A Spooky Halloween Stitching Project

 

Do you ever set goals for yourself when it comes to craft projects? I do. And apparently, I also have a remarkable talent for setting goals that take approximately five years to accomplish.

 I bought this counted cross-stitch chart from The Drawn Thread about a dozen years ago. I loved it immediately because, as you probably know by now, I love Halloween, and I especially love Halloween stitching projects. This one has everything: a spooky old house, a black cat, witches, jack-o’-lanterns, bats, a very sinister-looking tree, and a verse about Halloween. What’s not to love? Well...the moon.

 I started stitching it about five years ago. Every July, when I begin longing for cooler temperatures, changing leaves, pumpkins, and all things autumnal, I would drag it out and start stitching again. I would make a respectable amount of progress, until, eventually, the stitching drove me absolutely out of my mind. At that point, I would put it away and wait patiently, or, more accurately, forget about it, until the following July.

 

Of course, the passage of time has not exactly improved my chances of finishing it. Every year my vision gets a tiny bit worse and my reflexes get a tiny bit slower, which means there are now puncture wounds involved in this project. Lots of them.

 The piece is stitched on 18-count linen that I coffee-dyed to give it that appropriately aged, spooky look. I love the fabric, and I love how the finished piece is going to look.

And then there is the moon. Look at that moon!!

 There are literally thousands of stitches in that thing, and they are all the same. Over and over and over again. It is the stitching equivalent of being trapped in an elevator with someone who insists upon telling you the same story repeatedly. And because that wasn’t sufficiently annoying, I have to stitch the moon around all of that text.

 

Fortunately, I found a solution: Columbo.

 I have stitched through all 16 seasons that I happily found on Tubi. There is something wonderfully soothing about watching Columbo wander around asking seemingly innocent questions while I sit here stabbing linen with a needle and trying not to lose my mind over the moon.

 I keep thinking to myself that maybe if I could do three rows a day I’ll be able to get this finished by Halloween. You’re probably thinking, well that’s a piece of cake. Let me tell you, it is NOT a piece of cake. It is a tough, chewy piece of parboiled meat. Going in and around that text is a nightmare and the stitches are so small! The pattern doesn’t call for outlining, although I have outlined the cat, bird, bats, and witch’s hat and dress. I often think outlining makes things look cleaner, but perhaps this is supposed to look rustic. The jury is still out on that, although I would appreciate your thoughts. At any rate, wish me luck because this is the year that I am going to do it.

 

This is the year.

 This. Is. The. Year.

 I am going to finish this thing.

 I am going to stitch that moon.

 I am going to admire the finished piece.

 I am going to have it framed.

 And then I am going to put it somewhere prominent so that everyone can admire the fruits of my perseverance and I can point to it and say, “Do you have any idea how long that moon took?”

 Probably.

Because I have learned that when it comes to craft projects, confidence is a dangerous thing.

Now tell me: What are you working on? Do you sew, stitch, quilt, crochet, knit, paint, scrapbook, or otherwise find ways to create things that seemed like a wonderful idea when you started them? I'd love to hear what you're currently wrestling with working on (or triumphantly finishing).