Over the course of 2023, Heather Dubreuil embroidered icons that varied in size representing her home and work life all in one colour of thread – black. She selected one colour as it would make updating her embroidery journal quite a bit easier; it eliminated one of the many decisions that we make in updating an embroidery journal.
I’ve been running the Embroidery Journaling Facebook Group for about a year and a half at this point. Along the way, Heather joined and began sharing photos of her beautiful monochromatic artwork. I was absolutely thrilled when she agreed to be interviewed for my A Stitch a Day series. She’s been kind enough to answer a variety of my questions all about her 2023 embroidery journal. Read on to learn about all of the great tips & tricks that she’s picked up along the course of 2023.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I have been a chemical analyst at a zinc smelter for 21 years (you’ll see a lot of laboratory elements pop up in my journal.) I met my husband here and we have 2 boys, 22 and 15 years old and a weird little 9-year old terrier mutt named Mila. When I’m not stitching I love learning home renovations and working on our rental properties, and kayaking when the weather is nice. I incorporated a lot of those elements into my thread journal last year with the exception of my dog. I didn’t realize that until just now so I plan on being more mindful of that for 2024.
How did you decide on your colour palette?
I decided I absolutely needed to do monochrome. I am notoriously gung ho about starting things but not sticking to them so I needed to make a year long project as easy as possible to stick to. I had never attempted to keep up with a journal of any kind let alone such a shareable project so I really wanted to make it easy.
What supplies do you use for your embroidery journal?
I love using all kinds of hoops for different projects but for my thread journal I like a 12″ wooden hoop (last one I used was a vintage one from taiwan that I got from my mother) and I stitched on Kona cotton layered over a piece of sturdy felt. I use Frixion pens to draw my icons and remove them as soon as I can with a blowdryer. I also started using a portable magnifying light that clamps to whatever table is nearby.
What tips do you have for someone wanting to start an embroidery journal?
Do it!! Don’t stress about doing it any certain kind of way. Do what works for you and if that is a single visual motif for each month, a large weekly icon, or just 30ish things that happened throughout the month instead of one for each day, just do what speaks to you. This project IS you. If you are chaotic… let it also be magnificently chaotic!
How did you learn how to embroider?
My mother cross stitched when I was growing up and she taught me as well. She also crocheted/knit but my brain refused to pick up anything more than a single chain. I cross stitched for about 25 years before diving into embroidery. My most cherished piece is a 32 page – 125 DMC color palette – 3 year labor of love family portrait I designed and cross stitched. Never again lol but after that I felt there weren’t anymore challenges in cross stitching for me so I started embroidering. Stumpwork embroidery is my current passion. One of my favorite pieces is a stumpwork throne of mayonnaise (there’s a story there) which took a lot of work from idea to pattern making to stitching but it turned out exactly like I wanted it to. I love my drippy mayo throne!
What has been the most challenging aspect of creating this project for you?
The biggest challenge was how to transfer icons onto the fabric. My use of felt as a stabilizer made a lightbox impossible. I tried a plexiglass device that mirrors the image onto the fabric so you can trace and that also didn’t work for me. I was trying so hard to make it easy but the easiest thing turned out to be freehand using icons from iconfinder.com
How do you go about spacing out your icons?
I eyeball it and it depends on the icon. I try to do at least a few bigger complex icons and the rest are simpler so I can enlarge or decrease the size as I need.
Do you have a way of tracking your icons?
I wish I could keep up with a written journal and write down notes about what the icons mean but I’m doing good to save or screenshot icons to my phone every few days to stitch on weekends.
What do you plan on doing with your embroidery journal now that you’ve finished it?
I have embroidery all throughout my home with a specific theme in most areas (I have a little bird sanctuary in my kitchen) but in the living room I have a wall that I fill with all of my random projects. I use 3M strips to stick them to the wall because I like the idea of being able to take them down and move them around without leaving a bunch of nail holes everywhere. My thread journal is the biggest piece on the wall by far, but it still blends in so nicely.
Is this your first embroidery journal?
2023 was my first journal and I have started 2024. I was really surprised at how many of my non embroidering friends loved watching my progress throughout the year. That definitely helped keep me going.
Are you working on an embroidery journal for 2024?
YES! I deviated a little from the monochrome theme but I’ll have 6 colors this year. January will be black, then a DMC antique gold, gutermann gold, gutermann copper, DMC metallic rainbow, DMC antique silver, and then repeat that sequence in July.
Do you have anything else that you would like to share about your embroidery journal?
This was the first project I ever attempted to work on in public. I took it with me and sat in the back during my son’s bowling practices. Never in my life have I been bold enough to work on something in a public setting but the fear of falling behind was a good motivator to do it.
Where can we find you online?
@purpleizafruit is my personal page where I usually but I did just start a dedicated embroidery page last year – @nyg_embroidery (Not Your Grandma’s Embroidery). I also frequent a lot of the Facebook embroidery groups.
Thank you to Heather for taking the time to answer my numerous questions, it’s been such an enjoyable interview. Be sure to give Heather a follow so you can watch her progress with her 2024 embroidery journal.
This is one of my last A Stitch a Day interviews in the completed 2023 series. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter to receive an email once I begin to accept new applicants for interviews. I expect this to be around June time.
Enjoyed this post? Then check out some of my other blog posts or purchase the in-depth embroidery journal guide. You can also join the free Embroidery Journaling Facebook group to chat with others working on Embroidery Journals. Follow me on any of the following social media websites: