May certainly shaped up to be an interesting month. In the late weeks of April, I kept reading/seeing information about Stitch Maynia, a project started a few years ago that basically encourages you to start a whole bunch of stitching projects in the month of May. It seems it has ebbed and flowed a bit, and I found three variations for this year - 1) New start every day for 15 days, 2) New start every day for 18 days, and 3) Stitch every day in May.
I figured I had several kits and several fairly recent purchases that I had or could easily kit up that I could take a gander. So, the evening of the last night of April, I brought a bunch of stash upstairs and dug through it to find that I could pretty closely kit up 18 projects, with 15 of them being completely new.
I didn't know when I started which variation of Maynia I was going for, so I just started by stitching something new each day and I did it! I made it through 15 new starts, and I stitched all but 4 days in May.
I didn't know how I'd feel about it when I started as I rarely have more than 2 projects in progress. I found the first day fun, but didn't know if I'd like the second day because I was enjoying my first project. Then I started my second project and I had just as much fun with that one. Then my third and so on. I found that I actually really enjoyed pulling out and starting a new project each day.
By the time I got to 15 days, I was very ready to go back and work on some of the prior starts. I was also ready to have a finish!
For the rest of the month, I went back to the projects I'd started in the first half and usually just grabbed one out of my bag without looking and worked on that for the night. Sometimes it was just 15 or 20 minutes of stitching and sometimes it was over an hour. Some projects really have some visible progress, others not so much.
In the end, I really did have a good time, and I am so glad I pulled out a few projects I have had for a long time and got going on them.
I don't think I will let the projects languish in my bag. I have continued to work on them in June and am actually having fun with the kids - I let them pick a random number between 1 and 18 and that's what I work on for the day/night. As of this typing, I have three of the maynia starts finished, and I am still enjoying pulling something different to work on each day.
I don't know if I will do it again next year - but it sure was a fun challenge for this year! And the best part is that I made time for stitching (almost) every day. It was a great way to end most days with a little quiet time, a quick show or youtube video, and a needle and thread.
I guess the next thing to do is adapt this to quilting projects so that I work on some of those too!
I figured I had several kits and several fairly recent purchases that I had or could easily kit up that I could take a gander. So, the evening of the last night of April, I brought a bunch of stash upstairs and dug through it to find that I could pretty closely kit up 18 projects, with 15 of them being completely new.
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| Maynia kits all ready to go! |
I didn't know how I'd feel about it when I started as I rarely have more than 2 projects in progress. I found the first day fun, but didn't know if I'd like the second day because I was enjoying my first project. Then I started my second project and I had just as much fun with that one. Then my third and so on. I found that I actually really enjoyed pulling out and starting a new project each day.
By the time I got to 15 days, I was very ready to go back and work on some of the prior starts. I was also ready to have a finish!
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| My lone finish for the month - Waffle Stitch Kit by Victoria Sampler |
In the end, I really did have a good time, and I am so glad I pulled out a few projects I have had for a long time and got going on them.
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| Maynia progress - end of the month |
I don't know if I will do it again next year - but it sure was a fun challenge for this year! And the best part is that I made time for stitching (almost) every day. It was a great way to end most days with a little quiet time, a quick show or youtube video, and a needle and thread.
I guess the next thing to do is adapt this to quilting projects so that I work on some of those too!
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