The Kind of Stitcher

The other day I was watching Psycho(thanks Sharon) and Norman Bates was telling Marion Crane how "a hobby should pass the time, not fill it". It really got me to thinking about the kind of stitcher I am. I now know that I am the kind of stitcher that is perfectly happy filling her time with little Xs. I discovered last week that I don't mind stitching backgrounds like you find on HAED charts. One of the reasons I avoided their charts for so long was the solidly stitched backgrounds. I didn't think I was the kind of stitcher that could do that kind of hardcore background stitching. I would go to the website, look at charts, go to fabric sites like Silkweaver's and look at overdyed fabric because the idea of all those little Xs was overwhelming to me.

Since starting QS A Night at The Pumpkin Patch [HAECCKQS 2514] - $9.00 : Heaven and Earth Des I have discovered that I am more than happy filling my time with the stitches it takes to create a background. It's so therapeutic. Watching the background come to life on the fabric is just amazing. I thought I would find it boring, a waste of time, I mean why not just buy a hand-dyed fabric and get to the real meat of the picture, but I love stitching the background.

In Natalie Goldberg's book Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life there's a story about her or a friend of her's, I can't remember, going to a therapist and the therapist asks her tell her one thing she knows to be absolutely true. After sitting there for a while she says something like I know for a fact I love chocolate.

The one thing I know to be absolutely true in my life, I love the little X. Yes, I love my husband and the kids, but outside of the family unit, I dearly love my stitching. There are times when I talk to nonstitchers, I get a little, oh, excited, when I talk about cross stitch, they look at me like I'm crazy. Instead of thinking to myself, maybe you should be quiet, talk about the weather instead, I find myself feeling sorry for them because they are not as enlightened as me.

I'm a perfectly well rounded person. I watch the news(Hillary, Obama, McCain, Huckabee), I know all about current events(Did everyone see Nicole Kidman's baby bump at the Oscars last night? Did you all hear that Britney got married in Mexico to a guy that's already married? Angelina Jolie-preggers. I don't live in a cave.), I read books. But my conversations always end up back on the topic of stitching whether the person I'm talking to is a stitcher or not. I have a lot of trouble understanding why the average person doesn't think it's an exciting subject.

I am the kind of stitcher that worries about the bad economy, not because of that whole roof over the head or food on the table thing but what if the economy really tanks and I end up actually stitching all the stash and there's no money to buy more? Talk about a panic attack. It doesn't matter that I have many TW kitted up and those alone should keep me busy for several years, what if we go into a full blown depression? I might really and truly get all the stash stitched because there definitely won't be any reason to leave the house.

Me and Norman Bates, who knew we had so much in common? And who else could work Norman Bates into a post about stitching?

I wanted to post some progress pictures today but I can't find the camera. My desk fell last night during the Oscars and I'm hoping that the camera isn't under the pile of wood. That would not be good.

Thank you to everyone for your kind comments on 13th Colony Bay. I really appreciate you all stopping by the blog and sharing my passion.

Making a Case for

Addiction.

I know. Sounds strange doesn't it with everyone going into rehab these days? But sometimes addiction can be something positive. Like stitching. For me it's an addiction. I think about it 24 hours a day. Yesterday when I was scrubbing the bathtub(if you're family and reading this, yes I do occaisionally scrub the tub--even used the Magic Eraser--greatest thing ever)and thinking to myself, "When I finish this I'm going to stitch if only for a few minutes". Then I finished and stitched, got up again; if I finish cleaning out this drawer, I'll stitch for an hour while watching Veronica Mars. Never ending cycle.

I bring it up now because on Christmas Day I made a last minute trip home to Memphis, I squeezed in a few hours to visit my mom who lives 2 hours outside of town. My brother drove me there. I was able to see my mom and probably the very first cross stitch addict that crossed my path, our neighbor Doralyn, who is once again my mom's neighbor. She stitched models for the LNS back in the 80s. I have never known her not to have several projects going, cross stitch, quilting, crocheting. She does it all and her work is amazing. I mention this now because when we were leaving my mom bought my brother some Copenhagen, yes, he's addicted to dip, snuff whatever you want to call it. A few years ago when they visited us down here for Christmas she bought him like $50 worth of the stuff and explained to me since she's a smoker she understands addiction, well my question is, "Where is my $50 for DMC?" Cross stitch for me is an addiction. I need my fix. I truly need it or I would be looking for some blow to snort. It's that basic for me. The few times I haven't stitched have been very dark times in my life. When I don't feel the urge to pick up a needle something serious is going on. Why is my addiction poo-pooed and everyone else's much more serious?

Like a junkie passes out dreaming of their next hit, I go to sleep dreaming of my next project, the next time I get to sit and stitch. My next hit if you will. I remember when I mentioned to my mother, "Hey, where's my $$$ for my stitching addiction?" She pointed out that an addiction to a drug like tobacco was more severe that if you don't get it, you feel like you will die. I tried to explain to her I feel the same way about my cross stitch addiction. If I can't stitch I'll die.

I know in this world when there are a lot of more important things to focus on than a silly addiction to needlework, it doesn't make a lot of sense, but for me it's truly what keeps me sane. You see when the world closes in, things are tough, I can pull out a project and lose myself in it. I can put all my energy in making those little Xs on the fabric. I can see the picture form before my eyes. I can see myself somewhere else, in Hawk Run Hollow, I can take a vacation from reality, isn't that what drugs do? Take you some place else? Cross stitch is my drug, plain and simple. Please understand I'm not making light of someone with a drug problem, not at all, I'm just saying that some addictions can be positive. Well, except for the effect it has on my behind. I'd rather stitch than exercise, maybe that's the negative side of this particular addiction.

I do fall asleep dreaming of projects, those started and those I haven't even purchased yet. I see them finished and on my walls, I see myself stitching, finishing those projects, feeling that high. And let me tell ya, finishing a project is a pretty fine high if you ask me.

I don't think non-needleworkers get it. I don't think they understand the feelings stitchers get from the needle and thread. Does my stitching life take over? Sometimes. Yes it does. Sometimes I can see where this can be a problem, like not wanting to go to a movie with the family when I could stay home and stitch. That's probably not healthy. I've learned to bring balance into my stitching life. I can let it go, sometimes, for a short period of time. I'm not saying that while I'm at the movie I'm not thinking to myself, if I were at home I could be making so much progress on such and such project. Of course I am. But I've put the hoop down and stepped away for a little while. You see I could easily stitch 10 hours a day and not think anything was wrong with that. I'm going to admit a terrible secret here, I live three miles from the beach and sometimes I don't want to go to the beach because I could be home stitching. Ok, that's just wrong. So I'm trying to put my stitching into some kind of perspective. I should go to the beach on pretty days. My argument this year for not going to the beach when I wanted to stitch was "I'm protecting my skin". Made sense at the time. Are you beginning to see just how serious my addiction is to needle, thread, the hoop? We're talking big time serious.

But I'm ok with that. I love this part of my life. It pretty much defines me these days. There are worse things than being called a "stitcher". Yep, I'm one of those people.

And I really, really like doing it* in public.


*stitching.....what did you think I meant?