Saturday, February 21, 2009

How many do you have?

A fellow blogger, Jean of Night Stitcher, asked me a question:

"I've had a question on my blog and no one seems to have an answer but you touched on it. You said you kitted up some pieces. When you kit, do you just put a whole skein of floss in it or do you measure some out? If you measure out a certain number of strands - how do you estimate how much floss you need?? "

I thought this would make a good posting. So Jean here is my answer.
When I kit up any pattern I normally include a full skein of the floss I am going to use. Occasionally if it looks like I won't need a full skein it will only be part of skein that's left over from another finished project. Then I pick out and include the fabric and needle. Each one is in a plastic baggie already for me to grab it and go. The only thing missing in each baggie is the scissors. Though I'm sure if I had enough scissors they would be in the baggie too.
So today I looked around for most of my kitted patterns. Please note I said most. LOL

The first photo above is a large basket filled with the ones I want to do first. That basket sits in a corner of my living room. The photo below shows a storage bin in my back room of patterns that I've kitted up to do over the last couple of years. I will do them one day it's just that so many other new pattern have come out that HAVE to be stitched first. Makes sense right? LOL

Then there's the basket of Christmas ornament patterns and partially kitted projects in another corner.
And finally a small pile of patterns that are awaiting their overdyed floss and/or fabric before the go in the large basket.


Oh, and that doesn't include any new patterns that may come my way that say "Stitch me NOW!" Like the one I just HAD to start when I went to the sit and stitch at my LNS. :)

But that post is for tomorrow.
So ladies and gents, do you kit new patterns up when you get them?
How many do YOU have? :)
Until next time.........
Love and stitches
Kathy

21 comments:

Jean said...

Ok, I'm totally impressed. You never have to worry about losing your job-if you ever needed any funds, you could invite people to buy your stash and you'd be set for what - a cruise??

You are totally right to answer the call to anything new that calls "stitch me now!!" Heck - somebody has to!! You are in good company I'm sure.

My collection isn't of kits. It is a collection of pieces waiting to be finished into something useful. I probably have 10 things waiting to take form - a framed piece, a pinkeep - heck - ANYTHING!! But - so far, the finishing fairy has not found my house!!

I think that nobody does what I do when I kit which is to cut lengths of floss and put them on a cardboard with the numbers and symbols labeled. I think I might have to go to full skeins. It explains why no one seemed to know what I was asking!! LOL!

Patricia Lessell said...

I tend to buy kits more often than not. Having said that I have a load of charts just waiting for me to want to stitch them and they aren't kitted up. But ATS is kitted up and is going to be started on Monday hopefully. I just have one commitment to finish and two things to make up into stuff and then I'm ready to go and I can't wait. Lots of Love Patti xxx

Lindsay said...

I think I've maybe 3 charts that I've kitted up, loads of kits tho. I tend to kit a chart when I know I'm going to be starting it soon

Emily in NC said...

You are so very organized, I just kit up as I go. I do have a few things that I just started with fabric and some floss, but never for the whole project.

window into our life of love, joy, and adventures! said...

You are so well organized! Just this year did I start kitting my projects. before I would just kit one project at a time but this year I am hoping to do more and get more done, so.....I kitted 6 projects. the next big project is to post pics of my projects on my blog!

Vickie said...

I have 17 projects kitted up with all the floss/fabric everything! I know just how you feel kathy!!!

Anonymous said...

that's a lot of WIP's, but you're so organized! I kit mine up as I'm getting ready to start them. Don't have enough floss and fabric to kit everything up that I would want to stitch now, so I just make a selection and do one (or two, lol).
Katrien - ILCS

Debra said...

Very organized. I tried kitting up my to do projects once. It drove me crazy, knowing I had such a pile to stitch. LOL! Now I just kit as I go and feel more relaxed about what I am stitching.
DLS

craftypatty2 said...

Kathy,
I like your idea, but I don't do it I usually kit up as I find the next project I want to do. I buy or have been given a few kits and a lot of times if I don't get to them right away they get robbed of material as that seems to be the things I have less access too. Have a great stitching Sunday.
HUGS
Patty Smith ILCS

Unknown said...

Great post! Sometimes, especially when I buy fabric and fibers on sale, I will put them with the chart in a Ziploc bag. Other times, I just put the fabric or floss. I used to kit up more projects than I do now because I was always looking for floss that was in kits to do a project that was screaming at me to stitch it NOW!! Now, I have all the projects I'd like to get stitched this year (or in my dreams this year) sitting in a basket, some totally kitted and some partially kitted. Makes it so easy to start a new project!

Joke said...

You're in good company, I bet there are a lot of us doing the same. I also kit up, with threads and fabric, but only the ones that use special threads. The ones that ask for DMC are not kitted up by me, because I can pull that out of my stash any time I decide to start something new.
I think I've got about ten projects kitted up now.

Vicky L said...

What a great question! I usually kit up as I stitch. But I do kit up the floss on my next few charts I plan to stitch. But with my fabric I grab it when I need it. I am not the most organize person in the world but I do know where everything is, well, most of the time.

Nancy M said...

I think I am odd man out. I don't kit anything....I have a couple WIP and they each have their plastic container with the floss bobbins in them. They are stored by my stitching spot. If each pattern uses the same color, I just move it from one box to the other depending on what one I'm working on. I have lots of extra floss in bags, but just don't want to have more than one of a certain color on bobbins...weird, I know!

Debra said...

I know I already commented, but was wondering how many projects are you stitching on? Do you just stitch one at a time?
DLS

Gabi said...

Wow, that's a lot of kitting up, and they look great. Personally I don't kit up much. I have my floss on bobbins in a plastic boxes or on floss rings, and pull that out as I need and put it in my "working box". The unused fibers I pull out of my floss draw also as I need them. If I have 2 patterns using the same color, I move them around as I need them. But then again, I don't have a lot of WIP's going on at once. That tends to drive me crazy...lol.

JessB said...

That is a good question. I actually used to kit as I go, but then I would find one I want to stitch and it wouldn't be ready. So now I have probably 15-20 kitted projects ready to go. (Some are my mom's that I am going to stitch for her.) That way all the ones I want to complete this year plus a couple of bonus ones are ready to go whenever I get the urge to stitch.

Jess

Donna said...

I love seeing how everyone else handles their projects. I don't kit as you do. I have to use a scroll frame. That being said, I only have 3 small scroll frames (plus my 1 big one with my BAP WIP).
And since I rarely use the fabric called for and play it by ear as to what threads and fabric "speak" to me, I generally will pick out threads and fabric for 3 projects, press the fabric, put it on a frame, stitch 1 row of stitches in it and then put it in a baggie. I then rotate and work on those three until at least one is done and I can take it off the frame.
I couldn't wait to do Big Girl Panties by LK. I started and got all the panties done, but none of the wording. Now I have no real interest in it. So it is always on a frame, ready to go. LOL

Debbie Jo said...

I do kit up projects as I am ready to start them. However, I do have a few projects that are partically kitted. Some I have the floss and char for and others I have just the chart and fabric for. Before I start a project tho I make sure I have everything I need for that project before it gets started. I hate working on something and run out of thread, beads, or anything else. I will loose intrest in what I am working on if everything is not there.

Cindy F. said...

Love how you've got them kitted and waiting in baskets. Hmmm, a good excuse to buy a few baskets!
You're pretty organized, which is awesome!
I don't kit mine til I'm ready to stitch and I keep all my floss in baggies by # order in my crates. After I use each floss, I just put it back in the crate. This way I don't buy a lot of the same floss. So I guess I never kit, except for buying some fabric ahead of time.

Carolyn NC said...

You don't even want to know how many (or maybe I should say I don't even want to know how many! LOL)

Christine H said...

Wow, I do kit up projects but not that many. Would probably overwhelm me.