annwood – ann wood handmade

All posts by annwood

what’s on my work table: birds, rag dolls and other UFO’s

June 20, 2025

by annwood

What’s your UFO situation? I’ve got tons of them (unfinished objects). They are all resting quietly in neatly labeled boxes in a closet waiting for their shot. My plan is to work my way through everything this summer. So ambitious. And working my way through does not necessarily mean finishing. Abandoning/letting go is also a valid choice. Finished or permanently let go they will be removed from the shadowy edges of my mind. Forever.

It’s a good thing I’m in a very sewy mood because the pile of stuff to finish is huge.

Let’s start with birds. I’ve got lots of almost done birds plus a little collection I’m making for Fortuny (they’ll be available there this fall).

find the songbird sewing pattern here

Pro Tip: I’ve been coloring the beaks with sharpy. The wood absorbs the color really well and it has a little translucency. After it’s dry just a little polishing with a soft cloth gives it a beautiful waxy sheen – super realistic.

And the summer scroll continues. I love this project and I’m probably going to end up with 2 or three scrolls by labor day. Committing to a thing but not putting a lot of pressure on it is a creativity sweet spot. The mini size helps too. Stitch club members are making lots of super imaginative scrolls – I’ll share some on the blog soon.

The latest entry in my scroll commemorates the soggiest spring ever. The garden is so sad. I added fertilizer a couple days ago – organic fish fertilizer. It’s the worst thing I ever smelled in my life. By far. It’s as if somebody mixed up all the bad smells in a bucket and then left it out in the sun for a week. I hope it helps the pale pole beans and stunted peppers and tomatoes.

More UFO’s – rag dolls. Mostly circus folk and captains. These are super fun to finish – they just need little details. And as I work on patterns this summer I’ll be producing lots more (the elephant pattern is already available and all the other animal patterns and the captain are in progress now). As dolls get finished I’ll add them to the shop.

The first sample sale will be ~~next week ( I’m thinking Thursday~~ and I’ll update this post with the time and date when I know for sure). And I’ll send an email when the shop is stocked

UPDATE – the doll sale will be noonish- eastern time on Monday 6/30

Do you have some UFO’s in your closet? Is your garden soggy? Let us know in the comments.

Onward!

ann

PS – I got the wordle in 2 today!

the finished 2025 stitch book and 5 things I did at my job this week

May 30, 2025

by annwood

I’ve had this job for almost 20 years. It’s changed a lot but there’s a constant element of it feeling like an amorphous squishy blob. The worky stuff is so intertwined with my life stuff it gets blurry. That has its advantages but it can also result in wheel spinning and not having clear priorities.

I think it’s valuable to get super focused about what “working” really means. So here are some things I accomplished this week that are my actual job.

1- worked on the 2026 calendar

Last year’s calendar was a big hit (thank you!) But I wished I had released it earlier. I’m working on 2026 now. Still messing around with images – it takes forever to choose. If you’ve got a favorite painting, leave a comment with the date and your suggested month!

Don’t see the video above? click here.

2- finished the stitch book – there’s a video and everything

I love putting the book together. The process feels magic and the book feels substantive in my hands. I I’m already percolating ideas for next years book…

3- started the summer scroll project in stitch club

After a very brief post stitch book breather we have started a summer long mini project in stitch club – scrolls. The idea is simple, just cut a strip of fabric (I used an old linen table cloth) and stitch a little every day. The size is great for summer- it could fit in your pocket.

The stick (or spool etc.) is optional. We plan to stitch until labor day. If I keep going at my current pace my scroll is going to be huge. If you join in, tag your work with #summerscroll on Instagram!

4- worked on patterns

There are so many in the works and patterns will be the main focus of this summer. Next up will be the soldier (at last) and circus cat. Stay tuned.

5- blog post and newsletter

I love newsletter day! which almost always coincides with blog post day. And the moment I hit send I start working on the next.

bonus – a few things things that aren’t part of my official job description but I act like they are:

Staring at seedlings and willing them to grow faster.

Monitoring bunny and squirrel activity and generally messing around in my tiny garden. Please make the rain stop- it’s too much.

Re- arranging things…

Recreational ironing- I wish it was but it’s not.

Internet based research (pinterest). It a little bit is… I organize newsletter ideas there but it mostly is not. I start with the best of intentions and end up looking at gardens and country houses and quilts.

The NY Times puzzles. We’ve talked about this before. It really is like they are my job. I might need an intervention.

What do you accidentally spent big chunks of time on? Have you assembled your stitch book? Is there a stitched scroll in your future? Let us know in the comments.

shingles and a working door : cardboard doll house progress

May 9, 2025

by annwood

cardboard doll house exterior with chimney and green door

Miss thistles house has a roof and a door! It opens and closes and everything. The secret ingredients? Cardboard and colored pencils.

To make the door I started by tracing the door opening onto corrugated cardboard and cutting it out. It pretty much fits. It fits enough… The edges were covered in masking tape and then I traced the door onto chipboard – thin cardboard – twice.

This post contains an affiliate link – meaning I get a small commission if you purchase through the link – marked with an *asterisk.

Using a scrap of cardboard as a spreader I applied a thin layer of *my favorite craft glue all over and sandwiched the corrugated door shape between the two chipboard layers. A stack of books on top (with wax paper between in case of glue seepage) kept everything compressed until it dried completely.

The base coat of paint is army green. Next it was dry brushed with a darker emerald green. The board lines were drawn on with a fine tip marker.

What really makes the paint job sing is the next step – bright green colored pencil. It creates a soft, chalky, finish like weathered milk paint. I highlighted the boards here and there. If you’re imagining a red door, try something like -medium red for the base, burgundy for the dry brush and an orangey red colored pencil for the highlight. You get the idea.

The tiny hinges are also cardboard, 2 little pieces of chipboard ½” X ¾ inch. Folded in half (the longer side).

Open and add glue on the inside at the crease.

Fold back together- pinching the crease and open the sides like wings.

A sharpie worked perfectly for coloring without making the the cardboard soggy.

Brown colored pencils add a rusty highlight. It’s surprisingly convincing.

I glued one side to the door and waited like an adult for that to thoroughly dry and then glued the other side to the house. A couple little twigs made sweet, rustic door knobs.

I had tried a bunch of more complicated solutions that didn’t feel quite right for the house. I love it when the answer is cardboard. You could get fancy with the shape and these would also be great for tiny cabinets.

and we gotta talk about the fully shingled roof!

I had begun adding cardboard shingles with wood glue but switched to hot glue for efficiency. The shingles are made from thin corrugated cardboard (it was a shoebox). The size varies and the shapes are a little irregular – they are mostly around 1 X 1.5 inches.

The shingles got a light coat of reddish brown. The secret to painting cardboard is being quick, light and dry about it. Work in layers.

A lighter gold color highlights individual shingles here and there. And finally a dry brush of raw umber for texture. I do use water to thin the raw umber but the touch is super light.

The chimney is just about finished too – I want to add some details to the stones- the full tutorial for making egg carton masonry is here.

Shutters, maybe window boxes and definitely some folk arty details are next. Stay tuned.

Does your tiny doll have a house? Are there mini cardboard hinges in your future?

PS – Happy mother’s day! I’ll leave you with a sweet photo of my Mom on her wedding day (I’m pretty sure the little girl is another awesome mom, my Aunt Annie Biggles). Such a great picture.

day 99! the hundred day stitch book challenge ends tomorrow

April 25, 2025

by annwood

stitch collage with still life- pear and vase

The 4th! annual challenge is coming to a close.

Bask in the glory for a moment. And marvel at the magic power of a small daily practice. Congratulate yourself for showing up. And then consider, what do you do with your new insight and the strength of your habit? How can you carry it forward and continue to grow?

don’t lose the connection

I so get being ready for a break after this 100 day experiment. I always feel a mix of happiness and sadness when it’s over. I also see an opportunity to harness the momentum.

The bridge to your imagination, your most creative self, is built with intention and habits. A creative habit, even a very small one, makes space for connections. It creates favorable conditions for ideas-to show up. Ideas are funny like that, so particular.

100 days is a solid chunk of time and definitely enough to truly integrate something into your life, to create a habit. I think there are a lot of ways to carry that forward and continue to strengthen the creative muscle and connection to your imagination, to keep crossing that bridge.

“Creativity is not a talent. It is not a talent, it is a way of operating” John Cleese

Maybe commit to 10 or 15 minutes of writing, or doodling or collage or daydreaming. What’s key is that you continue to have a regular (daily) appointment with your imagination. It’s also a good time to try expanding your practice – if the short practice produced benefits start to play with bigger chunks of time.

stephanie – stitch book

: rhonda – stitchbook page

: mary – stitchbook pages

barbara- stitch book pages

Pam -stitch book page

The pages above are work by stitch club members and you can also find lots of pages on instagram – #stitchbookchallenge2025

what happens next

Assemble your book! Find the tutorial here.

I’ll show you the beginning of the process here – none of what follows will make any sense to you unless you’ve reviewed the assembly pages linked above. I started putting my book together yesterday and I’m assembling 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.

First you need to number the pages in the order you want them to appear in the book (pro tip- if you use tape don’t iron over it…). 1 is the front cover and 20 is the back cover.

Then arrange the numbered pages according to the chart.

I’m excited about my book – putting it together, choosing the page order, all of that. And even more thrilling? Knowing that thousands of stitch books exist in the world—each one an expression of a completely unique imagination. I so appreciate the energy and commitment people put into their books.

Are you excited to assemble your book? What did you learn in your daily practice? Let us know in the comments!

Congratulations and onward!

ann

8 simple joys this spring and the stitch book homestretch

April 11, 2025

by annwood

a roof over miss thistle’s head

Big news in tiny world: Miss Thistle’s house finally has a roof! Fully shingled (with cardboard, of course). I’ll be sharing all the DIY details soon—it was super easy. Still to come: a few charming touches on the exterior and shutters (I think) stay tuned for a dedicated cardboard doll house post.

aroma- a layered approach

I’m all about a good smell, nothing too loud or perfumy, I describe it as earthy and fresh. After years of experimenting I think I’ve perfected it:

A bunch of fresh eucalyptus – I get one every Friday.
This handmade soap by Saipua. All the scents are glorious but my top pick is clay and dill.
Santa Maria Novella Potpourri – I’ve got little dishes of it all over the place. I’ve had the same bag for over a year and it’s still going strong. It’s pricy but good.
Lavender cleaner. So simple. There are lots of ways to make it, I used equal parts vinegar and distilled water and about 20 drops of lavender oil.

bramble

It gets me through the winter. I get an outsized amount of joy from wandering around outside looking for exquisite little sticks and dead plants to bring home and put in my tiny vases.

happy plants

You know I love a houseplant. My collection has officially tipped into “plant lady” territory—and I’m fine with that.

new story bottles

New little delft /early american inspired rustic bottles. After a few more get fired I’ll put them in the shop. There is a giant artwork shop update in the works.

daffodils

They almost don’t look real! A magical occurrence every time. It’s still so wintery when they make their magnificent appearance.

NYT puzzles

Now I’m also a puzzle lady. My goodness. But I can’t help it – I love wordle, connections and strands. Obsessed. A huge amount of my discretionary time budget is spent on them. Who knows – maybe it’s helping my rapidly aging brain.

the stitch book home stretch

Friends! We are less than 20 days away from the finish line!! I will be a little bit happy and a little bit sad when this is finished. I’m excited about putting the book together and overflowing with ideas for my last pages. The process builds idea generating momentum and I don’t have enough pages left for all the things I’d like to try. It’s exactly the problem I hoped to have. The official end is Saturday 4/26.

What’s bringing you joy this spring? Are you a puzzle lady? A plant lady?!? Let us know in the comments and a very happy spring to you!

celebrate 19 years! of ann wood handmade

March 21, 2025

by annwood

For fun, I asked AI to write a blog post about the 19th anniversary of Ann Wood Handmade. It wasn’t bad. Pretty serviceable, actually. But it used the word journey a lot, had a certain flowery tone, and didn’t sound like me.

One thing I did appreciate, though, was how it zeroed in on community as an essential element—you all showing up here. Some of you for the whole 19 years.

Here’s what ChatGPT had to say:

“But what has made Ann Wood Handmade truly special is the incredible community that has grown around it. Over the years, makers from all over the world have connected here, sharing a love for handcraft, resourcefulness, and storytelling through materials. Whether you’ve been visiting for years or just recently discovered this creative space, your enthusiasm and support mean everything.”

And it does. I love knowing there are paper-mâché ships, earnest little birds, and dastardly owls scattered across the world. That they’ve mattered to other people too.

paper mache ship pattern

In an increasingly AI-driven world, the weird soup of human experience and imagination feels more magical than ever. It can’t be reproduced. I had to have a father obsessed with sailing, tall ships, and books, which led me to an early love of shipwrecks in literature. That had to collide with an image of a crystal chandelier shaped like a Spanish galleon, plus a lifelong devotion to paper-mâché (so accessible).

a wedding in prospect park

little bird pattern

mr. tibbles and mr. wickles

dastardly owl pattern

The little birds, and the owls, the general mood of it all? That doesn’t happen without a deeply poetic, Beatrix Potter-loving mom who took me to see this film at an apparently incredibly formative age. It doesn’t happen without mountains of scrap fabric and a sewing needle in my four-year-old hand.

It all layers together. And that mix—uniquely human, entirely unrepeatable—is what makes handmade things, and the people who love them, so special.

So happy anniversary to us! I’ll leave you with some customer/ reader projects that I love. And as always, thanks for showing up.

onward!

ann

Crow in progress by Gail

songbirds by Sue

song birds by Lynn

The collection above by Margaret includes her own modifications to the song bird pattern to create the larger robin.

A stitched vessel by Cookie – I love the button and pouf!

A magical ship by Teirney.

A sweet elephant by Lindsay.

mushroom by Steph

stitched eggs and chicks – new sewing diy

March 7, 2025

by annwood

Why make just one fabric egg when you can whip up a whole batch? These little stitched eggs are quick, easy, and extra cute in abundance. And they are perfect, cozy homes for little chicks.

You probably already have everything you need to get started. The free little chick pattern is available here.

A couple notes:

You can mix fabrics for multi color eggs. I’m demonstrating with one fabric for the exterior of the egg and another for the lining of the front opening pieces.

These can be sewn by hand or machine – if you’re machine sewing they only take about 15 minutes to make.

DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN

you will need

the template
cotton scraps – fabric for the egg and lining
a basic sewing kit
optional – pinking shears
chicks

: 1.

: 2.

1. Pin the egg back template to a single layer of fabric

2. Pin the egg top and bottom to doubled fabric – right sides together. One fabric is the same as the egg back and the other will be the lining fabric.

: 3.

: 4.

3. With the right sides of the fabric still facing, mark a 1/4 inch seam line on the bottom and top and sew across each pair.

4. Press the seams open

Support free patterns like chicks and eggs! It’s been a priority here for years to create high quality free patterns (there are tons) on an ad free site. There are not very many of those left… Help keep the awesome free projects flowing.

Click here to add your support.

5. Fold at the seam- wrong sides together – and press.

: 6.

: 7.

6. Place the egg bottom over the egg back – right sides of the egg fabric together and right side of the lining fabric facing you – pin.

7. Place the egg top – right sides of the egg fabric together and right side of the lining fabric facing you – pin.

: 9.

: 10.

8. Carefully mark a 1/4 inch seam allowance all around the edge.

9. Stitch the seam.

: 10.

: 11.

10. Trim with pinking shears or clip notches into the seam allowance.

11. Turn the egg right side out and run a chopstick or similar around the inside of the seam to push the curve all the way out.

The eggs are designed to be easy for little hands to hide a chick inside and get it back out – hours of fun. Beyond the seasonal significance you could create a memory or matching game.

So easy! I hope you make lots of chicks and eggs!

we’re officially at the halfway mark of the 2025 stitch book challenge!

March 7, 2025

by annwood

stitched collage- black goved hand on a white field with fancy stitched rings on each finger

Your habit is taking root. You’ve gained a deeper understanding of your creative process—how your mind works, where you get stuck, and what sparks your curiosity. You’re also discovering new intersections.

Intersections are connections—ideas.

One thing leads to another, if you let it…

learn about the stitch book project here

You have fifty days of work behind you. That daily commitment, however small, adds up to something surprisingly significant.

Or not. Maybe it feels like a hot mess. Maybe you still feel stuck, and subjected to a new daily dose of guilt that you missed a day (or most of the days…), or that your work isn’t what you hoped it would be.

That’s just information—feedback. Use it. Adjust. Experiment.

: stitch book page – katy baker

: stitch book page – coast and cloth

Katie Baker
coast and cloth

Some ways to shift things:

Be silly. I’m a huge fan of silly. Playfulness unlocks creativity.

Add constraints. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, limit yourself—use just one color, like blues, or stick to a single shape, like circles. Constraints can spark fresh ideas and help you see your materials in a new way.

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

Keep going.

How are you doing at this milestone? Feeling momentum or stuck in the doldrums? Let us know in the comments.

You can check out lots more of 2025 stitch book pages on instagram. And share your progress to by using #stitchbookchallenge2025 or join the stitch club community.

the stitched vessel sewing tutorial and stitch book day 29!

February 14, 2025

by annwood

It’s like paper mache, but with fabric.

Have you got scraps? Tiny fragments of fabric you love but don’t know what to do with? Stitched Vessels are for you. And no printer? No problem – there are no templates – it’s a technique – and you can view the instructions on you computer or smart device. The process is simple, intriguing and (be warned) addictive.

You probably already have the other materials you need (they are top secret).

I made this project for the stitch club community and over the last year members have made lots of wonderful vessels in all shapes and sizes. There were also vessel workshops in France and LA last year.

The technique scales and most fabrics work (just avoid anything stretchy). This is super chill, get set up somewhere cozy, meditative, slow stitching. I’m pretty sure it makes me a more agreeable person…

You can buy the tutorial in the shop for 8 bucks or get it free when you join stitch club.

Plus February is International Scrap Month! (that’s a thing I made up that is also totally legit) and wabi sabi vessels made from your most favorite scraps are the perfect way to celebrate.

the hundred day stitch book challenge – we are at the 1/4 mark

Today – Friday- is day 29 and beginning the fifth week today – it has flown by so far. We have a solid amount of work behind us and I’m wondering how you’re feeling in the process? Each year I’m nervous to start. So worried it will feel stale or that no inspiration will appear. And once again the process is delivering energy and ideas. In the stitch club community and on instagram I’m seeing lots of imaginative stitching.

The two pages above, created by Stitch Club member Barbara, are bursting with movement and energy. There’s an incredible sense of vibrancy, drawing you in—there’s so much to explore, and it pulses and vibrates… Barbara has been a member from the beginning and it’s been super interesting to watch her tap into her intuition more and more. One of the core goals of this kind of improvisational work is to deepen that connection. I firmly believe that work, that practice, that listening delivers our best and most singular work.

PS – There will be a painting shop update next Thursday -2/20 noon-ish Eastern time.

PPS – The sunset at 5:22 yesterday – the lengthening days are such a welcome, happy thing – do you have early spring fever too? Are you on track in your 100 day stitch book? Somewhat behind? Not exactly, technically, started? Is there a scrappy vessel in your future? Let us know in the comments.

five-ish things bringing me joy right now

January 31, 2025

by annwood

3 fabric collages, scraps and sewing notions on my work table

stitch book 2025 – pages 1-3

percolating ideas – it’s all about the space between

The sensation of an idea percolating in the background is my most favorite thing in all the world. The 100 day stitch book project has the percolation phase built in. The formula is: work on a problem and then give your subconscious a crack at it.

After I add my stitches each day my brain keeps working on it – feeling for the next move. Sometimes this is entirely passive – all the magic work your subconscious does while you’re otherwise engaged. And less passively, but still without conscious effort, there’s a perspective shift – you notice things, colors, shapes, ideas that might inform your page.

Repeat this enough and new connections form. You get better at listening to yourself. Better at pulling out the deeper ideas.

This is the fourth stitch book and my pattern has been pretty consistent – days 1- 3 are more feeling around, less intensely thoughtful. I’m having a beginning and usually creating a problem. On days 4 and 5 I solve the problem. Or try to anyway. I do love having a problem to solve. Even when I fail I get tons of new insight, information and ideas.

And what exactly is a success? It’s a feeling… Something that surprises me. Something that feels balanced, energetic and compelling. The sensation of getting out of my own way. Getting someplace new.

purging

Pretty New Yearsy. I dive into this every year and then fizzle before I get to the level of possession management and relative minimalism I aspire to. This year I’m going to chunk it, make it a recurring time commitment that I can definitely follow through on.

It will be like the refrigerator situation – I review, toss, clean and make my list every Saturday. It’s a habit. The sorting and purging is getting a time slot too. A modest time slot. Let’s say Tuesday morning – 30 minutes.

So doable. I’ll chip away at this forever as opposed to making ambitious plans that run out of steam.

the glorious emptiness of my worktable

This was a happy accident new years accident. I had to totally pack up this room for some unplanned maintenance work… That resulted in removing a ton of delightful clutter. I ended up leaving most of it packed up and I’m considering carefully and slowly what I really need and want as I add stuff. Can I maintain this level of austerity? Absolutely not. But I’m inspired by it and taking a lesson from how good the emptiness felt.

The calendar is definitely a keeper and bringing lots of joy. It’s by my remarkable friend Sid.

magnetic bookmarks and a tiny mechanical pencil

This post contains affiliate links – meaning I get a small commission you purchase through the link – they are marked with an *asterisk

So much joy. I went back to an old school paper day planner last year and it agrees with me. It’s where I track the aforementioned habits. I’m the sort of person that gets a huge amount of satisfaction checking off a list item. I linked to *this planner last year and took a bunch of heat for it. As planners go it’s small and pricey. But I love everything about it and shelled out for it again this year. I’m particular about the stuff I use everyday and this one was a big win. The paper is deluxe (and very erasable). And it has an awkwardly translated quote for each day.

It’s also a place for recording ideas as soon as possible, in writing. That’s a big part of my process. This little book is always with me. And so is this *tiny mechanical pencil.

“The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.”
Linus Pauling

And for finding those ideas later – *mini magnetic book marks. They are magic. And like the little pencil and book they are aesthetically delightful. Which can’t hurt.

What’s bringing you joy right now? Are you trying the stitch book challenge? Do you have a new yearsey project? Did you know magnetic bookmarks are a thing?! Let us know in the comments.

stitch book challenge – day 1 – curiosity

January 17, 2025

by annwood

Let’s baby step our way to 100 days of creative stitching. Let’s not worry about the outcome. Let’s find out what happens when you show up in a small way consistently. Let’s watch ourselves work. Learning more about how you work is one of the benefits of working- notice where you get stuck, notice what lights you up, feel for your curiosity…

The 100 day stitch book challenge starts today! Please be sure to read these two pages completely before you start:

1 – Before you do anything else please read this page carefully.

2 – Find the tutorial for how to cut your pages and make the book here. We don’t assemble the book until the pages are done but it’s good 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.

The books above are the result of the previous stitch book challenges. The book on the right has raw edges and the book on the left has finished edges- you’ll have the option to choose when we assemble at the end of the 100 days.

a couple things to consider

15 minutes is a suggestion – a good minimum- overachievers are welcome to do more.

The process lends itself to improvisational stitching – starting without knowing – working without a plan. It’s not the only way to approach this challenge but it’s my focus and when I offer suggestions and inspiration sources it will be in that context.

Community is key. We are each other’s accountability partners. Showing work in progress can feel weird but it helps you stay on track. It’s not mandatory to post every single day but I think it’s helpful to you to take a photo of each day’s progress for yourself.

Speaking of sharing – you can share on insta etc with

#stitchbookchallenge2025

FYI Hashtags can take a while to show up on social media. You can also – totally optional – join the stitch club community – it’s the private sharing space for ann wood handmade.

Daily practice- even a small one – is hard. Give yourself credit for showing up for it and take it one day at a time.

helpful blog posts:

the shimmering space between

7 ideas for your 100 day stitchbook

day 1

day 1- 2025

One thing leads to another if you let it. You just have to start. To set myself up for success I cut some pages and gathered some scraps to work with. It was all waiting for me this morning. My to go kit is ready and I have a plan for bad days. The rest is so easy- just stitch for 15 minutes. Begin without a plan. You get somewhere new by starting without knowing, make a mark (in this case a stitch, a patch etc.) and respond to it.

day 99 2023

curiosity

Let curiosity drive you in this process. What’s around the next corner? The books, the pages, and the whole process have surprised me each year. The daily thing is really a slog sometimes. I have not loved every image, I cringe when sharing my missteps. And, it’s all totally worth it. I get to places in my imagination I never otherwise would. That is everything. It’s the “youness” thing.

“No one is youer than you.” – Dr. Seuss

The world only has one chance at what’s in there – one chance at you. I think it’s worth time, energy, embarrassment, failure and disappointment to work your way through to the deepest, most truly creative work you can do – the youest – the work of your utterly unique imagination. Listen carefully for the magic – it is there- waiting to be noticed… Listening is part of the work. That kind of listening takes practice and patience and the afore mentioned showing up.

be curious
be open
show up

the 100 day stitch book starts soon! and community sign ups are open

January 11, 2025

by annwood

The 2025 100 day stitch book challenge begins on 1/17 and ends on 4/26

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CHALLENGE HERE

All the info you need to participate is available at the link above – please read it carefully – don’t skim! You’ll miss stuff

The 4th annual! 100 day Stitch Book Challenge begins next Friday January 17!

I have spent a lot of time and energy in life learning how to trick myself into doing stuff, getting my ideas out of my head or working past stuckness. One of the most effective ways is daily practice. Small daily practice. It’s where my ideas show up and percolate – in my daily paintings (this is year 7!) and the stitch book project.

In the case of the stitch book project, that’s 15 minutes per day for 100 days.

learn about the 100 day stitch book challenge here

The do-able chunk of time eliminates paralysis and overthinking and invites happenstance. And I love the idea of each day building on the previous.

Committing to a do-able assignment and applying small consistent effort is as close to a magic formula as there is for growing creatively and getting unstuck.

will you join us for the 2025 challenge?

To set yourself up for success on day one- Jan 17th – take some easy actions now. Grab the checklist. Then begin with the overview here.

And totally optional- join stitch club! You don’t need to join to participate but it is a great place to find support and share your progress.

stitch club membership is open now

What happens in stitch club? It’s the private ann wood handmade community, a great place to get inspired, share what you’re working on and make sewy friends.

We just completed a fall stitch journal in the community. It was an excellent warm up for the big event beginning next Friday. It was a weekly commitment (one stitched panel per week) as opposed to the daily 15 minute commitment of the 100 day book. I struggled to keep up. It’s a super busy time of year work wise and I had the faceplant situation that messed up a couple weeks of my life but I think the lesson is the small daily thing really works best for me.

You can see my finished book below. I approached the stitching the same way I approach the 100 day book – improvisational, yes and, see what turns up.

Don’t see the video above? Click here to view on youtube.

The binding is “modified coptic” . There are so many cool ways to bind books- I think we’ll try another method in the next mini book.

stitch book challenge 2025

Just like the three previous years I’m excited and also nervous to start. Daily practice is hard. But I can’t resist. Can you? I’ve got some ideas and lessons learned from the previous years to help you get ready.

thinking of the pages in pairs

Totally optional but I have loved having a second chance at compositions by treating 2 pages as one image/idea in previous book. I mostly did not work on the two pages consecutively. When I wasn’t happy with what I’d done, putting the idea aside and letting it percolate helped a lot.

I’m also leaning towards leaving my edges raw again.

Support the 100 day stitch book project and the always growing free pattern library.

Click here to add your support.

make it easy

Make it easy to show up. Have your materials accessible and transportable. 15 minutes is even more doable if everything is already set up.

plan for the bad days

This is so important. There will be some bad days. Some too busy or sick or too something days. The secret to those days is a predetermined, minimally acceptable effort.

Protect the habit, protect the momentum and do something.

and if you do miss a day?

Keep going. Maybe do an extra 15 minutes when you can.

warm up

Putting things in a box is a great way to begin.

I’m putting things in a box now and I’ll be back on the 17th with some ideas and encouragement.

UPDATE – the doll sale will be noonish- eastern time on Monday 6/30

Do you have some UFO’s in your closet? Is your garden soggy? Let us know in the comments.

Onward!

ann

PS – I got the wordle in 2 today!

1- worked on the 2026 calendar

2- finished the stitch book – there’s a video and everything

3- started the summer scroll project in stitch club

4- worked on patterns

5- blog post and newsletter

bonus – a few things things that aren’t part of my official job description but I act like they are:

What do you accidentally spent big chunks of time on? Have you assembled your stitch book? Is there a stitched scroll in your future? Let us know in the comments.

and we gotta talk about the fully shingled roof!

Shutters, maybe window boxes and definitely some folk arty details are next. Stay tuned.

Does your tiny doll have a house? Are there mini cardboard hinges in your future?

PS – Happy mother’s day! I’ll leave you with a sweet photo of my Mom on her wedding day (I’m pretty sure the little girl is another awesome mom, my Aunt Annie Biggles). Such a great picture.

don’t lose the connection

“Creativity is not a talent. It is not a talent, it is a way of operating” John Cleese

what happens next

Assemble your book! Find the tutorial here.

Are you excited to assemble your book? What did you learn in your daily practice? Let us know in the comments!

Congratulations and onward!

ann

a roof over miss thistle’s head

aroma- a layered approach

bramble

happy plants

new story bottles

daffodils

NYT puzzles

the stitch book home stretch

What’s bringing you joy this spring? Are you a puzzle lady? A plant lady?!? Let us know in the comments and a very happy spring to you!

It all layers together. And that mix—uniquely human, entirely unrepeatable—is what makes handmade things, and the people who love them, so special.

So happy anniversary to us! I’ll leave you with some customer/ reader projects that I love. And as always, thanks for showing up.

onward!

ann

you will need

Support free patterns like chicks and eggs! It’s been a priority here for years to create high quality free patterns (there are tons) on an ad free site. There are not very many of those left… Help keep the awesome free projects flowing.

The eggs are designed to be easy for little hands to hide a chick inside and get it back out – hours of fun. Beyond the seasonal significance you could create a memory or matching game.

So easy! I hope you make lots of chicks and eggs!

That’s just information—feedback. Use it. Adjust. Experiment.

Some ways to shift things:

How are you doing at this milestone? Feeling momentum or stuck in the doldrums? Let us know in the comments.

You can check out lots more of 2025 stitch book pages on instagram. And share your progress to by using #stitchbookchallenge2025 or join the stitch club community.

the hundred day stitch book challenge – we are at the 1/4 mark

PS – There will be a painting shop update next Thursday -2/20 noon-ish Eastern time.

percolating ideas – it’s all about the space between

purging

the glorious emptiness of my worktable

magnetic bookmarks and a tiny mechanical pencil

“The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.” Linus Pauling

What’s bringing you joy right now? Are you trying the stitch book challenge? Do you have a new yearsey project? Did you know magnetic bookmarks are a thing?! Let us know in the comments.

a couple things to consider

day 1

curiosity

“No one is youer than you.” – Dr. Seuss

The 2025 100 day stitch book challenge begins on 1/17 and ends on 4/26

The 4th annual! 100 day Stitch Book Challenge begins next Friday January 17!

Committing to a do-able assignment and applying small consistent effort is as close to a magic formula as there is for growing creatively and getting unstuck.

will you join us for the 2025 challenge?

stitch club membership is open now

Don’t see the video above? Click here to view on youtube.

stitch book challenge 2025

Just like the three previous years I’m excited and also nervous to start. Daily practice is hard. But I can’t resist. Can you? I’ve got some ideas and lessons learned from the previous years to help you get ready.

thinking of the pages in pairs

Support the 100 day stitch book project and the always growing free pattern library.

make it easy

plan for the bad days

and if you do miss a day?

warm up

Will you join me in 100 days of stitching? Let us know in the comments.

onward!

ann

PS – LA friends – you are on my mind ❤️❤️❤️❤️

“The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.”
Linus Pauling