There’s a particular satisfaction that comes not from speed, but from endurance—consistently staying with something day after day—until productivity culminates at 100 days and results in a soft, textured fabric book. That’s what finishing the 100 Day Stitch Book feels like.
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| 100 Day Stitch Book 2026 |
This is the second year I’ve participated in The 100 Day Stitch Book project, hosted by Ann Wood. (It’s becoming an annual thing for me!) I used a different collection of fabric scraps this year and also incorporated the yarn thrums from my 2025 crocheted Taos Wrap that I had collected in an ORT jar. [ORT = Odd Random Threads.]
I also remembered the lessons I learned from assembling last year’s book—like creating front and back covers as part of the 20 book pages, stitching a title, date and author on them, and making these pages slightly larger to accommodate the book’s spine.
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| Back cover page with my initials. |
This year’s book also holds more weight—as a tragic incident that happened in the U.S. during the making of this book was interpreted in stitch on one of the pages.
The practice of using what’s on hand
Per Ann’s guidelines for the Stitch Book, the page compositions are made entirely from remnants—fabric scraps too small for other projects, bits of patchwork trimmed from previous makes, and my addition of the yarn tails from my crocheted wrap.
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| Appliquéd fabric scraps, embroidery stitches, couched yarns. |
The materials dictate the process: improvisational, intuitive, and mindful. I used several embroidery stitches—some of my go-to favorites, and some referenced from books and previous projects. Working the yarn bits into the compositions was my challenge this year. The yarns were couched, giving more dimension to the page compositions. Every page was a different adventure.
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| Couched yarn thrums with French knots. |
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| Couched yarn scraps and crocheted medallions stitched to the page. |
The back sides of the pages are interesting, too. However, they can no longer be seen once the signatures and book are assembled.
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| Back side of pages. |
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| Back side of pages. |
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| Back side of pages. |
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| Back side of pages. |
Marking time
One engaging aspect of a 100 day project is how it becomes a record—not just of creative exploration, but of life as it unfolds.
There is one page in this book that I will never look at casually.
On January 24, 2026, I stitched in response to the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a VA hospital, who was shot by federal Border Patrol and ICE agents in Minneapolis, MN during an immigration enforcement protest.
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| January 24, 2026, “Enough!” |
I remember hearing the news—how shocking, unnerving, and heavy it felt. How unimaginably difficult to comprehend and process. I abandoned the current page I was working on that weekend and began stitching in response to that horrific event. Stitching that day wasn’t about technique or composition, it was about bearing witness.
This page is not quiet.
It stands out among all the other pages because it holds that moment: confusion, grief, anger, and a need to respond in protest through fabric and stitch.
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| Left page is the back side of “Enough!” |
One of the valuable things about slow stitching (and other art forms) is that it creates space to unleash feelings, to mark time, to work through confusing, frustrating, or sad times. It allows for a kind of reflection or response to the events of the day.
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| Hand stitching the openings of the signatures. |
The focus of the 100 Day Project: process
As with all of my past 100 Day Projects, it’s about process and practice more than the end result. This stitch book is a continuation… an on-going promise to my art practice.
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| Five signatures ready for the book assembly. |
Make Nine 2026: fulfilling the Slow Stitching prompt
The 100 Day Stitch Book 2026 marks the second finish for my Make Nine 2026 list, fulfilling the Slow Stitching prompt.
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| Make Nine 2026 tracker, April 24, 2026. |
I’m pleased with the result of this stitch book and look forward to making more fabric books soon.
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| “Slow Stitching” prompt from Make Nine 2026 tracker. |
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| 100 Day Stitch Book 2026 |
