materials

A few of you had some questions about what supplies to gather. I like to use a kind of unbleached linen called Osnaburg. It's considered a utility fabric and is rather cheap...less than $5 a yard. Fabric stores should carry it and it's usually by the cotton duck fabrics.

I use a ruler and a sharp pencil to draw the grid. The easiest way to draw the grid is to use a ruler that is an inch wide that way you can line it up with the last line while drawing the next line. When you line up the ruler, try to line it up with the grain of the fabric.

I always use a hoop for embroidering. It's a personal preference...I just like having the fabric pulled tight. For this project, I'm going to use a very large quilting hoop. In the past I've started with small hoops and graduate to larger hoops as the project grows.

You'll need a variety of embroidery needles including ones with larger eyes and some sharps and embroidery floss. Also gather a bunch of embellishments you're inspired by...fabric bits, ribbons, lace, buttons, flowers, beads, etc. Keep them handy and visible.

I'm going to stitch the outlines of the squares as I go but you could leave it for the end if you prefer.

I'll post a picture on Sunday of the materials I've gathered, including the palette of floss I've selected.

getting set up...

To celebrate my birthday this month, I'm going to do a grid-style sampler with a square for each of my 39 years. I will do a square per day starting March 1 until April 8 and will post the squares here.

Want to play along? If you'd like to stitch a square per day for the next 39 days (or however many days you'd like) post a comment here with your blog address. Start by drawing a grid on your fabric (mine is 8 inches by 5 inches with 40 one inch squares (I'll leave the last one blank)). Then starting on Monday March 1, stitch and post the first square. Work sequentially across the grid.

If you're really busy, maybe just sew a button that day. Take your sampler with you and maybe you'll find an extra hour in a waiting room or something and then you can do an elaborate square. Or maybe you can make it your winding-down project to keep next to your bed. However you want to do it, complete each square and post it on that day.

(You may have to work on the first one the night before so you'll have time to work on it and still post it on March 1. I don't think that's cheating, do you?)

Be sure to comment here with your blog address if you want to stitchalong I will add you to the blogroll on the side. I think I'll also do a slideshow of squares we all do to inspire us. Won't that be fun?