What is Stitchbooking?
(and why should you try it?)
An Introduction to Your New Favourite Craft
A Fusion of Scrapbooking and Textiles
Stitchbooking is a fusion of scrapbooking and textiles, using photographs to create fabric memory books.
Everyone has a story to tell; and whether it's your recent holiday, the life of a beloved family member or a collection of your favourite things, and creating a Stitchbook will preserve those memories in a tactile and enduring way.
Tell your Family Stories.
Blank to Beautiful
Add your own designs to pre-made fabric books.
Stitchbooking starts with a blank Stitchbook - a pre-made fabric book that you can sew into.
Each book is made with folding pages that allow you to take them out of the bindings to stitch. This means that all of your messy thread tails are hidden in between the pages.
This is great because you can work on several different pages at one time, use a sewing machine to decorate and (as the hard part has been done for you) you can concentrate on telling your story,
Anything Goes!
As well as adding photographs and text you can incorporate a huge range of textile crafts into your Stitchbooks, especially quilt making, applique, cross stitch and fabric painting. Build on and utilise any existing textile skills you already have to make your book unique.
There are no rules in Stitchbooking! Use the books however you would like and add whatever techniques you want to. They are the perfect tool for textile creativity and I hope they inspire you to explore and step out of your crafting safety zone.
Photos to be treasured.
Celebrate the memories that matter.
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Show Your Snaps
Preserve and celebrate treasured personal photographs by transferring them to fabric, and sewing them into your Stitchbooks.
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The Perfect Gift
Stitchbooks make perfect gifts for special birthdays, anniversaries or events. Celebrate your relationships, family and friendships in stitch.
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Great for Beginners
Stitchbooks make the perfect project whatever your level. Add as little or as much to the pages as your skills (and time) will allow!
Make A Unique Project
You are not restricted to making photo albums – the blank books can be used in many different ways. Add fabric collage to create an art journal, felt, bead and Velcro to make a kids activity book, or use one as a sampler book to practice different stitches or organise fabrics or threads.
In fact, perhaps the greatest thing about the Stitchbooks is that they are open to your interpretation. Use them for whatever your next project is. Whatever your skill level, whatever technique you want to use, there will be a book to match your design.
Why Should You Make A Stitchbook?
A Thoughtful Gift
What better way to celebrate a special friendship or relationship than to create a personal and unique gift. This could be celebrating someone’s achievements, a record of times you spent together or based around all of their favourite things. Show someone all of the things that make them precious to you.
Record your Memories
I started Stitchbooking to use and display all of the wonderful photos I had of my parents and grandparents. The combination of fabric and photos creates a unique kind of nostalgia that makes me remember the best times. Use old clothing and household fabrics as well as buttons, ribbons badges and patches that are associated with specific people or places.
Explore Textile Art
The blank books are a great blank canvas for experimenting with textile art. The thick folded pages are robust enough to add multiple layers of fabric and they can be machine embroidered onto without a hoop.
Here’s how you can get started right now:
Create your own Stitchbook
Create your own Stitchbook
Learn all of the techniques you need to create your own fabric memory book. The Stitchbook Handbook is the perfect starting point to explore the world of Stitchbooking.