WIP (BAP) Clear-Out!

Good morning everyone!

Thinking about my plans for next year, and my stitching in general, brought into focus how much more I enjoy small to medium projects than bigger ones. This is good news for the majority of my WIPs and stash, but bad news for the BAPs (a BAP, for me, being one which would take more than 200 hours to stitch).

Most of my BAPs were started about 10 years ago when I thought I was invincible and could tackle anything. Then I discovered etsy, and my preference for much smaller charts led to the bigger ones being put aside 'for a while'.

Well, roll forward almost ten years and not only have most not been touched for many years, the reality is they probably never will be.

So I've had a clear out. It's not been easy but sometimes being brutal is the best way forward.

A few years ago, I got rid of two projects because I knew that I was never going to work on them again.

First was Rainbow Angel by White Willow Stitching (the fabric was saved):

And second was Fairy With A Butterfly Mask by HAED:

That brought the number of BAPs down to 10. And now I've done the same with another five:

1) Emerald Dragon by HAED

I love this dragon to bits, but the confetti is ridiculous and I just can't face it. The threads will be frogged and the 18ct Sandy Pool aida saved, so there is a plus side. Bye bye Emerald Dragon :(

2) Mini Come Softly by HAED

This was started for my daughter who was 11 at the time and heavily into purple and lilac. Given that she's now 22 and has completely different tastes, there's no point in continuing. Bye bye lilac girl.

3) Mini The Owrd Lord by HAED

I absolutely adore this design, but it's another ridiculously confetti-heavy chart so, in all honesty, I'm never going to touch this one again. Bye bye old man.

4) Mini One by HAED

This was the first large project to appear on my blog and, with only 33 colours, is quite easy for and HAED! I still adore this chart and would still like to stitch it but it would be a restart on 25 count. Bye bye lonely girl.

5) Dolphin Ruins by Rabnann (ebay)

I was drawn to this chart because of the 'Atlantis' type feel but, again, it is the confetti which is putting me off, so bye bye dolphins.

So that's five BAPs gone, and a massive 2,400 hours wiped off my 'time to complete everything' calculation. Wow!

So what of my other five BAPs? Well, two of them - Kings and Queens, and The Loneliness Of Autumn - are definite WIPs and, for the moment, the other three have had a reprieve:

1) The History of Chocolate by HAED

This is small for an HAED at 'only' 63x354. I'm not even half way through but believe that, if I put my mind to it, this could be either steadily and methodically stitched a few rows at a time, or completed one colour at a time. It seems a shame to have given up...

2) Mini Bookworm Fairy by HAED

This was another project started for my daughter, and stitched on hand-dyed fabric so as to avoid endless hours of background stitching. It's been reprieved because I'm wondering if I could cheat by making the black more defined and filling in each section with just one or two colours, like a stained glass window. It wouldn't look as good, but the reduction in confetti stitching might increase my enthusiasm for picking it up again.

3) OMG Tigger Is Out! by UnconventionalX

There is no way I am getting rid of this one! I may not have stitched on it for nine years but it's a small(ish ) chart (162x200) and therefore much more manageable. And that's why this little kitty is staying firmly put!

And whilst I was having a clear out I also got rid of:

Tribal Dragon by Thread Geeks

Unfortunately, the fabric for this one has been damaged. I don't know if this will become a restart but if it does it won't be on black (and might be with a modified colour palette given that the stitched colours are nowhere near the cover design). Bye bye dragon!

You know, I feel so much better now! And the amount of threads I have added back into my boxes is quite amazing.

As for the future, well there are still eight BAPs on my 'would love to stitch' list. None of them are as confetti-heavy, complicated or daunting as HAEDs so if they are started they are likely to be finished. But not yet... well, not this year.

I hope the thought of WIPs being cut up and thrown away hasn't caused you too much stress! All of the surrounding fabric (16ct Antique White, Platinum and Light Blue) was saved and can be used for future - and much smaller! - projects.

Talking of future projects, I'm going to end on a high note, as I'm very close to having some exciting news to share with you... but that's for another post ;)

Take care,

Rachel x