APR-JUN: Big Swap!

[RMDC]

These past few days I've been stitching at an estimated rate of almost a full BMH per day, so the main part of my swap gift is almost complete. I really need to get one of those big foam puzzle-piece squares for easier drying / blocking. Anyone know where I can find one (or a pack of only a few) for cheap?

If you take something to a craft store for framing (a Michael's or Hobby Lobby), about how long does it take them to frame it?? I had a time line going for my project, but I forgot to factor in framing. And I'm so excited about this piece I don't want to mess it up framing it myself!

I briefly worked in the frame shop at one of the busier Michael's in the US. Our turnaround time was about two weeks... but in this case, your mileage truly will vary, as each shop has its own pace, its own quirks, and its own pack of weirdos running it.

[blackmageheart]

...I've been stitching at an estimated rate of almost a full BMH per day...

This made my day! I'm now a unit of measurement!

I don't know where you'd get one of those foam puzzle piece things over there, but I know if I was looking I'd try Amazon or Ebay first, then anywhere that sells a big range of baby stuff, they are likely to have such things. Or I would try exercise equipment retailers - for interlocking gym mat pieces, pretty similar to the puzzley ones. Don't know if that helps but thought I'd throw it out there!

[LinkIsMyHomeboy]

My favorite colors are:
Pink Green Purple Black and Silver. I don't care for browns, reds, or oranges.

[starrley]

I finished one of my swap gifts tonight, and I'm so excited that I wish I could send it tomorrow! I know it will be better if I send it all together though. Just had to share!

[Ally]

I've finished the little things, but still haven't received the aida to start the larger gift. Starting to get anxious!

[carand88]

my problem is that i finish one small thing and then i think of ten more things i could make. it's getting ridiculous!! my person will be very lucky.

[shanoa]

...stitching at an estimated rate of almost a full BMH per day...

I'm curious as to how much stitching that equals, it would be a neat way for us to keep track of how long it takes us to complete things!

I'm officially panicking. Due to randomness IRL I just started stitching my project today! So I really have to kick it into top gear to make sure I'm done in time. I never thought I would have so much trouble getting started on this but the ideas just kept popping up and then not working out and AAARRRGHH! Not sure whether to switch to decaf or a higher octane. lol

[RMDC]

I FINISHED MY STITCHING!!! I'm in the home stretch now. Hopefully I can get it all together and shipped out within the next couple weeks. (I fully expect life to get in the way - I certainly don't have two weeks of actual work left!)

shanoa raises an interesting question:

...stitching at an estimated rate of almost a full BMH per day...

I'm curious as to how much stitching that equals, it would be a neat way for us to keep track of how long it takes us to complete things!

I first assumed that she operates at one full stitch every ten seconds. This was to include time spent looking at the pattern, untangling knots (tip: she doesn't have to do this; knots are so scared of her she has to wear velcro shoes), and so on. That means six stitches a minute, or three hundred sixty stitches an hour. Then I assumed that she stitches one hour a day. I know that she actually stitches nine hours a day, but I didn't count the time she spends stitching in her sleep.

So for our purposes, one BMH-day is equal to three hundred sixty stitches. This assumes investment in the project, i.e. work beyond "casual stitching". From the April-June Series of Challenges thread:

If we do fill it all in, and usually for backgrounds you need to, that is 4,096 stitches. That'll take some time! Just had to do the math... it always sounds so impressive.

I have done a couple of pieces that exact size, took me a week each, casual stitching

So we know that her "rest" rate is less than 585.14 stitches per day - which is just about a fifth of a true BMH nine-hour day. In fact, it's only about 65 stitches an hour! This provides a good check of our assumptions. It's reasonable for her to stitch twice as fast when she's invested than when she's at rest - bringing her rate to 130 stitches an hour - and when we factor in the warp bubble she generates around her while stitching, that accelerates her rate relative to the world around her by a factor of almost 3.

Further on in that thread:

I do think that 4096 stitches can be done by anyone in a month, easily. You'd only have to do 136.5 stitches every day in June!

136.5 is an "easily" achieved rate for her, taking less than half an hour of invested work, and just a little over two hours of work at her rest rate.

CONCLUSION:

Work rate
1 BMH-sec = 0.1 st
1 BMH-hr = 360 st

Rest rate
1 BMHr-sec ~ 0.01 st
1 BMHr-hr = 65 st

[tnitnetny]

That is freaking awesome. I love you RMDC.

[Eliste]

If you take something to a craft store for framing (a Michael's or Hobby Lobby), about how long does it take them to frame it??

So, if you go in with enough of a sob story you *might* be able to get it done that day. However, my plight was that I was over from Ireland and only in town for 3 days and had to get it framed before I left town so it could be left there for Christmas. They did it the same day for me, but it was fitting it into standard frame-size. There was no way I'd get a custom frame done in that time.

Mind you, mat it well enough and you don't notice that the frame is a bit big.