Still on the "Wagon"

The rain is falling temps are hanging in the 40's this morning. Brrrr - it's hot chocolate weather!!! They are calling for flurries this weekend. Nothing new for October, but it just seems that fall shouldn't be here yet.

I finally got to start working on DMC's "The White Bindweed Fairy" yesterday. I put in about 500 stitches, maybe a little more. I'm really happy with the progress, and had a hard time putting it down to go to bed last night. It was a good piece to work on during the Presidential Debate as it was both pleasing to work on, and the area that I was doing didn't need much concentration.

I love some of the patterns DMC puts out, but don't care for the size of the charts, and don't like having my patterns folded. They always wear, no matter how well you take care of them, or store them. I do make working copies though, so that I can mark them all up. But on the flip side of things, DMC makes their symbols large and easy to read. I do like that about them.

I've signed up for another few months of Stash abstinence on the The Wagon BB . I haven't been buying patterns for the last 10 months. The only thing that I have received were the items I get on automatics - the JCS Ornament Issue and Paula Vaughan's new releases. That is approximately 1-2 patterns a year from PV and the one Ornie issue. Some may say that's cheating, but DH told me NOT to cancel the automatic shipments, so... who can argue with DH?

I will say that jumping on the Wagon has been the best thing I could have ever done. I've finished more pieces that I've started than ever before. I also am stitching from things I have and not buying more stuff to start. The most amazing thing is, the first time I sorted through my stash after deciding not to buy any more patterns, was all the things I had that I forgot that I purchased!!! Wow! It was like browsing a LNS!! I was ooohing and aaaahing over things that I wanted to stitch and forgot about. Some even were kitted. So, I've decided that when I do get off the Wagon, that I probably won't be going hog-wild and buying things except for something exceptional or something that will be going out of print and I really would like to stitch it someday. So far, things that were on my wishlist that was created before I went on the Wagon, really don't interest me any longer. I was to the point, if it was posted on a BB, I usually wanted it. Now, it's only the exceptional pieces that impress me and make me want them. However, I'm NOT making a wishlist anymore. The only purchase I will be making any time soon, is to buy what I need to make up what I have. I have a lot of patterns that use specialty items, be it threads, fabrics, or buttons - and they sit not being touched because of the lack of those items. My idea was to buy all the patterns on sale (heck most I have I paid 50% to 75% off retail) so I'd look at my money and see how far I could stretch it. Frugal? Not really, as most of those patterns required stuff I didn't have. So instead of buying the items I needed to stitch them, I'd buy more patterns on sale, because my money went further. See the problem? With eliminating the pattern purchasing, I have the money to buy the specialty items - or better yet, I'm becoming a bit more creative and subbing buttons, colors, and threads.

With all that being said, I'm really much happier working on what I have. Amazing, isn't it?!!!