HedgeWitch (18 page)

Rule of stitchery thumb:
always give yourself plenty of time to complete a special project.

For Big Projects, Learn to Work Two Seasons Ahead

I realize this can be a pain. The problem with working way in advance lies in specialty supplies and, perhaps, your mindset. For example, let's go back to those Yule stockings, and let's say I know the size I want to make, but I want a unique design. Given my time allotment, this means I have to start in June to be sure that I'll have this project done by the first week of December. Here's where we run into a problem or two. First, few local stores will start showing patterns for Yule in June. Instead, the stores will be filled with designs that match the current season. Secondly, you may not be in the mood to deal with Yule—heck, you just finished paying the bills for
last
Yule! To solve the first issue, either shop on the Net or, at the end of any given season, pick up projects for the following year. You can also go to trade shows featuring stitchery that are held throughout the year in various parts of the country. To keep the Grinch out of your work (since it's June), change your perception on the flow of the seasons. Remember, each season seamlessly slides into the next and builds on what has gone before. This means that if you want to dedicate your Yule stocking on Summer Solstice, all the better! You'll find that if you get into the habit of thinking two seasons ahead, other projects in your life will finish quickly and easily as well. The psychological upside to this way of planning allows you to skip over worrying about current issues in your life that have managed to root themselves in the current season. Instead, you are looking ahead and creating positive thought patterns for the future.

Here's a quick rule of stitchery thumb for seasonal work:

Big Projects

• Begin summer-completion items at Yule.
  
• Begin fall-completion items at Spring Equinox.
  
• Begin winter-completion items at Summer Solstice.
  
• Begin spring-completion items at Autumn Equinox.
  

Small Projects

• Begin Candlemas-completion projects at Samhain.
  
• Begin Spring Equinox-completion projects at Yule.
  
• Begin Beltaine-completion projects at Candlemas.
  
• Begin Summer Solstice-completion projects at Spring Equinox.
  
• Begin Lammas-completion projects at Beltaine.
  
• Begin Autumn Equinox-completion projects at Summer Solstice.
  
• Begin Samhain-completion projects at Lammas.
  
• Begin Yule-completion projects at Autumn Equinox.
  

Embellishments and Accents

Although you may choose some of these items (buttons, zippers, charms, ribbons, etc.) when you first design or purchase your materials, leave room in your budget to review the project when almost completed. By then, you'll be able to “feel” if something extra-special is needed. Remember, your thoughts during the stitching process have changed, enhanced, or possibly negated your original intention. Hold the piece in your hands, and think about what you wish to attract. Then go shopping or digging in that sewing stash of yours. What you need will be there. The great thing about stitching is that you can add items not associated with sewing to the lining or incorporate an unusual embellishment. Let's say you knitted a purse for your daughter, and you choose to line the inside with a colorful cotton print so that it will last longer for her. You can stitch a packet of dried herbs (just a bit) in the lining (cinquefoil, marigold, and chamomile for money and prosperity) and add lucky Asian coins as a fringe or as part of the closure. Perhaps you made a special project for a new baby that will be framed and hung in the baby's room. Sew up a small bag containing life everlasting herb, lavender, and rosemary, and attach it to the back of the framed project. If you don't have a compendium of magickal herbs handy, no problem! Dried organic teas can be a quick and easy choice for empowerment. There are so many blends on the market, you'll be able to find something that closely matches your intent.

The Day to Begin Your Project

General timing applies to enchanted stitchery just as it affects any other magickal work. Choose which pattern of timing works best for you. Some people like to work with the moon phases, others the days of the week, and some with astrological timing. Rather than fret about which timing is best, work with the timing that is most comfortable to you. If you need to learn more advanced timing, the opportunity will come, and you'll integrate the information easily. Trust the design of the universe to bring you what you need when you need it. If you are unfamiliar with any timing vehicle, try the days of the week:

Sunday Success

Monday Intuition, emotion, women, children

Tuesday Action

Wednesday Communication, knowledge

Thursday Expansion, spirituality, legal issues

Friday Love, fast cash, education, beauty

Saturday Structure, closure, senior citizens

Although this explanation is brief, it will get you started. You'll find more information on magickal days at the beginning of Section 5. The best timing to set that first stitch is dawn of your chosen day.

Your Very First Stitch

Okay, so you've chosen your project, picked your day, and have all your supplies. Should you just start stitching? You can, but try this and see how it works for you:

On a flat, cleaned, empty table, lay out your supplies (instructions, tools, thread, material, embellishments), placing the main piece (such as your cross-stitch Aida cloth) in the center of the table. We use the clean, flat table to signify the vast universe of opportunity.

Ring a bell or chime eight times, signalling the mastery of the physical plane. Tuning forks are super great for this, too. The idea here is to remove all negativity from your tools and supplies—from the manufacturer to the clerk at the store or even to family members who have fingered through your things. By removing the negativity, you have presented a fresh vehicle to the universe.

Light a white candle and pass the light over all the items on the table. This is done to connect your project with Spirit (that which you feel runs the universe). You can intone your favorite prayer or just say a simple blessing. If the project is for someone other than yourself, say: “This project is for (whomever). May they receive the purity of unconditional love through my work.”

Close your eyes, and visualize the finished project. Then see yourself giving the project to whom it is intended. Visualize yourself and the other person smiling happily. Envision the person using the item with a smile on their face, then physically smile yourself, open your eyes, and say: “It is done! It always works. Always a blessing!” Smile. You are now ready to stitch the magickal way!

When you have completed your project, follow the exact same formula. Clear and clean the table. Place the finished item in the center of the table (wash and block first, if necessary). Ring the bell eight times. Pass a new, lit candle over the item for the renewed connection to Spirit. Intone your prayer, charm, or statement. Visualize yourself and the recipient happy and empowered. End with a physical smile. Say: “Thank you! It is done!” Your item is ready to be given to that special person.

Stitching the Magickal Way

When the needle points to the sky, you are pulling in the energy of Spirit. When it returns to the cloth, you are bringing that energy down into the project. When the needle points down to the earth, you are drawing in earth energy (extremely powerful when you wish to manifest things on this plane). When it comes back up through the cloth, you are bringing that energy into the project. Likewise, when knitting, your needles are working with sky energy, but your yarn is a representation of earth energy—together, just as in stitching cross-stitch or needlepoint, you are creating balance in the work.

When Beginning a Project

Cleanse and consecrate all tools, threads, canvas, yarn, and so on, with either holy water or sacred smoke. Bless everything with your overall intent. By intent, I mean love, money, health, success, or you can be more exact. Remember, magickal stitchery works only on attraction. Refrain from negative wording or intent. Think of what you
do
want, not of what you don't want. Infusing your stitchery with negative intent will only boomerang. There is no escape.

Create an affirmation or short stitchery poem to match your intent—something that can be said quickly and easily at every stitch, or if this is too much, at the end of every row. Keep your language simple, direct, and straightforward. Use nouns or single-action verbs (your best bet), such as healing, success, prosperity, happiness, serenity, peace, tranquility, harmony, love, security, joy, compassion, safety, luck, unity, opportunity … even a simple thank you carries great power.

During Your Project

Try to stay as upbeat as possible. If things are going well for you, concentrate on the positive aspects of whom the project is for. People suffering from terminal illnesses and depression can find great solace in needlework due to its meditative qualities. Take advantage of this energy if you are in this situation, working the stitches to promote healing for yourself and for others. Sharing positive thoughts and actions is the epitome of caring.

If you become frustrated during the construction of a project, renew the process you first used when you began your work—the clean table, the white candle, the bell, the prayer, the visualization, etc. When you open your eyes, laugh, and say: “This is so easy!” Surprisingly enough, this works wonders! If the problem seems particularly testy, just set the piece aside for a day or two. Begin again when you are in a better mental place.

Sometimes your frustration may have nothing to do with the piece itself, but revolves around a problem in your own life. For example, let's say you are knitting a simple shawl, but your yarn keeps tangling, to the point that you are sure you will scream, scream,
scream
! Stop! This is the universe telling you that you have some tangle in your life you aren't paying attention to, and this is the shortest and best way to show you. Think about what this might be, acknowledge the fact, put the project down, and take a walk or do something physical that does not relate to your project. In this way, you won't be weaving negativity into your work. Come back to the project when your mind is clear and focused. You may be delighted that you have also thought of a solution to your present “tangle.”

Big Projects

To me, big projects are items that take more than five days to complete. This could be crocheting an afghan, knitting a sweater, sewing a quilt, stitching a large cross-stitch pattern, etc. It doesn't hurt to burn a lovely candle while working, occasionally ringing the bell or tuning forks and repeating your prayer of intention. This will keep you and the work in the mindset of opportunity.

Storing Your Project While Working

At the end of each stitching session, take a few moments to relax. Bless the project before you put it away. Repeat your original intent and visualization, and remember to thank the universe for the time you were able to spend doing something you love.

Stitchers have a variety of ways in which they store their projects while working. Some have fancy, special bags, where others just put the project back in the original plastic bag from the manufacturer. I do something a bit different. I purchased ten inexpensive canvas bags to use for various projects. Before I begin a project, I launder the bag and include the bag on the table during my original blessing. If the project is for someone else, I will put their picture in this bag. If I don't have a picture, I write their name on a three-by-five-inch card and place that in the bag. Sometimes I add a potpourri pillow or herb sachet to the bag, along with a charm or two. When I'm not working on the project, all supplies and the project are stored in the bag. I also store this bag in the area of the room that relates to my intent—a feng shui principle. For example, if I decided to make a quilt for my granddaughter, then I might place the bag in any of the following positions: for her education, northeast; for her prosperity, southeast; for her general success and artistic abilities, south; for my love for her and her mother, or a good relationship with her (grandmother to granddaughter), or marriage possibilities, southwest; help from good mentors, northwest. Too complicated? Just remember to store the work with love—your intent is absolutely the key.

I Really Should Be Doing Something Else!

Sometimes allowing ourselves time to actually enjoy working on our creative stitchery can be very difficult. Right now I'm knitting a healing shawl in soft, baby blue yarns. Yet when I sit down to knit, I think: “I should be doing the dishes. I should be finishing that writing project. I should be doing laundry. I should be sweeping out the basement. I should pay that phone bill. I should be cleaning the bathroom shower (ugh!),” etc. It's never just one “should-be”—your mind will create quite a dance line if you let it. To appease this nagging, before you begin stitching, do one thing you've been putting off all day (or even all week), and then settle in for some happy stitching! Stitch for a half-hour, then get up, move around, and do something else you've been putting off. Now that you've taken a healthy break, go back to stitching! By releasing the tasks you must do, you are actually creating a mind-healthy, magickal time slot that can be filled with what you desire—stitching!

Integrate Your Family

This is a big one. Whether it is just you and your partner, or you have rooms bulging with kids—few, if any, humans can tolerate your attention to what you are doing if they believe it is taking away attention from themselves. Rather than suffer for years in silence, here are a few tips to better integrate your family and your crafting: