Month ends are busy times. I put The Needlework Nutshell newsletter together and get a batch of puzzles ready for Sports Illustrated for Kids, among other things. The newsletter is ready to go, the puzzles are not. No worries; they’ll get done.

I’ve been working on the model for the Make-It/Take-It in October. The pattern is ready (have I mentioned that I love it?!); I’m working on a simple finishing method. We want to provide materials to complete the bookmark, which means some sort of backing (felt), the page-marking mechanism (ribbon), and a technique for bringing them all together into a single, functional unit (sewing or gluing). I want it to be quick and easy, otherwise people are less likely to complete the project. I can’t assume participants will know how to sew, and there’s not time to teach edge stitches.

I think I have a good method, so now I’ll write instructions, then stitch another sample and follow the instructions to make sure they work. Then I’ll send the instructions to Karen and other guild members to test. I’m hoping we’ll have many models in all sorts of colors and styles to inspire creativity in participants.

Framed projects are easy by comparison: we just have to test and proof the pattern. When figuring out alternative finishing methods, we have to make multiple models to develop the method, then make some more to test our instructions. I enjoy it, but it’s time-consuming!

And then I have to come up with a way to obtain the materials for participants. Ribbon is not something my familiar manufacturers produce. No worries here, either; I’ll figure something out!