When I first started creating my very first embroidery journal back in 2020, I was thrilled to discover that Lindsay was creating her very own! We ended up following each other on Instagram and supported one another throughout the rest of the year. Since 2020, she has completed two Embroidery Journals and several amazing projects.
It’s been such a pleasure to watch Lindsay and her embroidery business flourish over the past several years. I was so pleased when she agreed to be interviewed for A Stitch A Day regarding her 2025 Embroidery Journal – I think you’re really going to learn a lot about Embroidery Journaling from Lindsay!
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hello! I’m Lindsay, aka Lindsay Stitches. As well as being an embroidery artist, I currently work in a beautiful (and iconic) shop in Fremantle called Kate and Abel. I am blessed to live in one of the sunniest places in Australia, so outside of work I love to get out and ride my bike, go to the beach, or just sit outside at a coffee shop to do some stitching. I’ve also just taken on the role of Newsletter Editor for the Embroiderers’ Guild of Western Australia so I’m looking forward to getting to know (and learn from) lots of fellow stitchers!
How did you learn how to embroider?
I back stitched my name onto a fabric journal cover I made in my year 11 sewing class, and the rest is kinda history. I stole my mum’s boxes of threads (she dabbled in cross stitch) and have learned everything I know through 15 years (omg) of trial and error. I’m such a basic stitcher – I generally stick to back stitch, split stitch and satin stitch, but I think I’ve definitely put in my 10,000 hours!
How do you go about spacing out your icons?
In 2020 I would often get to the end of a month and worry about running out of space to fit everything, but in 2022 I was so behind that I would pretty much plan out each segment as a whole. I’ve kept up pretty well this year and it’s been a fun challenge to stitch each memory in real time without knowing what else I’ll need space for – it means I have to think really creatively about what I’m going to stitch to represent a memory, or even curate my life to make sure I do something that will fit into a specific space!
How have you managed to stay motivated throughout the year?
The thing that has really kept me going this year is getting actual real life reactions from actual real life people. Making stitch-worthy memories is so much easier when you have friends, and the joy I get from showing people when I’ve stitched something that we’ve done together will never get old. I also regularly go to coffee shops to catch up on my embroidery journal and I don’t think there’s been a single time that I haven’t had someone stop to look at and ask about what I’m doing. It is HEAVENLY for me to get peoples’ immediate and unfiltered response to it and have them take a photo to show other people. I love sharing my updates on social media, but it’s the real life interactions that have nestled into my heart.
What have been some of your favourite icons that you’ve embroidered this year?
I love how much detail I’ve been able to squeeze into the tiniest little pictures this year. I stitched a couple of fish and some birds earlier in the year that I really love. My boss Kate as a biscuit. A coffee window for car enthusiasts. A painting that I bought from a friend. I keep surprising myself by how well I can stitch something the size of my fingernail, so anything that makes me go “oh shit, I’m actually kinda good at this” is an instant favourite.
What have you learned from starting an embroidery journal?
I’ve learned that documenting my life in embroidery form kind of enhances my mental state exponentially. Trying to keep up with stitching semi-nice memories through a tough year made life feel infinitely more difficult, but creating a record of the absolute delights of 2025 has made it one of the BEST years of my life.
What do you plan on doing with your embroidery journal once you’ve finished it?
My 2020 embroidery journal is in a frame that my partner and I made – it’s sandwiched between two pieces of clear acrylic so you can see the back and the front. My 2022 journal is sitting in my craft room unframed – I haven’t even stitched up the back of it yet! And once it’s finished, my 2025 embroidery journal will be getting the absolute princess treatment. I’m not sure exactly what that means yet, but I’m excited to see what we come up with!
How does your 2025 embroidery journal compare to your previous embroidery journals?
Apart from becoming more detailed each year, I think all of my embroidery journals look pretty similar, but each of them has a really distinct feeling for me. I did my first embroidery journal in 2020 just for a bit of fun and to see if I could stick to a long-term project, and I’m SO glad that I have stitched documentation of my (first) move across Australia throughout all of the uncertainty and weirdness of that year. I started my 2nd embroidery journal in 2022 with really HUGE expectations of myself and what I could achieve through doing another one, which didn’t end super well. I was living in another new place where I had no friends, my partner was working away, and I was in my final year of studying. I was perpetually behind and constantly felt bad about all of the things I wasn’t doing. I can still appreciate the (nearly) finished product and my persistence to see the project through, but I definitely feel a more poignant sort of love for it. After 2022, I was TERRIFIED to do another one, but I consciously started my 2025 embroidery journal with a desire to just enjoy the process with no expectations of the outcomes. Turns out this was the perfect strategy because the year (and consequently, my embroidery journal) has been filled with absolute magic and joy and love and I couldn’t be happier that I decided to do one more.
What supplies do you use for your embroidery journal?
This year I’m using a 225mm hoop that I’ve painted bright orange (my intention was to paint it a different colour each month/quarter but I didn’t quite get around to it… maybe a little end-of-year surprise?). My fabric of choice is (the cheapest possible) calico, and I use a heat-erasable frixion pen to draw my designs onto it before stitching. I write all of my memories in a diary where I also do some doodling to decide exactly what I’m going to stitch to represent each one. And for the actual stitching, I’m trying my best to ONLY use threads from my jar of leftovers from other projects – it’s a complete mess but I can almost always find what I’m looking for!
Do you plan on creating an embroidery journal in 2026?
I think 2025 is the end of embroidery journaling for me FOR NOW. I feel like the three that I’ve done have captured three very different years of my life in a really beautiful and comprehensive way, and I don’t feel the need to document any more (at least in the same way). BUT I also feel like my embroidery journal has become a particularly large part of my identity this year and I almost don’t know how I’m going to simply do life without it? So who knows?!
Where can we find you online?
You can find me at lindsaystitches.com and on Instagram @lindsay_stitches. I also have TikTok and YouTube (both @lindsaystitches), but haven’t uploaded on either for a long time!
Thank you to Lindsay for taking the time to answer my numerous questions, it’s been such an enjoyable interview. Go ahead and give Lindsay a follow, you won’t regret it!
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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 their own Embroidery Journals. You can also follow me on any of the following social media websites:
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