The 100 Day Stitch Book, my second Make Nine finish

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Couched yarn thrums with French knots.

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. 

Back side of pages.

Back side of pages.

Back side of pages.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

“Slow Stitching” prompt from Make Nine 2026 tracker.

100 Day Stitch Book 2026

My 100 Day Stitch Book: Conversations with projects past

We’re 31 days into the 100 Day Stitch Book project with @annwood and I’m enjoying the intuitive stitching of creating small textile compositions with fabric and yarn scraps. Six of twenty pages are complete and page seven begins today, Day 31. 

Pages 1 and 2 of the 100 Day Stitch Book 2026.

A slow-built rhythm 

Each page is built slowly and intuitively—in 15 minute increments, over five days. There is no plan or sketch for creating the compositions. They evolve organically. I’m guided by the shapes and colors of the fabric bits which is followed by the addition of texture and detail with hand stitching and couching various yarn tails. 

Pages 3 and 4 of the 100 Day Stitch Book 2026.

The base fabrics for my pages are yarn-dyed wovens—most are from Diamond Textiles. These textiles hold an innate subtle texture and dimension. They possess a tactile depth even before I add my own stitches. And the soft, supple hand is very welcoming to hand stitching.. 

Yarn-dyed fabric for the book pages. I serge the edges to keep them neat and tidy while stitching.

The 100 Day Stitch Book is about mindfulness, creativity, being present… and making small compositions with fragments and scraps. It’s satisfying to be able to give fiber fragments (fabrics and yarns) a second life. Appliquéd fabric scraps create color-blocked backgrounds. Saved yarn tails become texture. Embroidered motifs and couched yarns become focal points. Stitches create texture and hold the fabric and yarn on the pages. 

Pages 5 and 6 of the 100 Day Stitch Book 2026.

As I appliqué the scraps to the base fabric, I remember the earlier projects from where they came. Every page is like a small conversation between eyes, hands and materials.

Bonus page

On January 24, I was drawn to create this page as witness to the horrific events happening in the country. This is an additional page—not one of the 6 above. I’m pondering how to include it in my final stitch book. I’m sure by the end of the 100 days, the project will tell me.

Bonus page from January 24, 2026.

Make Nine 2025 photo recap

Although I completed Make Nine 2025 in October, I like to do a recap blog post of the year’s projects—to see photos of them all in one place and “compare and contrast,” the projects, so to speak.

Make Nine 2025 projects, fulfilling these prompts:
Top row: UFO, Mend/Upcycle, UFO
Middle: Make it Again, Simple and Stress-free, Online Challenge
Bottom: Wild Card, Yarn, Wild Card

Above is a photo grid of my completed projects. The grid corresponds to my Make Nine tracker (below). 

Make Nine 2025 tracker at the beginning of the year.

Make Nine 2025 summary

The prompts I chose for Make Nine 2025 were similar to past years. Interestingly, 2025 generated a lot of “books”—five in total—constructed with paper, fabric, or both. The remaining four finishes consisted of two wearables, a mended vintage quilt, and charity quilts—with a glorious batch of kitty quilts that get donated to local veterinarians. Below is how each prompt was fulfilled (left to right, from top left), with links to their stories.

• UFO 1: was a fabric book. I compiled the stitched compositions from my 2023 100 Day Project into a fabric book using a binding technique I learned this year. (finish #6, book #3)

• Mend/Upcycle: This prompt addresses sustainability, minimizing waste, and taking care of and using what we have. I again participated in the Winter Care and Repair Challenge and one of my mending projects was a vintage quilt. (finish #3)

• UFO 2: was the completion of an artist’s book with a kantha stitched cover that I started in a workshop in 2017. The book’s signatures were paper and the cover was fabric with kantha hand stitching. (finish #7, book #5)

• Make it Again: I used a favorite Siena Shirt pattern and a fabric collection called, Perfect Points for this shirt. Blog posts about other versions of the Siena Shirt and various garment makes can be found here. (finish #4)

• Simple and Stress-free: I continue to make scrappy, improv, charity quilts for the cats and dogs at the local vets. I donated 16 in March, and completed 3 additional during the remainder of the year. I also finished 3 cuddle quilts for charity in December. Total charity quilts = 23. (finish #2)

• Online Challenge: This project and finish came early in the year with a book/journal from the Junk Journal January Challenge. (finish #1, book #1)

• Wild Card 1: was another fabric book made through participation in an online Challenge, the 100 Day Stitch Book 2025. This stitch sampler book was the impetus for the UFO 1 project, which used the same bookbinding technique. (finish #5, book #2)

• Yarn: I made a vow to myself that this year’s yarn project was going to be a stash-buster. I succeeded in using only yarn from a shop-and-swap, an impulse yarn purchase from several years ago, and yarns from my stash. The Taos wrap (crochet) was a brilliant success and I love the finished piece. (finish #9)

• Wild Card 2: was another junk journal from participation in the Junk Journal July Challenge, an online challenge. This was my 5th junk journal. I enjoy making and working in handmade junk journals and I know I’ll be making more. (finish #8, book #4)

Make Nine 2025 tracker, December 20, 2025.

I’m pondering prompts for 2026—my 8th year! I may have to include a “bookmaking” prompt next time…

Making progress on a new fabric stitch book

I’ve taken a page or two of my new fabric stitch book to work on while traveling. I am pleased with the good progress that has been made. 

New stitched iris composition using a stenciled print and painted fabric scraps.

Original stenciled image of the iris.

Back view of the iris composition.

Two stitched samples have been mounted onto fabric for book pages. The background fabrics for both are yarn dyed shot cottons.

Stitched landscape mounted on a background fabric.

A Dropcloth stitch sampler is mounted on a grass green shot cotton background fabric. 

A stitch sampler from Dropcloth Samplers mounted on a background fabric page

Back view of the mounted stitch sampler.

On this page (below), the painted cloth has been combined with hand embroidery and kantha running stitches. I haven’t decided if additional embroidery is needed to enhance more of the leaves.

Filling out the composition with embroidery and running stitches.

Still a work in progress… but coming along nicely.

A 100 Day Project made into two textile books;a Make Nine finish

A revisit to my 100 Day Project from 2023 resulted in a two-volume set of stitched and collaged textile books. I learned the slot-and-tab binding technique through this year’s 100 Day Stitch Book project, and decided to use it to compile the individual stitched and collaged compositions from 2023 into a finished piece—a book. Learning from the experience with the 100 Day Stitch Book, the assembly for these two books was smooth and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.

100 Day Project 2023.
Volume I (left) and Volume II of stitch and fabric collaged compositions.

The new books required covers

With 18 compositions to work into a textile book (a lot of pages that would make a very thick book!), I decided to divide the compositions into two volumes. This made the assembly more manageable and allowed the compositions to relax and expand on the pages.

Making two books/volumes required making two [new] book covers. With these newly stitched covers, I was able to document the name of the project. This is the cover for Volume I (a 12-page book + cover) …

Cover for Volume I. Measurements: 9.75” x 9”

… and this cover is for Volume II (an 8-page book + cover).

Cover for Volume II. Measurements: 9.75” x 9”

In my group of stitched compositions, I had one partially finished page. I decided to finish it so there would be less blank pages. This made a total of 19 compositions divided into two books.

• Volume I: 12-page book with 11 stitched compositions.
• Volume II: 8-page book with 8 stitched compositions.
• Front and back covers are in addition to the inside pages.

A partially completed page from 2023 was finished in 2025 and added to the book.

The inside compositions/pages were all 9” square. The front and back covers, as well as the inside front and inside back covers, were cut slightly wider, at 9.75” x 9”, to accommodate the spines. 

View of the book spines.

View of the front and back covers that wrap around to create the spine.

Discoveries, notes, and tips

To make note of a few things for future slot-and-tab books:

• All the pages are yarn-dyed fabrics [from Diamond Textiles] which are a dream for hand stitching.
• The surged edges of the book’s pages helped when turning the signature right-side-out.

Sewing past the corners on each side.

• When sewing the signatures, I sewed off the edges at the corners (rather than pivoting and turning). The stitch line was used as the guide for turning the corners right-side-out.
• I love the stitching on the backs (wrong sides) as much as the stitching on the fronts! So, I took photos of the compositions (fronts and backs) before assembling the signatures. 

Back sides of two of the stitched compositions.

• The paper folding dummies were extremely necessary as the slot-and-tab assembly does not follow the conventional pagination scheme for book signatures. 
• I’m thinking about adding a pocket in one of the books to hold the paper dummies.

Paper folding dummies for pagination.

Four-page signatures.

Here are a few of my favorite page spreads.

Page spread. 100 Days of Stitch and Fabric Collage, 2023. 

Page spread. 100 Days of Stitch and Fabric Collage, 2023. 

Page spread. 100 Days of Stitch and Fabric Collage, 2023. 

The left page on the spread (below) was the newest composition that was started in 2023 but completed this year.

The additional, new composition is on the left.

A Make Nine 2025 Finish

These textile books are fulfilling one of the UFO prompts for Make Nine 2025.

Make Nine 2025 “UFO” prompt.

Make Nine 2025 tracker. June 1, 2025.

The last page of Volume II.

I’m happy to have these stitched compositions from my 100 Day Project from 2023 in book form. And I do see more slot-and-tab textile books in my future.

Hand bookmaking with fabric: Binding and finishing the Farm Friends book

Are you ready for the binding and finishing of the Farm Friends soft book? The earlier production steps can be found in this post.

Binding and Finishing

Now that the signatures for the Farm Friends soft book are complete, they need to be gathered and collated in preparation for the binding. 

Two 4-page signatures and book cover of "Farm Friends" soft book.

Stack the signatures on top of the inside front/back covers. Check to make sure the pages are sequential (reader spreads) before you commit to the sewing.

Binding the book: Saddle Binding
In printing terms, "stitching" refers to the use of wire staples to secure the signatures of a book. When bookbinding thread is used to bind a book, it is called "sewing," or Smyth sewing. In quilting and sewing, the terms "stitching" and "sewing" mean much the same thing.

Take the prepared stack of signatures and pin or hand baste them in place in preparation for the saddle binding. The term "saddle binding" comes from the equipment that is used in book production. The signatures straddle a device similar to sitting on a saddle. For the fabric book, the signatures are laid out flat and sewn through the center of the pages, in the gutter. A saddle binding (as opposed to a side binding) allows a book to open flat.

Pin the signatures in preparation for bookbinding.

Binding by machine or by hand
If binding your soft book by machine, it's a good idea to use your machine's walking foot or an even-feed foot. If you enjoy hand sewing, this is a great opportunity for a bit of hand work—which is what I did on my book. I decided to try out a new 12 wt. thread I got in a Sulky Petites thread sampler pack. I used a backstitch.

Saddle binding the soft book by machine (left) or by hand (right).

Once the saddle binding is done, your soft book is complete. I particularly liked the fact that the book's cover is slightly larger than the text pages (a nice detail!). This protects the inside pages (one job of the cover), keeps them from peeking out when the book is closed and makes for a nice tidy presentation.

The cover extends beyond the inside pages of the book.

Be sure to fill out the bookplate on the back cover with your Ex Libris.

Farm Friends bookplate.

Creative Bookmaking and Embellishing
A soft book like this one can be sewn and assembled in an hour or two for the quilter or sewer with some experience. It is also a wonderful beginner sewing project. You might also consider these creative techniques for embellishing, enhancing or "illuminating" the pages of a soft book panel:

• thread painting the farm animals or background scenes
• embroidery and hand stitched embellishments
• free-motion quilting
• top stitching or edge stitching the pages—metallic threads could simulate gilding
• the small format is ideal to experiment with surface design techniques.

Got ideas? Leave me a comment! The creative possibilities for quilters, sewers and fabric book artists are boundless (pun intended?).

With a couple hours invested in the bookmaking, this soft book will also provide hours of reading enjoyment for you and a youngster. What better gift is there than to give a book... or to read and re-read it aloud to a child... or listen to a new young reader read it aloud to you?

----------
Bookbinding tools for making Soft Books
In addition to my sewing machine, these are the tools I used for my soft book production. The bone folder has a blunt tip and rounded edges and can be used for folding and scoring paper as well as a point turner for soft books. The other tools are basic sewing tools.

Bookmaking tools: appliqué scissors, bone folder, point turner,
threads for machine or hand binding.

A note of Thanks and Gratitude to the professors in my undergraduate (NIU) and graduate (RIT) schools who instilled the love of typography, printing and bookmaking in me and fellow classmates: John Henry, Archie Provan, Jim Mannino, Emery Schneider, Werner Rebsamen, Joe Brown, Dr. Julius Silver, Joe Noga, David Pankow and also to Frank Ramano.

Here is the print production video from this post.