Stitching into the New Year

As we step into 2025, I find myself drawn – once again – to the quiet, meditative practice of daily stitching. A few days ago, I received an email from Karen Turner, where she shared her completed stitch journal for 2024. That’s serendipity for you. I was wondering how I was going to start the New Year, and there it was! In all wonderful and beautiful colour! Inspired by Karen’s exquisite stitching journals, I have started a year-long project that combines creativity, mindfulness, and the beauty of vintage textiles.

How exciting! A new project to go with the New Year combining my love of vintage textiles and stitching. What could be better than that? I have loads of beautiful threads in different weights that I’m planning on using.

To that end, I purchased Karen’s 2025 templates, a set of thoughtfully designed guides meant to inspire stitching every day of the year. She does such a beautiful job of creating these templates. They are not just patterns; they’re invitations to slow down and savour the process of creating something meaningful, one stitch at a time.

For this project, I’ve chosen to work on strips of an old tablecloth I found at an antique mall in town. Its soft, timeworn linen holds a history of its own, and its delicate lace edge adds a touch of elegance that I’m keeping intact. This lace border will frame the final textile book, connecting the daily stitching to a sense of continuity and tradition.

I transferred the patterns for the first 6 months to one strip of the tablecloth. Each day, I plan to stitch a small section, responding intuitively and letting my mood guide the colours and patterns. The act of working on something so connected to the past feels grounding – like stitching myself into a shared history.

At the end of the year, these daily pieces will come together as a textile book, a tactile diary that tells the story of 2025. It’s a way to mark time not in the rush of tasks or the blur of screens, but in the deliberate act of creation.

This project feels like the perfect way to start the new year—grounded, creative, and open to discovery. I hope to share updates along the way and perhaps inspire others to take on their own daily creative practice.

What new projects are you starting this year? Let’s make 2025 a year of growth, joy, and connection through creativity.

Until I write again, keep stitching,

Ana