Here we are in a whole new January, and a happy new year to you. One of the things I’ve been wanting to make for a while now is a stitch journal – some sort of ongoing cloth with a little stitching every day. I sew most days anyway, of course, but hardly ever in the same place. I’ve often thought it would be interesting to see how the threads of days join up over time. I don’t keep a written diary or journal, because not that much happens in my life – which is just the way I like it, incidentally. A new year seems like a good time to start.
I’m using a long strip torn from an antique linen sheet, about 12″ wide and about 8 feet long, and I’ve mapped out a block of 31 fields that I can use as a template for each month – obviously, some months are shorter than that so I can adapt the template as necessary. Each monthly block is about 8″ x 10″ altogether, so each daily field is an inch and a half or so. I will fill in a field every day for the rest of this year, and I’m hoping that the end result will look something like a cross between a map and a path through the year.
I really want this to be just thread, on one single layer of cloth – so no patching, applique, layering, lining, etc – just thread, whatever happens to be at hand, and whatever kind of stitch presents itself on the day. I will let it unfold in its own way and in its own time, and create an overall pattern (or not) as time goes by. Because I don’t know how this is going to go, I’m starting with very simple running stitches, but I think that will change as I settle in to working with this cloth.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how this unfolds. The older I get, the more quickly time seems to pass, and the more precious time seems. I’m hoping that a daily stitch journal will help me to slow down more and notice each single day for the gift that it is.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing how this evolves … and confess to being tempted to join you!
Oh I hope you do! 🙂
I am … which is to say, I have stitched a one inch linen patch of sky … to be continued
thank you!
This is something I was considering – maybe not on such a scale, although it sounds like a fabulous way of recording the year. I too will try to sew along. looking forward to see how things develop.
Lovely! It will be a magical mystery tour 🙂
Well, this will be interesting. You will get a real, deep understanding of how to work on that particular fabric..
Indeed I will. I can’t imagine it was a comfortable bed sheet, it’s quite thick and coarse. Pretty good stitching surface though.
I’m looking forward to seeing your stitch diary develop! It will definitely help with that feeling “what did I do with the past 365 days?” Just a small patch of stitch each day will really add up quickly.
Yes, I’m looking forward to it. The years are starting to disappear in a bit of a blur, which alarms me. This could be a good way of having some sort of tangible evidence that I did have this time. I also like the fact that I don’t know how it will look in the end.