Thursday 18 July 2013

A Stitch Takes Time

Jimjams - Layout detail - Tiny pegs, Sharpie coloured pearls
I've said it before ... I am a SLOOOOOOW scrapper.  I can easily take a whole day at a crop to make just one layout and I rarely manage to complete more than two pages.  At home, I can have a page in progress for days ... and sometimes it takes me weeks to call a page "finished"!

And so it was with this page: I started it at our "Sleepover" crop at the end of last month, fully intending to have it ready as an "inspiration" page for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog's 2nd July challenge.  It was ready at the end of the crop apart from the sewing at the top of the page, but I kept finding other things to do instead of a little hand sewing!

I only realised I had missed the deadline for the CKCB Challenge 2 post when I saw Lesley's lovely example (started AND finished at the same Sleepover Crop).  To my shame, even that did not spur me on and it has taken me until now to finish the sewing.  Procrastination is certainly the thief of my time!

Jimjams - Layout - Legoland

My July Counterfeit Kit included mini-pegs which were not mini at all when used as pegs ... much too dimensional for my album!  I wonder how other people use them in scrapbook pages ... I need help!

Deconstructed Sketch #54Although the sewing looks laborious, I actually made all the holes beforehand with a thread-less sewing machine and really had no excuse for not getting busy with needle and embroidery thread!

There's a wee tag behind the photo describing my frustration when taking this photo:  the lady with her back to the camera is my Step-mother who spent half the day reading her paper and the other half of the day ignoring her (step-) grandchildren ;-)

Have you had a go with the inspiration sketch (#54) from Deconstructing Jen - her site is full of other inspirational sketches.  Don't forget to link up with the CKCB if you use this one.

20 comments:

scrappymo! said...

Well, it may have been a long time coming...but it was well worth waiting for. I LOVE the stitching...this is a wonderful layout!

Beverly said...

Wow, fabulous! With that end result I wouldn't worry about the time ;)

alexa said...

I love this, and thank you for the secret of that oh-so-even stitching! I wouldn't worry about speed. Overrated. Go for slow, I say - look at the beautiful result :).

Kirsty.A said...

It looks great anyway

Lesley G said...

It certainly was worth the wait Jemma, love the sewing and you have far more patience than I will ever have :)

scrappyjacky said...

It was definately worth waiting for....love your stitching.

Unknown said...

I would have procrastinated about the hand sewing too! But it looks AMAZING when done. I wonder what it is about step-grandmas. Mine decided last minute to join us all on a day trip to Disney and spent the whole day siting and reading a book and generally dragging her heels. My Grandpa ended up telling us to go off and see what we wanted while he sat with her. It was a huge disappointment as we very rarely saw our Grandpa.

K said...

Beautiful stitching, it really makes the page.
Silly woman, she probably would have had much more fun if she joined in, most certainly her loss.

Missus Wookie said...

I like the stitching and agree it makes the page. I don't use the pegs on layouts - nearest I've come is a clip on the top of a page.

ComfyMom~Stacey said...

I love all the stitching & the design of it!

Sandie said...

I like the sound of a sleepover crop. I usually make it until about midnight, cropping, and at a recent weekend we slept in the same hall, it was like being children all over again with the giggles and good night round!
I like the colour and stitching on your page. Shame about the step mother being so disinterested.

Tara O said...

Oh but it's beautiful!!!! I love it all. I *can* be a slow scrapper. I can also be a quick scrapper depending upon what it is I am making or my mojo or....??? LOL

Sandy Ang said...

great page. love the idea of making the holes with a machine beforehand. thanks for that tip

CoventryAnn said...

Beautifully neat stitching, great page.

Lisa said...

it was worth the trouble of finishing it off - this is a stunning layout and the stitching is amazing. what a simply wonderful page.

LCSmithSAVED said...

The stitching was a genius take on the sketch, but I really love your paper choices & how cleverly they are pieced together. That little sliver of lime green as the photo mat makes it all sing!

Isbaha said...

Amazing layout, fabulous !

petrii said...

This is fabulous!!! I love the stitching. Great job!
Blessings ~~ dawn

Julene Matthews said...

Amazing stitching.Looks wonderful!

Lisa-Jane said...

Love this one too J!