As 2019 came to a close, I like so many others, took some time to reflect on the the year: what I had accomplished; what I hadn’t; and how I felt throughout. It was a chaotic and stressful year for me; while it was the first year that my embroidery business hadn’t grown by traditional economic measurements, it was also the first year that I really felt I was taking control of my business and life. I made very intentional decisions about stepping back from certain projects and commitments that had been staples for the past few years and Davey and I prioritized a better work/life balance in a much bigger way than we have in the past.

I knew I wanted a fresh start in 2020. I wanted to approach my business and life with intentionality and organization rather than from a place of constant reaction, which has been the norm for the past 6.5 years. This business started by accident after all in 2013 and evolved from a hobby into our full-time operation.

I knew that part of the intentionality I was craving for this year was going to have to involve daily systems of time management and organizational strategies in order for me and Davey to accomplish everything we want to. I also knew that self-care and personal creative freedom outside of the demands of the studio was going to be essential. One of the strategies I came up with is my ‘Making Time’ series.

I have made a personal commitment to 30 minutes of meditative stitching a day for the next year. I know what you may be thinking: “How does adding more work to the lineup make things more manageable?” and/or “You already stitch for a living…how is this daily practice any more meditative than your normal work?”

Well, for one thing, I have come to recognize that I work best, feel best, and am most productive and satisfied when my days have a type of organization. Creating this daily regimen for myself helps me create the structure that I need. For the past 10 days I have used the 30 minutes of meditative stitching as a creative warm up. This little window of time each day is completely personal—divorced from any kind of commercial pressures or economic expectations (which can’t be said for most of the embroidery that I do since this is my business and our livelihood) and divorced from all the requirements of owning a home and being a functional adult person (things like cleaning, and bills, and setting up retirement funds.) It is a quiet half an hour each day just for me.

So far, it has made the rest of each day feel more manageable because I am starting out from a calm and inspired place. The meditative stitching prepares and energizes me for a calm and ordered rest of the day regardless of whatever chaos might come up. Like any form of meditation, it centers me so it doesn’t feel like adding more work. It feels like a deeply important and increasingly essential form of self-care—particularly as it feels like the world continues to spiral out of control.

As for the second question, in my mind these 30 minutes of stitches are so different from the rest of the embroidery I do for work and my studio practice. I am not focussing on imagery here, but rather it is the intense investigation of a single technique and an accumulation of marks over time—a record of time itself even. It is unrestrained creative time and space for me to hone my craft and play with color, texture, and pattern without any expectations or pressure put on the final result. It is about the process pure and simple.

I have decided to structure this year-long project by creating 12 separate pieces—one per month—exploring a different embroidery technique in each piece. For January, I wanted to break it down to the most basic technique of all time: the Straight Stitch. One stitch = one line from point A to point B. The technique is so simple I don’t know that it even really qualifies as its own distinct technique because it is the foundation of all other embroidery techniques. It is not a stitch but The Stitch. So beautifully simple and yet, when repeated over and over again, so beautifully varied and complex.

If you received my last newsletter, then you know the invitation to join me in this daily meditation has already been extended, but I want to invite you again (or for the first time) to commit to your own practice of daily meditation. It doesn’t have to be for a full half hour, maybe you can only set aside 10 minutes. That’s ok. You don’t have to use the technique prompts I send out each month, maybe you want to skip around or substitute. That’s ok. You don’t have to start your day off with it, maybe it’s more relaxing to stitch in the evening to wind down. That’s ok. It’s also ok not to participate at all.

My intention is not to add stress to your daily life, but to share with you a strategy that has, for me, helped eliminate some stress and anxiety. But there are no rules here, there is no test at the end of the month to see if you have mastered the given technique, and there is no pressure to share your work with anyone if you don’t want to. (Though if you do choose to share on Instagram, please use #skbmakingtime so the larger community can celebrate what you’ve done!). It’s not about the end product, but rather the time and process that got you there.

So here’s the plan for the year: At the start of each month I will send out a prompt and stitch diagram to my mailing list community and an open invitation to join the Making Time movement. This may be subject to change, but for now here are the techniques I intend to explore month by month:

First things first, you will want to select your materials for the month. I chose to focus on pattern for January, so I limited myself to one color of DMC size 8 pearl cotton thread. I am stitching January’s piece on cotton fabric stretched over wooden bars. You can use any materials you want to! If you are shopping for supplies online, you can check out my curated list of DMC Studio Staples here. (This is an affiliate link. I receive a small commission on any supplies purchased through my DMC gallery which helps me to continue putting out content like this!)

January’s prompt is Straight Stitch. I know we are already 10 days in, but it’s never too late to start! This stitch is as simple as it gets:

1) With a knot at the end of your thread, come up through your fabric from the back.

2) Decide how long you want your stitch to be and re-enter the fabric from the front. Repeat it as many times in whatever pattern or layout you want!

Happy stitching! (if you want to see my progress 1 week in, you can check it out here!)

Making Time: A Daily Commitment to Meditative Stitching