We all have them—the half-finished class projects, the forgotten stitch samples, the surface design experiments—that didn’t make it across the finish line.
 |
| Fabric experiments and stitching samples. |
In a conversation with a fellow fabric rep about our fabric stashes and stashes of UFOs (unfinished objects), I decided to move forward with an idea we discussed to take some of my abandoned stitchings and make them into a new fabric book. A book project will incentivize me to finish the samples and revitalize them into a cohesive project—a tactile archive of textile experiments.
 |
| Leaf print with embroidery. |
Gathering the fragments
I gathered several pieces—nature prints, stamped and stenciled images, painted and dyed fabrics, and other printed or stitched experiments. Seeing them all together was like flipping through a visual diary—loose, intuitive experiments, full of class memories—pieces that were waiting to settle into a more meaningful whole.
 |
| Stitch sampler landscape. |
Some of the samples were large enough to be—or fill—a single page. For the smaller samples, I paired them with other bits and scraps, a base fabric, and a plan to stitch them into new compositions.
A garden of fragments begins to sprout
As I laid out the pieces in this new collection… leaf prints, a stitched landscape, a stenciled iris, a chickadee perched on a branch… a theme began to appear. Among the pieces was an experiment with a thermafax screen print—a garden gate. Instantly, it felt like the gate was the missing connection between all the other pieces. It solidified the theme—Beyond the Garden Gate. Finding the gate was my invitation to begin the new book.
 |
| Thermofax screen print. The garden gate. |
Planning another book
After completing the 100 Stitch Book and two other fabric books earlier this year, I’ve wanted to make another. I became enamored with the slot-and-tab binding through the previous books as it is the perfect technique for binding individual pages. It’s flexible and adaptive. Pages can be rearranged, added, or removed easily, allowing the book to evolve if I decide to add additional compositions. This is the perfect format for my new collection of individual samples.
 |
| Leaf print with hand stitching and embroidery. |
This project is another reminder that the creative process isn’t always about starting something from scratch, but about revisiting what you’ve already made and reimagining it with fresh eyes. It’s as much about revisiting the past as it is about beginning again. Each fabric piece holds a memory of learning or experimentation—a small story that might have been forgotten if not for its new context. My pile of “incomplete” projects has begun to germinate into something inspiring and cohesive.
