on monogramming

My big sewing project for the week is a set of four monogrammed pillows. 

 

I have a love-hate relationship with monogramming. 

 

Sort of like my relationship with pear trees. 

I always forget how long it takes to get the design right on the computer before I can transmit it to my machine.  Do you picture me typing in a few letters and pressing "Go"?  Yeah, that's what I pictured too, before I owned an embroidery machine. 

 

Really, I do lots of adjusting size and spacing and stitch type.  Who knew there were so many stitch types?  The key is to make the letters look smooth and nice, while keeping each stitch at the optimal length for not getting easily snagged.  I wish there was a button for that. 

This particular design has over 18,000 individual stitches.  It takes about an hour to stitch out the whole design.  And, unlike the dishwasher, my sewing machine needs frequent babysitting while it's working, so I can't just get it going and move on to the next thing.  I can leave it for small intervals, but basically find myself chained to my office for about four hours today.  Good thing it's pretty in here. 

I think I'll sneak into the kitchen soon to grab some lunch, which is quinoa salad, which I am super excited about.  In fact, why don't I share the recipe on Friday, because I bet you'd be excited about it too!