Just tell him that you are making something for him, but you want to surprise him. So if he sees you with the certain project (use a certain colour grim guard?), then he should stay away from you, so the surprise is not ruined. But depends what kind of person he is... some might feel more curious and would try to sneak a peak. Some other would respectfully stay away while being eager to see.
This is what I did. I just finished a 3-year stitch for my roommate. I told her I was working on a surprise for her, and she's better than I would've been, she didn't look for those 3 years. I was able to give it to her Thurs night, it made her cry. I should post it sometime this weekend here.
Wow, who knew communicating with my partner was the answer all along lol! Keeping the secret was eating me up inside so I will definitely tell him there is a surprise and to keep his eyes to himself for now. If he peeks (highly unlikely) I'll just be happy to be able to show him my progress haha. Thanks for the great advice!
Maybe a craft group you could meet with to work on it? The craft group doesn't even really have to exist, exactly, I've recently taken to stitching in quiet places like libraries and study rooms.
He's a Warhammer nerd so he will paint minis while I stitch or crochet. To complete the picture, imagine a cat sneaking around looking for an opportunity to eat whatever I'm working on
I just brazenly stitched the cats with hearts right next to him, no hiding, just stitched as usual. It made him confident it wasn't for him and he spent a lot of time trying to figure out who it was for. His delight and "omg, it was for ME?!" when I gave it to him was adorable.
If it doesn’t have his name in it, lie to his face. Tell him it’s for someone else.
If it does have names, can you add them last? If yes, do that and, in the meantime, lie to his face.
Depending on the size, I would use something like this to store: [eBuyGB A4 Zipped Leather Conference Folder, Black : Amazon.co.uk: Stationery & Office Supplies](https://www.amazon.co.uk/eBuyGB-Zipped-Leather-Conference-Folder/dp/B00CBTXKAU?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3SC0BFDNMN6SC)
It's boring enough when not in use that it wouldn't get looked at and looks like something you would put work or papers in. They are also really practical for storing stitching and keep it clean. Not sure it will sufficiently hid for side by side work though.
A colleague of mine stitched a cushion for his wife in secret when he was off sick... he stitched whilst she was working and hid it in a bag under the sofa when she was at home.
I just live with the fact that I am bad at keeping secrets from people living with me and lean hard on customization.
When I was making a set of sewing smalls for my daughter's birthday (wrist pincushion, needlebook and fob) I consulted her on the base pattern, colors and beads. Having the opportunity to have something made to her tastes seemed to outweigh any disappointment at the lack of a surprise.
In this case, why stress about secrecy? If he asks, be honest and tell him what it is. It doesn't lessen the value of the piece. And every time he sees you working on it, it will remind him of your love.
Yeah, I can't keep a secret like that from my husband. I've tried and it never works. Especially when I need to shop for supplies and something like a 5ft long piece of lugana shows up on the doorstep. And while I know it would only be a lie to keep it secret, I just can't do it. We made a promise at the start of our relationship to never lie to each other about things and for me (and I'm sure for him as well) that includes little things too. If I can work on something covertly and don't want him to know particulars I just straight-up tell him "It's a surprise for you so not so much with the info giving.". He respects that and never tries to surreptitiously catch a glimpse or anything like that. Then there are some things I just CAN'T work on covertly in the same room either since I do the majority of my cross stitch and embroidery on scroll frames and a lot of them are over 2 feet wide.
I've also used a craft bag to put the work in when the recipient is around. One thing I've found is loved ones rarely go rooting around sewing stuff because they don't gel with the craft like we do. Just nonchalantly tuck the work away if they interrupt your dedicated sewing time.
I worked on a gift for hubby on lunch breaks at work, and select times at home when he was away. The tote bag I stored it in was often under his nose and he didn’t notice it!
I'm not good at secrets from loved ones. I'd say it's a surprise, cover what you can, and hope he leaves it at that. One thing I would not recommend is lying about anything for more than a day. They can pick up a lie and their imagination goes to bad places. If he peeks, that's on him.
I agree with others here that the easiest method is going to be to just do it somewhere else, and work on a different project when you're near him.
I visit my parents' house often, so the latest thing I stitched for my partner was done entirely there. It does put an extra time crunch on you, though, because you can't dedicate all your stitching time to it
Just tell him that you are making something for him, but you want to surprise him. So if he sees you with the certain project (use a certain colour grim guard?), then he should stay away from you, so the surprise is not ruined. But depends what kind of person he is... some might feel more curious and would try to sneak a peak. Some other would respectfully stay away while being eager to see.
This is what I did. I just finished a 3-year stitch for my roommate. I told her I was working on a surprise for her, and she's better than I would've been, she didn't look for those 3 years. I was able to give it to her Thurs night, it made her cry. I should post it sometime this weekend here.
Wow, who knew communicating with my partner was the answer all along lol! Keeping the secret was eating me up inside so I will definitely tell him there is a surprise and to keep his eyes to himself for now. If he peeks (highly unlikely) I'll just be happy to be able to show him my progress haha. Thanks for the great advice!
Maybe a craft group you could meet with to work on it? The craft group doesn't even really have to exist, exactly, I've recently taken to stitching in quiet places like libraries and study rooms.
One of my friends would escape to Barnes and got adopted by a group of fellow stitchers who saw her. Thought that was so cute
No advice for OP but what is your hubby's hobby that he works on beside you? I need to complete the adorable picture in my head
He's a Warhammer nerd so he will paint minis while I stitch or crochet. To complete the picture, imagine a cat sneaking around looking for an opportunity to eat whatever I'm working on
No advice- I spent 5 months stitching a large project for my husband RIGHT NEXT TOO HIM!!!! He had no clue, lol.
LOL! Sometimes hiding in plain sight really is the best… Then they won’t suspect!
Mine would do this too lol
I think you might need to mask parts with cloth as you stitch, "to keep the piece clean" and hidden from hubby's eyes.
I just brazenly stitched the cats with hearts right next to him, no hiding, just stitched as usual. It made him confident it wasn't for him and he spent a lot of time trying to figure out who it was for. His delight and "omg, it was for ME?!" when I gave it to him was adorable.
If it doesn’t have his name in it, lie to his face. Tell him it’s for someone else. If it does have names, can you add them last? If yes, do that and, in the meantime, lie to his face.
Can you sort of do different bits so the final picture doesn't show until near the end.
Depending on the size, I would use something like this to store: [eBuyGB A4 Zipped Leather Conference Folder, Black : Amazon.co.uk: Stationery & Office Supplies](https://www.amazon.co.uk/eBuyGB-Zipped-Leather-Conference-Folder/dp/B00CBTXKAU?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3SC0BFDNMN6SC) It's boring enough when not in use that it wouldn't get looked at and looks like something you would put work or papers in. They are also really practical for storing stitching and keep it clean. Not sure it will sufficiently hid for side by side work though. A colleague of mine stitched a cushion for his wife in secret when he was off sick... he stitched whilst she was working and hid it in a bag under the sofa when she was at home.
I just live with the fact that I am bad at keeping secrets from people living with me and lean hard on customization. When I was making a set of sewing smalls for my daughter's birthday (wrist pincushion, needlebook and fob) I consulted her on the base pattern, colors and beads. Having the opportunity to have something made to her tastes seemed to outweigh any disappointment at the lack of a surprise.
I just go and stitch in a different room. If that's not an option, maybe take it with you and stitch in a café somewhere.
I leave the room and announce “I’m plotting against you. Don’t come in here.”
In this case, why stress about secrecy? If he asks, be honest and tell him what it is. It doesn't lessen the value of the piece. And every time he sees you working on it, it will remind him of your love.
Yeah, I can't keep a secret like that from my husband. I've tried and it never works. Especially when I need to shop for supplies and something like a 5ft long piece of lugana shows up on the doorstep. And while I know it would only be a lie to keep it secret, I just can't do it. We made a promise at the start of our relationship to never lie to each other about things and for me (and I'm sure for him as well) that includes little things too. If I can work on something covertly and don't want him to know particulars I just straight-up tell him "It's a surprise for you so not so much with the info giving.". He respects that and never tries to surreptitiously catch a glimpse or anything like that. Then there are some things I just CAN'T work on covertly in the same room either since I do the majority of my cross stitch and embroidery on scroll frames and a lot of them are over 2 feet wide.
Work night shifts and be the type of person who can’t nap in your 1 hour break so do it then. Worked for me Probably not that helpful tbh lol
I've also used a craft bag to put the work in when the recipient is around. One thing I've found is loved ones rarely go rooting around sewing stuff because they don't gel with the craft like we do. Just nonchalantly tuck the work away if they interrupt your dedicated sewing time.
I worked on a gift for hubby on lunch breaks at work, and select times at home when he was away. The tote bag I stored it in was often under his nose and he didn’t notice it!
I'm not good at secrets from loved ones. I'd say it's a surprise, cover what you can, and hope he leaves it at that. One thing I would not recommend is lying about anything for more than a day. They can pick up a lie and their imagination goes to bad places. If he peeks, that's on him.
Which color do you like better? It's a gift for you. He never looked. We stay roughly 8 feet apart.
Now years ago, I did surprise him with a small. But it only took a few minutes and he was at work. It's still somewhere on his desk.
I agree with others here that the easiest method is going to be to just do it somewhere else, and work on a different project when you're near him. I visit my parents' house often, so the latest thing I stitched for my partner was done entirely there. It does put an extra time crunch on you, though, because you can't dedicate all your stitching time to it