The gift of handmade

Small stitching projects for the quieter months

Welcome to my wee corner of Substack. I am a seasonal artist living on the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. I am the custodian of approximately two acres of land that includes a woodland, a meadow and my wee garden. I offer a seasonal book arts project for paid subscribers if you are interested and you can read more about that HERE. Grab a cuppa and lets delve into our relationship with the shifting seasons…..

A whie ago I paused to note the shifting of the season as the light began to fade and my natural instinct to pick up a needle and start sewing. This is a much loved annual yearning that I look forward more and more as the years pass. There is something very ‘homely’ about a small stitching project and it also puts me in mind of a much loved late grandmother who taught me to sew. It is always time very well spent.

I thought it might be helpful to share some of the small stitching projects that have become favourites over the year. The timing of this wee share might allow some folk to gather some supplies for a stitching project that then becomes a gift? For others, like me, it might become something for the quieter months and for some it might be something of an antidote to the madenss of the season around us at this time of year? Whatever the reason, just start gathering some supplies and if you don’t have any pop to your local charity store as they are very likely to be able to help you out.

First up is a simple stitched brooch. Choose a thick piece of fabric for your base like wool or denim or felt. Cut to the size that suits and start stitching layers of fabrics and some wee embellishments on. Once finished you can stitch a brooch back onto the reverse of the brooch and you have a lovely wee gift for someone special. Alternatively you can stitch it onto a kilt pin for a brooch perfect for wearing on a favourite jacket.

Next up is a wee stitched cuff bracelet. These take a wee bit longer but are always so well received. I would aim for a length of 6.5 inches by approx 1.5 or 2 inches as that will fit most ladies, larger if it is for a man. Again you want a thick fabric as a base and I would recommend acrylic felt that is as cheap as chips to buy and a metre of it will keep you going for a very long time! Avoid wool as some folk are allergic to it as it makes contact with the skin. Choose a piece of base fabric the same size as the felt and stitch it on top using a blanket stitch or a simple running stitch. When you get to one end loop a small piece of ribbon between the two layers and stitch down. On the other end stitch a button for the ribbon to loop round. To decorate think scraps! Scraps of fabric, ribbon, lace etc and using a couching stitch allowing the pieces to meander around the fabric. Aim for areas of interest and balance across the piece so that it works when put around the wrist.

I love a wee stitched book and sometimes it is just filled with blank pages ready to fill and other times I make them into wee needle or sewing supplies books. Again a thick base fabric for the cover is ideal to give the book some structure. I usually use my acrylic felt as it is not too thick. Once again, look to your scraps to create the cover detailing. You can stitch these on by hand. This one was done on the machine but these days I tend to stitch by hand. I make the pages out of felt and then use a simple pamphlet stitch to bind or even run it though the machine.

Last up for this piece is a wee prayer flag. I don’t think you have to be religious to create a prayer flag. I use them as a way of recording intentions or affirmations. This one measures approxaimtely 6x4 inches. The base fabric is a medium weight calico and then I have stitched on some favourite quotes that I have rubber stamped on but you can simply write direct onto the calico with a biro not pressing too hard. I have just used the smallest of scraps for this flag and kept the colour palette fairly close. The finishing details are glass seed beads, small buttons and shells from the beach. I think this is a super project as the year begins to turn. You can stitch a wee ribbon to the back or even simply peg it into a favourite corner of your home.

I hope this gives you a few projects to stitch if you would like to. In my wee Patreon community we are spending this next season creating intuitive stitching books. I hope to share some of that work here in future pieces. In my paid Substack Book Arts project we will be making our own paper in order to stitch a small library of books as the year turns. So lots of stitching to keep me out of bother.

Until next time,

Fiona xx

You might also like ‘Homespun Living.’