The 2022 Project

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful New Year's Eve; Keely and I watched part of the new season of Queer Eye and I had some sparkling wine to celebrate the conclusion of the 2021 365 project. We actually stayed up until midnight, which is probably why Keely is such a morgenmuffel this morning. Cats...

Today begins the 2022 365 project. As I shared in a few of the final posts from last year, this year's project is going to be pretty different. I want to be able to work on other projects and creative pursuits this year (in addition to my actual job and life and stuff), so I decided to approach creating a daily embroidery piece a bit differently. There are lots of versions of embroidered calendars and stitch journals out there. I decided in August that this year's project would take the form of a stitch journal. Rather than making a full piece each day, I'll stitch whatever I want for a set time each day, much like I might do if I was writing in an actual journal. It'll all be embroidered on one large piece of fabric. Unlike some stitch journals, I don't plan to indicate the day or month anywhere on the piece. At the end of the year, it will be another year in my life, but a very abstract version of the year. Creating abstract embroidery for the 2021 project was one of my favorite parts of last year, and I really want to embrace abstract embroidery for both the 2022 project and my other work. 

This means some things will change here on An Embroidery a Day. I've created some guiding principles for myself and a schedule of when I'll post what and where:

• Stitch for 5-10 minutes each day (or longer if I'm so inclined and have the time). It's up to me to decide when and for how long I stitch, but this keeps it more manageable and is within the range used for written journaling.
• I can stitch whatever - a series of stitches, a word, shapes, symbols. It's meant to reflect my day or my mood so it can be whatever it needs to be.
• I have to use the thread from the 2021 ort jar. I used so much thread in 2021, so I want to upcycle the remnants for this project. The ort jar also includes other materials, so you never know what might show up on any given day.
• I won't be able to tell you the thread color, but I will record the type of stitches I use each day and the amount of time I stitch.
• Blogs and Instagram postings:
• Each Saturday: a blog post on the week. I'll share daily photos in this post and a photo of the entire week along with any observations, stories, or other things I find interesting about the week.
• Last day of the month: a blog post to show the entire month and the full progress of the project. 
• Throughout the month/year: blog posts sharing other creative projects I'm working on or planning to complete.
• Instagram: daily photos will be shared on Instagram. I know a lot of people follow me on Facebook and view the posts there, so I'll try to share on Facebook as well, but can't guarantee it will always happen. The blogs will be posted on Facebook, so you'll still get to see progress just not as frequently.

Let's get started with today's stitches. I started off with my favorite stitch, the French knot. There are also some back stitches in there, although they may be hard to see. I actually used all six strands of the orange/brown color - I haven't regularly used six strands of thread in a year! It's so decadent. 

I'm actually working in my studio (guest bedroom) this year! Very exciting - also excited to try out my new embroidery hoop stand.

The 2021 ort jar - so much thread.

My process is very scientific - I grabbed a handful of thread out of the jar and used whatever I picked up. Sorry the photo is a little blurry.

This is about a yard of fabric. I don't think I need that much fabric, but I'm erring on the side of too much since I don't really know how much I need. 

I plan to capture the time and stitches used this year. I can make some guesses on the colors, but I don't think they'll be close to correct. 

If you're interested in following the project on Instagram, the account is called An Embroidery a Day (@anembroideryaday). 

Thanks for following along in 2021 and I hope you'll stick with me in 2022! And welcome to those of you who are finding my blog for the first time. Enjoy!