Hello! Welcome to what I hope will become a semi-monthly update post!
First, just to get it out of the way, this semi-monthly update post is what I am doing instead of creating an email list. Which is a thing I really intended to do, but somehow wasn’t really feeling enthusiastic about. The bottom line is, my two main purposes for making an email list were to have a semi-regular update/newsletter-ish bit of writing and to have a semi-regular, ever-changing coupon code for my shop. Turns out, I can do both of those things with a blog and I have a blog and so here we are. I’m not taking the email list off the table for the future, though. I may feel differently at some point.
So on to the update bit! We’re a week and a few days into the second month of this new year, so I guess I’ll start by talking about my goals for this year. I try to keep them pretty loose. I am still learning things about myself when it comes to creativity and workflow and one of the things I’ve discovered is that hard and fast deadlines and me are a no go. (Hence why I am saying “semi-regular” about my future blog posts!)
So, I have long wanted to increase the number of embroidery patterns I have on offer. I wrote a bit about this last time I blogged here and I expressed frustration with how to approach pattern-writing. I really want to hit the right balance between too much information and not enough. I’m still working on it, but I do think I’m learning a lot about this process. My goal for the year is to create 12 embroidery patterns. That’s one per month, but I don’t want to push myself to release them in a one per month timeline. If I can end up with 12 more designs in my shop (making a total of 15 + 1 seasonal design) by the end of 2023, I’ll be very happy.
So, to that end, I’ve been working on this design.
This is an update to a hoop I made a couple of years ago (in the top left of the photo below), which I had always liked, but I didn’t like the satin stitch on the face. Some of the areas were too large to do satin stitch without ending up with some of the stitches looking wonky, so I wanted to try it again using long and short stitch. I also wanted to try it without the black outlines, which is something I’ve been trying to experiment with. Outlines are great, but sometimes it feels like I’m using them as a crutch and I’d rather use them as a style choice. So learning to not rely on them feels important.
Of course, as soon as I was done with the green and purple hatted cutie, I wanted to try out some variations and I made a second version, using tapestry wool for her hat and mittens to really up the faux knit look, and I tried a different skin tone and hair color. And, in doing so, it occurred to me that trying things out in different ways is something that I find really appealing! I incorporated the variations into the pattern (which, at the time of this writing is 95% finished), and I feel like I will probably lean into this tendency moving forward as well.
I’ve also created a pattern for a previous design (pictured below) and it’s a very simple one (in terms of stitching), but I’ve always loved this hoop, so it will be cool to have others stitch it if anyone so desires.
And then I’m working on an embroidery-themed pattern as well. Once I’m finished writing that one, I’ll have three more patterns in the shop, doubling my current number, and I’ll be on track with my goal assuming I get all three done by the end of March.
As for actual hoops embroidered, there’s the previous two Cocoa Girls (that’s the name of the pattern: Cocoa Girl), one private commissioned hoop, and this cloudburst hoop. My goal in this area is to create between 6 and 24 original finished hoops this year for my shop (giving myself a wide range here-from one hoop every two months to 2 per month--as long as I land somewhere in that range, I'll be satisfied). I definitely want to continue to create embroidery art that doesn't have an associated pattern that goes along with it, because I love creating one of a kind pieces too.
My other goal is to make more room in my schedule for the other creative things I want to pursue: drawing, painting, digital art, and writing. I very much want to improve my drawing skills and I’m not going to be able to do that unless I devote some time to to it. I feel like I am forever making this a goal and forever falling short, but… there’s nothing to do but keep trying. So far, I’m finding it pretty hard to do. I have done such a great job of establishing a daily habit where embroidery is concerned and I don’t know why it is so hard to so the same with these other things. That said, I have filled one sketchbook spread and part of another. I’ve messed around with ink and colored pencils. I colored in a previous embroidery design on the iPad. And I wrote a few words, a couple of times.
One of my potential tricks for trying to develop a habit for more regular drawing/painting/digital art and writing was to try making one day of the week be a Drawing Priority or Writing Priority day. Meaning, I had to open the sketchbook or pull out the paints or set the timer and free-write before I could do anything else creative that day (meaning: embroidery). It did work, for a bit, but I kind of let it go after a few weeks of it. I still think that plan has potential and I might try again.
Well, if you’ve made it this far, I thank you for reading my ramblings about my creative life. I’m placing the coupon code for my shop (10% off anything) below and it will be good until the next time I make a post like this, when I’ll make a new one. Oh, one other thing. One of the other reasons I wanted to have the email list that I am now aborting was that I wanted to give subscribers a head's up about shop updates. Just a day or two in advance to know that things were available, before I would announce it on Instagram. I've since realized that's just another layer of complexity in an already stressful process. I'm forever worrying about how and when I put my stuff in the shop and whether I should do it in groups or one at a time or blah blah blah. So, that part is going to have to go, but just know that, as of the imminent posting of this blog entry, I am on the verge of listing the previously spoken of patterns, the two Cocoa Girl hoops and the cloudburst hoop.
Coupon Code for 10% off, from now until I next post here:
HOTCHOCOLATEZEN
Cool 😎
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