Time to sit down and have a cuppa, as we need to have a chat. I have had a number of emails on this topic so I think its time to tease out some ideas.
Readers have asked what I am going to do for a challenge next year. Well really its a case of what we are going to do. Of course I have been thinking about this too!
As readers know I have run a good number of challenges from this blog and over on Stitchin Fingers in the Hand Embroidery group I have started a stitch-along.I would quite happily switch from challenge to stitch along next year and would love feedback on this
Check out the stitch along page as people can choose to work any stitch or any number of stitches from the list on what ever project they choose. This is a project you can pick up as you have time and work at what ever pace is comfortable as there is no timetable as such. You don’t have to stitch all of them! The idea is a stitch and share images of what you have done. As the guidelines state its it a stitch along rather than a challenge. What do readers think?
If the list of stitches and the fact that it is so laid back puts you off do have another idea. On a personal level I would like to focus even more on hand embroidery and attempt to document more of the hand embroidery stitches I have collected over a life time. There are many obscure and/or interesting stitches that don’t appear in every stitch book. I would like to explore these more and get directions for them published online ( a challenge involving stitching would push me to do this) I am also interested exploring applying the many different embroidery styles to contemporary stitching.
So, I am thinking of documenting a stitch or embroidery style so that readers would have enough information to learn, explore and adapt the stitch. I had thought of doing it once a month as this would allow plenty of time for people to explore the stitch rather than just stitching a row of it on their latest project.
Once a fortnight is a possibility (I am happy to do it) but since the idea is to explore a stitch that is a little different, monthly is probably better for most. It takes a little time to learn a stitch, fiddle about with it until you see the possibilities and then do something with it. Even if ‘doing something’ is only a series of samples it still takes a bit of time to digest and do something.
I would run it the same way as I have done my past challenges. In other words I would post and when people had responded on either a blog, flickr account, or some sort of photo space on the web, they could swing back here and leave their web address so people could visit, see what was done leave a comment. Since the idea is to share people really would need a place online to share it.
Let me know what you think. So there are two proposals I am putting forward.
2 Either a monthly or fortnightly exploration of a lesser known stitch OR embroidery style.
I am opening the comments to the idea. If you have other proposals please put them forward
I really like idea 2 and I think monthly is a good plan because it gives a nice balance across the year. I have really enjoyed the colour palettes this year and I wonder if you might think of including one every so often next year
I never take part at any beautiful challenges that you made, but I would really be interested in exploring lesser known stitches for the next year.
Thank you,
Liana
For those that are a bit disappointed about the challenge next year I am sorry but I did call for comments. You could use the challenge stitch/style applied to a design so it’s still open to designers but I take the point that it is not open to all mediums.
If you are in that position why not start a challenge on stitchinfingers? Or your blog? I will happily link to it and direct readers there. I would happily do so as I cant please all people all the time.
Just let me know or better still start up a discussion on the forum in stitchinfingers or leave a comment. Make it a public conversation so everyone can read it and the news will spread about your challenge. As i said I will happily support it.