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.
This project has been so fun and satisfying. I really really enjoy working a little every day and using up some of my scraps and special bits of cloth! Love seeing the pages stack up and so pleased to have gotten half way – thanks for the encouragement!
Thank you! And congratulations – that’s fabulous.
It’s been so great to have the stitch book as a centering part of my day. No matter what my day brings, I can do at least 15 minutes. It’s given me so many creative ideas! And it’s helped me process emotions. Thank you for this!
Hi Denise – thanks so much and I’m so glad to hear it!
First I flew ahead but now I am behind. Good tip to just keep stitching and not rush to catch up. Thank you.
That’s great Daisy – it’s all information- your learning how you work and how to manage it. This practice has done that for me year over year.
Thank you, Ann for sharing my jellyfish! I just love this project. It’s an opportunity to play and try out new ideas. And I’m continuing to appreciate the challenge of combining my planned moon theme with your surprise prompts. I can’t tell you how happy I was when I realized that there was such a thing as a moon jellyfish!
I live your jelly fish
Thank you very much!
Hi Hazel- your moon jellyfish is gorgeous!
Thanks so much.