Stitch Journaling

For a few years now I've been noticing slow-stitch supply vendors on Etsy offering blank stitch journals made out of batted muslin, felt or felted wool. I was tempted a few times to buy one so I could journal by embroidery, but they seemed so simple that I thought I could make one of my own.

Fast forward to this spring, and the rapid deterioration on my one working hand due to arthritis has stolen the time I usually procrastinate about such ideas. I decided to invest in a book that would teach me about stitch journals and how to make them, which resulted in my purchase of Journal with Thread by Jessie Chorley.

This is a very neat book, chock full of advice and ideas for hand stitchers like me. Here you can see the indepth explanations and sample pics of two different embroidery stitches.

The author gives you step by step instructions on how to sew your own 8" X 8" stitch journal, and plenty of ideas on how to fill the pages with embroidery and appliques. Her sample is about the four seasons, but you can choose what you want to journal about in your own book.

The back of the book is filled with iron-on transfers so you can follow along with her stitching ideas, too. I think it will really help me as I make my own stitch journal. Highly recommend this book as an excellent guide if you'd like to do the same.

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Stuff

After finding this Caron one pound skein of lovely peach yarn in my thrifted lot I raided my stash for two cakes of Mandala in Pegasus, which matches it perfectly. For practice and hand therapy I'm going to make another Worth Street Afghan with this free pattern , but this time I'll use the yarn that was recommended for it plus the one pound skein. I'm not quite ready to do the vintage/recycled linen quilt I had planned (still a bit too nervous about the idea), so I'm going to use some color therapy and make a quilt from these thrifted green fat quarters. I considered doing another Yellow Brick road patchwork pattern, but I might go with a split rail fence like this one.

Journal Find

This is a page from my 2010 poetry journal. My handwriting isn't the best, so I'll transcribe it: If my heart survives to tell all the secrets kept inside it will be an abalone shell in which the beauty did reside. But I think I will always be lost to the tides that rage in me . . . humbling and polishing . . . I don't write many self-portrait poems, but this one isn't too embarrassing. A bit overly dramatic, but the girl I was eleven years ago went through some tough times. I'm in a much more peaceful place today.

The Numbers

Back in March my diabetes doctor changed my medication and encouraged me to alter my diet and exercise more in order to bring down my A1C, which at the time tested out at a dismal 8.3 (normal is 5.8.) So for the next two months I dealt with the increased meds, stuck to my decidedly grim diet and added a lot more walking to my exercise regime. P.S., it's never fun to be a diabetic, but over the last couple of months I've really tried to keep a good attitude about it. Attitude isn't everything, but it helps a lot when you have to make significant changes while battling a disease like this. Yesterday I performed a home A1C test, and I'm currently at 6.5. That's pretty amazing results, even for me. If I can get it down another half point before I see the doctor in July I'd be over the moon, but I feel like I've already done great. Image credit: Image by Daniele Liberatori from Pixabay

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