat yourself up over it. I find I always come back to stitching even after long periods. I went for probably a few years without stitching at all when my kids were very young, as life with two small kids didn’t allow much me time. Sometimes you need to take a break, you can’t force it and so don’t worry about it go an do something else and you will likely find your stitching bug comes back with a vengeance at some point.

Stimulate Your Crafting Senses

Browse Facebook groups and pinterest, look at pictures of finished pieces and works in progress. Read some stitching blogs, you may learn a new technique that sparks your interest to try out. Stitching is very personal I quickly lose interest if I do not like the picture (if someone else picked it out), so make sure you are working on the right project for you - no one can tell you what you should and shouldn’t like.

Branch Out

Look for inspiration from new designers. It’s very easy to get stuck in a one designer rut, and if that one designer only does large scale pieces it can be overwhelming as you don’t often get the satisfaction of finishing something. In one facebook group I belong to I have recently seen some amazing pictures from some Russian designers they are also smaller scale so more manageable. So have a look at what is out there you may find something different that sparks your interest again.

Look Through Your Stitching Supplies

Surround yourself with your stitching stash! Most of us are guilty of some level of hoarding when it comes to stitching. Get your stuff out and look back through old finished projects or unfinished wips, I find re-organizing my floss often puts me in the mood to get some stitching done.

My cat showing her disapproval of me re-organizing in her sleeping space

cat stitching helper

Be Organised

A major thing that puts me off is if I have to hunt for something so get your stitching supplies organized well. I have individual project boxes so everything I need is easy to find, so if I want to switch projects it is easy as I just pull out the fabric and the project box with it and I’m good to go.

project organization cross stitching

Keep Your Current Project Close By

If all your supplies are put away each night and not to hand there is less motivation to go an get them out. I keep one project next to the couch at all times so it is easy to just pickup and start stitching. Granted this can be difficult with small children or pets around that might want to get into it but have it somewhere convenient (but safe)

Avoid Deadlines

The fastest way for me to lose my stitching bug is if there is suddenly a deadline set to finish it by especially if it seems unachievable, often I lose interest in stitching all together or another project will begin screaming at me for attention. It is nice to give stitching as gifts but be realistic about time-frames to complete things by and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I saw a comment on Facebook the other day that was perfect “Yes it’s a Christmas gift but I didn’t specify which Christmas” !

Give Your Projects A Timeout If Necessary

It can be very disheartening to realize you have made a major mistake that cannot be fudged over and needs to be ripped out. If necessary put the project away for a while (I have one in a cupboard that is on a timeout as it needs major frogging and I couldn’t bare to do it so I just put it away and will get back to it when I’m ready) Don’t let something like this spoil and stall your love of stitching though. Move on and come back later.

Start A Rotation

It may take longer to complete your larger projects but have a simple fall back project so that you can take a break and do something easier for a while, you are less likely to get burnt out and lose your stitching bug this way .

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