People's Choice SAL - Finishing

Hello all!

It's the first Saturday of the month so time for the People's Choice SAL run by Jo from Serendipitous Stitching. Continued thanks to Jo for hosting this unique SAL which has a different theme each month.

This month's theme is finishing. I interpreted 'finishing' as meaning fully-finishing as opposed to finishing stitching. I don't know whether this is what was intended but that's what I'm going with!

I rubbed my hands with glee when I saw this topic come up as (if you're not already aware) it's a subject close to my heart.

A few years ago I had a forever-increasing Box Of Shame until someone asked me what was the point of stitching lots of projects if all I then did was hide them away? Thus began my feeling of guilt and subsequent challenge to fully-finish off the 50+ pieces in there at the time and to not add any more. As of this post, it's not quite empty but it's not far off.

Here's a breakdown of how my projects have been fully-finished:

96 framed (almost a third of which are in multi-aperture frames)
54 hanging ornies
28 cards
7 mini pillows

14 others (eg hoops, scrapbooking, gift tags)

As you can see, I generally go with framing or making ornies. I admit they're not the most inventive of ideas but they are the two techniques I'm comfortable with. I'm hoping to branch out in the future; I have a few ideas in mind, I've just got to stitch the right projects!

So, what to show for pictures regarding 'finishes'? I've selected a random few which feature at the top of their category:

The most expensive and the biggest finish was Angel of Autumn by Lavender and Lace. This cost over £70 back in 2004 but, after 227 hours of work and 27,727 stitches, was well worth it.

The most time consuming and most satisfying finish was definitely A Shower by Soda Stitch, fully-finished as a sickly-sweet mini pillow. Gathering and attaching the ribbon alone took 6 hours!

The most liked and (probably) my favourite is Owls In Love by FluffyFuzzypatterns on etsy. This went down a storm when I stitched it and received such positive comments after it had been framed. Sometimes everything just works together.

The most unique (for me) is Christmas Quacker by Dimensions. I used to do a lot of scrapbooking and, at one point, thought I might combine the two hobbies. It's only happened once so, at the moment, this little ducky is one of a kind.

The smallest are After The Bath and Sparrow by Mouseloft. They are in little 2.5 inch plastic frames which were popular in the late 1990s for projects such as these. Unfortunately my FFOs have been put in a 'safe place' and I can't find them so here is a picture of the ones my mum stitched and inserted into fridge magnets, along with a picture of a spare frame for you to imagine what they would look like. Actually, I'm now beginning to wonder if this is the reason I can't find mine; because these are mine! Hmmm, I'll have to confront my mum about that!!

Finally, as a teaser, here are the raw materials for some finishing I will soon be attempting. I know what I want to do but wonder if reality will mirror the idea I have in mind. I'll find out soon.

Scroll down quickly, though, if you're of a nervous disposition as the scissors are a big clue as to what will be happening to this piece!

Now for a cheeky re-plug...

As I mentioned at the top of the post, finishing is a topic close to my heart which is why I started the Fully Finished Gallery SAL. It's an opportunity for everyone to dive into those drawers or boxes which store UFOs, pull out one (or two or three or more) and actually finish it/them off to proudly show to others. The SAL's only been running for five months but so far there have been almost 250 entries, many (most?) of which might otherwise have still been stored away instead of being on display.

The link-up for this SAL goes live on the 10th of each month and remains open for 10 days. There's a page at the top of my blog with all the information and links to previous months. Have a browse; there are loads of wonderful FFOs and inspiring finishing ideas in there.

But the FFG SAL has plenty of room for more participants! So come on, don't be afraid, pull out a UFO and come and join in. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the 500 mark could be reached by the end of the year?

Next month's topic is monochrome. I'm rubbing my hands together for that one too!

Take care,
Rachel x