Stab fabric, not people.
This year, in addition to doing a daily temperature chart embroidery project, I am participating in the Year of Stitch, a yearlong activity created by Shannon Downey of Badass Cross Stitch for their Patreon supporters. Shannon, and the Rita’s Quilt project she spearheaded a couple of years ago, inspired me to pick up embroidery back at the end of 2019 and expand on the cross-stitch skills my mother gave me when I was a child. It is thanks to Shannon that I started my 365 project for 2021, and connected with artists and cool people from around the world, and generally made it through another year of pandemic. When she announced the Year of Stitch, I thought, of course! How could I not?
How the Year of Stitch will work is, periodically, she will release a pattern that features multiple types of embroidery stitches. Then each week, she will provide a video that demonstrates one of the stitches so we can add it to the sampler. By the end of the year, we will have multiple samplers featuring 52 different stitches. I am excited because I personally know maybe ten kinds of stitches, and typically use about three of them. I can barely conceive of what the other 40+ stitches might be!
The first sampler is an anatomical heart. I have stitched a couple of hearts in the past, and I was glad to see that I already know all six of the stitches we will be using, so I can start this year out with confidence. Here is a photo of the first week of progress:
If you are interested in learning to embroider, or just want a chance to practice a bunch of different stitches on samplers that aren’t boring, you should join me! All you have to do is support the Badass Cross Stitch Patreon (the pricing is extremely accessible for those of us with limited funds!) and follow along.
If you’re in the greater Seattle area, I can even help you! I have extra of any and all supplies you might need, and would love to introduce you to this fun and versatile hobby. Reach out to me if you want to get started!