Week Fifty-One: The Last Section, Part 2

Y'all, it's week 51. No, aliens did not land in my neighborhood and say they're going to blow up the planet in two days (nor did I inherit $5 million - this is a reference for a specific subset of fans of this blog). I did, however, watch two very fun docuseries (Trixie Motel and Cheese: A Love Story), take photos of the fabric for the 2023 stitch journal (more on this in a few minutes), and make a batch of mini bundt cakes using one of those cute mini makers from Target (#unnecessarystuffibuyattarget). I could hear Lainie Kazan in My Big Fat Greek Wedding say the word "bundt" the entire time I was making them. I wrapped up a bunch of stuff at work (since I'm off until the new year) and felt very productive. It's been a good week. 

It also hit me like a ton of bricks on Tuesday that this year's project is almost over. I've really enjoyed creating this stitch journal. Artistically speaking, it's one of the most random things I've ever made and I say this as a person who has made glitter purses, named a spider sticker in another piece Kevin, and used to work as a costume shop assistant in various theatres in New Orleans. It's been very freeing. It didn't start out that way, which I was thinking about this week as well. I was much more structured back in January and maybe a bit into February. Which was totally fine. There was nothing wrong with that, but I think the piece became more interesting to me when I stopped trying to make it work and just let it work. That's not something I'm very good at. I'm a perfectionist and overthinker. Unstructured things are not usually my jam. Letting the piece do what it needed to do has been very fulfilling for me. I think I started out thinking this would be a lot more like the stitch journals I talked about a few weeks back where people stitch icons or little symbols of their day or month, but that is not what this is. I don't think I needed that type of stitch journal after I started. I needed this one instead. 

That's the thing about art. It becomes the thing you need it to be when you're working on it. Last year's project needed to be this massive thing that pushed me to hone my skills, try lots of things I didn't actually think I could do (99% of the designs were original - I drew a freaking toaster), and grow my confidence as an artist. This year's project needed to be what it is. 

Here's this week's recap:

December 18: Pink chain stitch - it pops so nicely.

December 19: I did a lot of stem stitch this week. I don't know why, but it looks good.

December 20: I don't have a lot of yellow thread left so I was excited to find a nice length for this line of back stitches. 

December 21: French knot explosion!

December 22: This stem stitch was inspired by Steel Magnolias and Shelby's wedding colors.

December 23: This line of stem stitches starts and ends on the same line of yellow back stitches.

December 24: It's whipped back stitch, but messy.

I can either stay in this section for the final week or move around the piece and add stitches where I feel they're needed. I think I may stay for tomorrow and then move for the rest of the week. 

Coming in 2023

I wanted to share a little sneak peek at the 2023 stitch journal/365 project. I got the idea when I was traveling to New Mexico back in October. I go through my closet a few times a year and always find clothes that I can't donate, either because they're too worn or have holes or I really like the whatever the thing is, but I don't wear it anymore or it doesn't fit. I decided to put twelve pieces of clothing aside to use for the 2023 stitch journal. 

The above image is of the first three pieces of the year. The blue cardigan (January) is something I've had for at least ten years, but it's got some bleach stains on it and is showing its age. The cat t-shirt (February) is one of my favorite shirts, but doesn't fit as well anymore. And finally the "Nasty Woman" shirt (March) has some holes in it, so I don't wear it anymore. 

I'll share more about the whole project and the January piece on January 1, but the first month is going to be an actual scene, something I haven't really done in a year (other than the few kits I've done this year). I'm planning on a winter scene featuring some trees. This will allow me to incorporate the bleach stains that are on the collar as snow. I'm excited to get back to some drawing and lettering in the new year. More to come on the 2023 stitch journal!