Field Journal beginnings
Have you ever held a vintage embroidery in your hands and wondered who stitched it? As you run your fingers over the stitches do you wonder what year it may have been and what would have been happening in the world at the time? Imagining as you admire each stitch, what the stitcher might have been thinking. Perhaps you dream of a simpler world like then, with more time to stitch.
If stitches could speak, they would tell of the highs and lows of everyday life, of worries and of joys, of the little things when reminisced become treasured memories. I like to believe that one’s thoughts, as though spun with the thread, are stitched into their work. A threaded needle is to a piece of cloth as a sharpened pencil is to a journal page. Ready to share a story.
What if we were to jot down just a few thoughts that visited our mind while we stitched? What story would our stitches have to tell? Imagine how special it would be to read the thoughts of stitchers past. To hold their work in your hands and read in their own unique handwriting, the thoughts spun with their thread and stitched in French knots or lazy daisies. Things considered un-remarkable like the date, the song they were listening to or who they chatted to while they stitched along. It would be like peeking through little windows into their lives, creating a timeless connection and a true appreciation for their work.
Now imagine someone picking up your work in one, ten or one hundred years from now. Be it family or a serendipitous find, to discover that you’ve journalled alongside your embroideries. We hope the Field Journal Quilt inspires you to leave a legacy of your thoughts, little windows into your life that will create timeless connections between you and generations to come. A quilt with a story, your story.
The idea of the Field Journal Quilt came about when Katie was admiring her collection of vintage embroideries and imagined the faces of the stitchers who embroidered them, pausing a moment to think about the history stitched into each piece. This of course was lost to time, and made Katie imagine if each piece had just a few words from the stitcher themselves.
Katie created the Field Journal concept to deliver as a subscription club and the messages we have received from around the world have been heartwarming. The Field Journal quilt has become so much more than leaving a legacy, it has become an act of mindfulness. Stitching allows us to be with our own thoughts when other’s thoughts are so often forced into our mind. Stitching invites our own thoughts back in and gives them room to grow.
Since the post release of Field Journal club into booklet sets (Volumes), we continue to hear wonderful stories of the impact journalling alongside stitching can have. From celebrating the joy of new life, to helping grieve a loved one. Even those who have never journalled before found that once they started, it was hard to keep it just to one page.
The full kits contain everything you need to complete each panel of the quilt. All items are listed separately as well, except any retired threads used. These are only available in the full kit or thread pack.
In addition to the Field Journal quilt, there are 4 stand alone patterns for each Volume. The following are available now.
Field Journal X - Field Journal Cross Stitch
Our friend Handlebar Stitcher saw the potential for Field Journal designs to be converted into Cross Stitch. So far we have digital and paper charts of 3 Field Journal designs with more in the works. We couldn’t be happier with conversions! Shop FJX digital or paper charts here
Katie has been combining the FJX designs stitched on 40 count linen with English Paper Piecing. The large hexagons will join together to create a quilt.
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