And here we are, the end of the year already.
365 blocks of hand embroidery, one every day for twelve months, each stitch witnessing the passage of time.
Time is all we have, and time is all that we are. We have time, we make time, we find time, we save time, we spare time, we waste time, we spend time. We are time.
This year’s stitching is about 7″ wide and 122″ long, cotton and silk embroidery threads on vintage cotton/linen blend.
People ask me what will I do with it. I don’t ‘do’ anything with it. It’s enough for it to be itself, a surface onto which I have inscribed time with needle and thread, a cloth I have held in my hands every day for a year, a cloth that holds and remembers moments from my life. The cloth will still be here when I am not.
New Year’s Eve is a time for a final glance back, over our shoulder, before we move unsteadily forward into more of the unknown.
Of course this is not the end, nor is it a new beginning. It’s just the continuation of time. Tomorrow is only ever the day after today, when we gather ourselves to begin again.
Happy new year to you all, and happy stitching if you’re embarking on a new stitch adventure for 2026.
You can find my daily stitching PDF templates here, information about pre-printed fabric from Spoonflower here, and information about my online classes here. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel here for occasional daily stitching videos.
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Dear Karen.
Lovely reminder of 2025.
Happy new year 2026 to you and the needle.
Lynne
thanks so much Lynne, happy new year to you
Oh my goodness … Karen your witness to 2025 is just beautiful. I have yet to complete a year of stitching but my grid is all ready for tomorrow. Your words are inspirational – thank you x
thanks so much Carole, happy new year to you and wishing you joyful stitching for 2026
So much creativity fixed for all to see in the years that come. I love the finished tapestry, like fields and hedgerows.
I have not been an embroiderer up until now, your work and daily practice is inspiring and I feel like trying something similar, just to pause and be in the moment of creation, to build something larger, almost despite myself. I enjoy reading your reflective posts, they are uplifting.
May 2026 rise up to meet you.
Kind regards
thanks so much Kerry, a very happy and peaceful new year to you. Wishing you joy in your daily creative practice if you’re inspired to begin 🙂
I love this way to “capture time” for a few brief moments each day, immortalizing it in a stitch or two. Your 2025 was lovely, thank you for inspiring me! May 2026 be the best year yet! Happy New Year, Karen!
thanks so much Kat, happy new year to you too
Love love love! Fabulous stitching. I’m looking forward to stitching with you in 2026. Thank you so much.
thanks so much Pat, I’ve loved seeing your stitching this year too. Onwards and upwards 🙂
Karen, the stitching on this unique template not only reflects your own daily time spent on thoughtfully recording your quieter moments but also serves to inspire so many of us. After getting a mere 5 days in this last year, I fell badly on untreated frozen ground and broke bones in my right wrist. I restarted stitching again late March but never quite got back into the swing … I look forward to a fresh start tomorrow!
Happy New Year,
Mags
oh dear Mags, that was very unfortunate. I hope you’ve made a good recovery, though I know from experience that broken bones are never quite the same again. Here’s to new beginnings, and a happy new year to you
Happy New Year! You will get there a few hours before me in Atlanta, Georgia. I am ready to start tomorrow and have already couched January. I bought the pre-printed fabric for 2022 as I ordered from you the 2026 grid PDF and am even thinking of doing that in tandem from February, once I get in the groove – drawing a month at a time, even if I don’t keep up. I love the video showing all your days – I aspire to the variety; and I love listening to you, your voice is soothing. Thank you for sharing your gift.
how lovely, thanks so much Amanda Marie. Strange to think it’s already tomorrow in some parts of the world and that our today will be your yesterday for a few hours. Wishing you happy stitching in your happy new year 🙂