dorisL

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about being at home, working, and living in the same space. So my choices have included more scraps from my families clothing. Pieces that no longer fit, things that are a bit too worn out, baby clothes saved.

Working with cloth that is not new from a store, but has been worn seems to imbue more into a piece. The fabric carries with it the essence of the one that wore it. It’s as if the cloth tells the story that you are helping to translate.

Stitching, listening and repeating. Coming towards the end of the project has given me a boost. I am squeezing these last few in-between machine stitching my House and Home series and finishing up some long-standing projects.

Looking aback at the thirteenth month:

• week 29 – Days 83 & 84
• week 30 – Days 85 & 86
• week 31 – Days 87 & 88

Colourful patterns – one stitch at a time!

There are so many types of embroidery, hundreds of stitches available to use in any project. Yet, I know that I tend to find a couple of stitches that I like to work with and use almost exclusively.

Even though I don’t stray from my tried and true stitches, it is fun to look around at other options. I stumbled across a resource on the Victoria & Albert Museum website. Their guide on embroidery stitches is a visual feast. Examples of the many stitches available include an explanation but also photographs taken from items in their collection. Gorgeous!

Stitch Resources:

• Article: Embroidery Styles: An Illustrated Guide. V & A Museum.

My motivation to finish this project has improved now that I can see the end in sight. Creating these small meditations has given me ideas for larger projects. So, I have been stitching larger quilted pieces and it is so satisfying!

Looking back at the twelfth month:

• week 26 – Days 77 & 78
• week 27 – Days 79 & 80
• week 28 – Days 81 & 82

Simple designs – one stitch at a time!

As I embarked on this 100 Day Stitch Meditation Challenge, I didn’t expect it to last so long! My first post was dated December 27, 2018! How the world has changed since then!

I’ve recently been asked what I am going to do with all of these 5″ squares. Nothing! The purpose of creating these stitch meditations was the act itself. So for now I will continue towards the end, only 14 left!

Stitch Resources

• Article: Gharib, Malika. Feeling Artsy? Here’s How Making Art Helps Your Brain. National Public Radio. Jan. 20, 2021.

Creating for its own sake – one stitch at a time!

Playing with fabrics. by either dyeing it, cutting it up or stitching it together, makes me so very happy. Immersing myself in the colours, patterns and textures lightens my mood. Even sorting, stacking and clean-up following the completion of a project can help elevate my mood. Sometimes this is even the beginning of another project when a long-forgotten piece of cloth is found hidden on the shelves.

Stitch Resources

• Article: Hobbies And Side Projects Can Transform Your Mindset. Huffington Post. Sept. 1, 2016.

Playing – one stitch at a time!

A favorite and simple embroidery stitch. I think this may have been the first I learned to do when I was a child. I did a few cross stitch kits especially during summer vacations. It is so versatile – it can be scaled up or down, and the legs can be extended to make a wonky X!

Stitch Resources

• Article: Verso, Jo. Threads of History. The Cross Stitch Guild.

Crossed stitches – one stitch at a time!

Elegant simplicity! I love this but sometimes difficult to achieve. The temptation is to add more.

Simplicity: easy to understand, natural, stripping back the extraneous to the basic form. Just enough left behind to give meanings or glimpses of what is there.

Stitch Resources

• Article: How Simplicity Can Help Creativity, Briefly. Zen Habits Blog.

Simply creating – one stitch at a time!