An Embroidery Journal is the Best 2022 New Year's Resolution to Make

Emily VanSchmus
·3 min read

New Year's resolutions are hard to keep, and it's likely because our resolutions often involve doing things we don't enjoy—like losing weight, sticking to a diet, or saving money. As we head into 2022, I've been on the lookout for a New Year's resolution that will add something positive to my daily routine—and thanks to a viral TikTok video, I've found it.

Earlier this month, Sophie from The Stir-Crazy Crafter shared a video of what she calls her embroidery journal, and I'm not the only one who is obsessed with the results. Her viral TikTok video (which has 211K likes and more than 9,000 shares) walks readers through the project she's been working on since January: A large embroidery project with a small stitched design for every day of the year.

Courtesy of @thestircrazycrafter

It's similar to the temperature blanket trend we fell in love with last year, where knitters and crocheters would add a stitch to a blanket every day based on the weather outside. But instead of documenting the weather, you add a small stitched word, phrase, or icon that represents what happened in your life that day.

"Every day I stitch an icon that represents my day on my embroidery journal," she says in the video. And her almost-finished result is pretty impressive; her hoop is nearly full of stitched icons. If you're looking for inspiration, she posts monthly progress updates on her Instagram page and her TikTok account.

How to Get Started

With several weeks left to go until the first of the year, you have plenty of time to prepare. Stock up on all the supplies now, so that come January 1, you can hit the ground running. In her videos, Sophie gives tips on what has made the project easier for her.

She recommends buying a 12-inch embroidery hoop and 100% cotton fabric, a water-soluble pen to draw your icons, and a paper journal to keep track of your days and icons. While you'll be adding something new each day, you may not remember what each image represents after a year or two. By documenting the images in a notebook each day, you can look back to see what memories each icon corresponds to later.

Courtesy of @thestircrazycrafter

She also recommends grabbing a selection of embroidery floss, scissors, embroidery needles, a ruler, and a jar to store your leftover floss.

Here are all the supplies you'll need if you don't already have them:

While you're waiting to start your 2022 embroidery journal, take a look through posts under #embroideryjournal on Instagram to see what other people have made this year. There are sure to be several inspiring projects posted at the end of the year, and we can't wait to see them.