Your imagination is one of a kind. Inimitable. It’s the opposite of AI slop. But it does not give up its best easily. There are other voices and powers in you and outside of you that try to clean it up or make it fit into categories and boxes that seem to make sense. Really listening is a slow process of showing up and trying, feeling around for a sensation that you can’t describe until you feel it – when something on your page rings true in a way that it did not before.

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” – Franz Kafka

 

Saturday – 4/25 marks the end of the 2026 stitch book challenge

For the last (almost) 100 days we’ve made a small, consistent effort to spend time with our imaginations. Turning thoughts and ideas into actions. Trying stuff. We have not been concerned with perfection, we have only tried to engage, be present and available to the mystery.

Stitch book page by Carlene.

Especially the first time, the daily habit can be a hard thing to settle into, a hard thing to trust. This was the fifth annual challenge and one of the most interesting things about it for me is watching how it changes for people who have participated multiple times (this includes me).

(stitch book page by Kyra)

They start to trust themselves. There is a growing sense of freedom and experimentation in their pages. A confidence and truth.

(stitch book  pages by Melinda)

If you started the challenge and didn’t finish. Or didn’t even sort of finish, please don’t think you failed. You began. You introduced the idea of a daily practice, planted a seed. Try again or adjust the practice- maybe just one small session a week. This is not the SAT’s – no pencils down. It’s art and it’s life – starting over again and again.

what happens next

Assemble your book! Find the tutorial here.

Over the last couple days I started to think about assembling my book. Again this year I’m putting it together a little differently from the tutorial- leaving the edges raw.

It’s easy to do, but hand stitching all those pages takes forever. If you’d like raw edges just follow the book assembly instructions and at step 11 in the slot section you place the wrong sides of the pages together. And again for the tab section in step 9 you place the wrong sides together. All other instructions are the same.

This beautiful book by stitch club member Sonya follows the tutorial as written with turned edges.

And a gorgeous example of a raw edge book by Majo.

page order

The flow of your book –  number the pages in the order you want them to appear (pro tip- if you use tape don’t iron over it) 1 is the front cover and 20 is the back cover. My pages above are arranged as I would like them to appear in the book.

Then arrange the numbered pages according to the chart and assemble.

I’ve used the chart to arrange my pages for assembly above.

I’m excited about putting together my fifth volume. The hand finishing takes forever but I’m planning on bringing it to France with me next week and working on it slowly.  Assembling the book has a magic affect – it feels substantial and complete.

Are you excited to assemble your book? What did you learn from your daily practice? How will you carry it forward? Let us know in the comments!

Congratulations and onward!
ann

Congratulations on passing the halfway point! Showing up for 50 plus days of creative practice is huge! It’s messy and inconvenient and absolutely necessary. Your habit is getting stronger every day and that habit makes all the difference. In that little daily space you’re learning more about how you work. You’re noticing where you get stuck and where you light up. You’re creating ideal conditions for having ideas.

Or you’re not. You feel behind, pressured and overwhelmed. Use that information to adjust your approach.

Some ways to shift things:

Start where you are. Don’t try to catch up or make up days. Focus on one today. This is especially helpful if daily practice is new to you.

Be silly. I’m such a big fan of silly. Playfulness is deeply connected to creativity.

Add constraints. For example you could se just one color, or stick to a single shape, like circles. Constraints can get you past overwhelm and paralysis and take you in new directions.

Let go of the outcome. Just commit to 15 minutes of creative movement—hands and mind engaged. Let that be enough.

Keep going. Keep showing up.

check out some pages from participants below

From top left  links to the stitchers:

@hazelcmonte -jellyfish

@playing_in_the_attic – stones and plants

@abshanghai – 4 page panels

@bookalele_procraftinating – fish

@tonihartillart – leaves

@btaylorquilts – red dot

To share you can tag me (@annwood) and use #stitchbookchallenge2026 on instagram. I know instagram is frustrating and unpredictable with hashtags (and everything else…) but using the tag does help things show up.  You can also join the private community here to share your work.

Did the first 50 days fly by for you? Is your habit getting stronger? Stuck in the doldrums? Let us know in the comments.

Challenging yourself and pushing your thinking expands your thinking. That’s what we’re here for. The goal of the 100 day stitch book : think more, think better, let your voice emerge.

At first glance the challenge is about commitment, making the time. But time and commitment are just a container.  Now we bring energy and intention to that space.

Creativity is associated with being free and uninhibited but it’s constraints that most efficiently power the engine (this is especially true if you’re feeling stuck). Your imagination is a muscle and working with limitations is calisthenics. The secret ingredient – limits – energize and focus your process. And limits don’t eliminate playfulness. For me they expand it.

learn about the stitch book challenge here

 

To that end, we’re working with page prompts in stitch club this year – one for each page. The prompt is a boundary and an invitation. Our page 4 prompt was circles:

circles – page 4

Limit yourself to circles. They can overlap or not. They can be partial or full. You can play with scale and the negative space they create.

Simple right? Spend a little time with that idea and you’ll find out how challenging and motivating it is.

I found it incredibly difficult. I worked harder and it was the best kind of work – focused entirely on the feeling, the composition. Composition is a big subject and we’ll talk more about it in another post.

Also yellow is a surprise this year. It’s never been a prominent color for me and all of a sudden this year its a real player.

make a valentine swan box

I made this  free swan box DIY for you ages ago. You can find it here. Thanks to Naomi from Material Studies for noticing it would be a super sweet valentine to make for your people – red ribbon and maybe little heart chocolates – so dear. This is also a remarkable instance of creative blogs linking to each other like they did in the good old days of the internet.

Is there a paper swan valentine in your future? As we begin page 5! and the 1/4 mark in the stitch book challenge how are you feeling in your process? What limit could you apply to challenge yourself? Let us know in the comments.

Congratulations. You have created an excellent situation. You’ve got some fabric scraps, an assignment and a small, daily, dedicated chunk of time. Wonderful conditions for having ideas, trying stuff and listening to yourself.

Are you nervous? Excited? This is my 5th stitch book challenge and I’m both each time. But mostly I’m curious, and I hope you are too.

Follow your curiosity.

let’s get started

Before you begin please read both of these pages completely:

1. Begin here and don’t skim – you will miss stuff.

2. The tutorial for how to cut your pages and make the book is here. The book is assembled after the 100 days of stitching but it’s essential to know where we are headed. Take special note of how the pages will be stitched together and where you might want to leave a margin.

please keep in mind

* You will have the option to finish with raw or turned edges. The book on the right has raw edges and the book on the left has finished edges- you can do either when we assemble at the end of the 100 days. It’s good to decide which you want before you start.

*15 minutes per day is a suggestion – a minimum – overachievers are very welcome to do more.

*The stitch book process lends itself to improvisational stitching – start without knowing – work without a plan. It’s not the only way to approach the book but it’s my focus and when I offer suggestions and inspiration sources that will be the context.

*Community helps. We are each other’s accountability partners. Showing work in progress keeps you on track. It’s not mandatory to post every single day but it’s helpful to take a photo of each day’s progress for yourself.

*Speaking of sharing – you can share on insta etc with:

#stitchbookchallenge2026

FYI – Hashtags can take a while to show up on social media.

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You can also – totally optional – join the stitch club community – it’s the private sharing space for ann wood handmade.

Accountability, feedback, support and fellowship. All that human stuff.

You don’t need to join stitch club to participate in the challenge but it does offer the aforementioned benefits plus:

New this year – optional page prompts! If you’re feeling unsure about getting started this can be the perfect approach. Your work will still be entirely self directed but the prompts can get your wheels turning. Also, it does not have to be either/or – you can choose which prompts to use and which to skip.

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day 1

the part where you have to start

One thing leads to another if you let it. To set yourself up for success remove as many obstacles as possible. Have your supplies ready ahead of time. Have a to-go kit. Have a plan for the bad days. Daily practice  is hard. Congratulate yourself for showing up.

As soon as you start a feedback loop begins, you get information. That’s what we’re here for. Listen carefully for the magic – it is there- waiting to be noticed…

Good luck! Are you ready for 100 days of stitching? Let us know in the comments.