I’m overjoyed (and pleasantly surprised!) with just how many have signed up for the 1 Year of Stitches project. It’s going to be a fun addition to your 2017—I just know it!
As I’ve mentioned before, 1 Year of Stitches is the brainchild of Hannah Claire Somerville. She’s just about to finish up her project and lived 2016 in embroidery—among other things like completing grad school! I spoke with her about 1 Year of Stitches, and hope her wisdom and insight will help you know what to expect for your embroidered journey.
And if you’re interested in joining—or wondering what the heck it is—learn more here. For those that have signed up, expect an email from me today!
Brown Paper Bag: How did you come up with the idea for 1 Year of Stitches?
Hannah Claire Somerville: Honestly, I came up with the idea while I was on the bus. I was thinking about my commute and wondering what it might look like visually; what it would be like to create a personal map.
But, I’ve always been interested in the concept of daily art practices; I’ve seen daily 30 second sketches, daily paintings, daily collage, etc. and I’ve tried a few myself in the past but I usually ended up getting behind or losing inspiration / motivation to keep going. Yet, it’s an idea that I kept coming back to.
I had also been in a period of transition—I moved across country, switched jobs, and had just gone back to school. Throughout, I have remained in the arts / design field and I have been freelancing and doing commissions, but I hadn’t really been making art for myself since I moved. I felt like I was losing a bit of my identity as an artist and I wanted to reclaim that. And I had been wanting to get back into embroidery.
Artist block is tricky though and I have learned that you need to be kind to yourself. So I developed this project that required relatively low commitment: I could stitch for 5 minutes or 50. I also gave myself permission to not stitch, but I still had to post a photo for that day. I believe that this would be an honest portrayal of my artistic process and I wanted to explore that and encourage other people to talk about theirs.
BPB: What was your embroidery experience prior to the project?
HCS: I’ve always hand sewn, really, I don’t remember actually learning to sew! My mother made all of our Halloween costumes for us and also hand quilted, so I know she must have taught me at some point. I had done embroidery projects as a girl and as a teen I altered a lot of my clothes by hand.
When I applied to college I thought I would probably concentrate on fashion design, but once I began taking classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) I discovered the Fiber and Material Studies department. A lot of the work that I produced in undergrad involved embroidery and I have continued to do it since graduating. It’s always been an enjoyable practice for me.
BPB: Logistically, how did you prepare for the project? How big was the hoop you used, and what kind of fabric did you use?
HCS: I’m a planner, so a lot of the prep was just thinking about the project. The first step I physically took to prepare for this project was writing out the perimeters, which can be found here. Then I started the Instagram account, I talked to a few people about my idea, and on January 1st I made my first stitches!
I am using an 8″ hoop and osnaburg fabric, which is unbleached cotton. I found that this size provided me with space to work while still being portable for travel.
Did you have a routine in order to stitch every day? What worked best for you?
HCS: I think once daily projects are really about establishing routines, so I incorporated my stitching into my own daily routine. For me, I enjoyed stitching at the end of my day. It allowed for me to reflect on what happened that day and think about how my actions affected my stitching. This project also became an opportunity for meditation and it was my way of winding down at night.
With that being said, if I found myself with some free time in the morning or was on a plane in the afternoon, I would stitch then. And if I knew I had an evening event I would try to stitch before that; I just made sure that there was always time for it. As I mentioned, I’m a planner, so I would fit stitching into my daily schedule.
BPB: What was the biggest challenge you faced?
HCS: I think my biggest challenge was reconciling the public vs. private nature of this project. It’s important to me that I presented this project on public platform because I wanted it to spark discourse about the artistic process. I hoped that it would encourage other artists and crafters to try it themselves and explore their own processes. Yet, this project was also so personal for me. I had to go out of my comfort zone to put this on Instagram because I am a relatively shy / private person and a perfectionist. It was very intimidating to share with people my mistakes and at one point this year I did lose sight of why I was doing this project. When I gained a sudden surge of followers, and I realize that this was my own doing, I felt pressure to stitch something new / different / amazing / perfect every day because people were paying attention. As a result I felt uninspired and considered stopping all together. I had to take a step back and think about why I was doing this project and remember that no matter what its a personal journey.
BPB: What was the biggest surprise while working on your hoop?
HCS: From the beginning I *hoped* that this would be the daily project that I would see through to the end, but part of me still wondered if I would get distracted or frustrated and not complete the full year. I am excited and surprised that I have made it this far! On a personal level, this project has been a huge accomplishment for me and it makes it even more exciting that I get to share it with other people.
And speaking of the other people who have been following along, that has been a complete shock! Starting out, I hoped that some friends and my mother would at least follow and it would be a bonus if a few strangers got interested. The support from the Instagram community has been so wonderful and I think that their encouragement and feedback has contributed to my ability to see this project through to (almost) the end. I prepared myself to receive negative comments since the internet can be a cruel place, however, all the feedback I that I have received has been empowering. It’s been fulfilling to connect with other artists and to develop relationships.
It’s also been thrilling to watch other people start their own 1 year of stitches project. Again, I had no idea going into this if anyone else out there would want to join in, but it’s what I really hoped for. So the fact that other people are getting inspired to start or continue their own practices, that alone makes me feel like this has been a success.
Are there any tips you have for those embarking on a 2017 project? What do you wish you had known?
HCS: I think that overall, this project has made me more aware of how I work as an artist, so it’s difficult to give other people advice because I think it is a very personal process. For me, the project is about finding your own rhythm. So my only advice to people who want to embark on a similar endeavor for 2017 is to be patient and be kind to themselves, and to get their needle and thread and make that first stitch—that’s the hardest part.