Journal With Thread: A practical guide to sewing seasonal stories in fabric & thread with iron-on transfers By Jessie Chorley

Tell Your Story One Stitch at a Time

Transform treasured scraps of fabric, vintage ephemera, and personal memories into heirloom textile art with Journal With Thread by celebrated London textile artist Jessie Chorley. Rather than treating embroidery as purely decorative, this inspiring guide invites you to use your needle and thread as a visual diary—capturing moments, keepsakes, and stories on cloth.

Centered on a relaxed, intuitive approach to hand stitching, Jessie shares her signature whimsical style and walks you through 13 deeply personal embroidery and mixed-media projects. Each piece is sparked by a found object or treasured keepsake, showing you how to layer vintage linens, salvaged fabric remnants, paper ephemera, and simple hand stitches into meaningful works of art.

What You’ll Discover Inside

• 13 Step-by-Step Projects: Create narrative-rich pieces including embroidered fabric storybooks, wearable stitched collars, memory cloths, decorative wall hangings, and quilted keepsake pouches.

• Accessible Hand-Stitching Techniques: Focuses on a handful of foundational, meditative stitches—such as running stitch, backstitch, chain stitch, and simple couching—making it welcoming for beginners and liberating for experienced stitchers.

• Mixed-Media & Appliqué Guidance: Learn how to seamlessly incorporate vintage lace, old buttons, paper tags, photographs, and salvaged fabric scraps into your needlework.

• Templates & Motif Library: Includes traceable templates and charming hand-drawn motifs—from botanical sprigs and birds to lettering and figures—that you can adapt to tell your own personal stories.

• Creative Prompts for Visual Journaling: Practical advice on building a personal "stitch library," curating a meaningful scrap collection, and overcoming creative blocks to stitch freely without perfectionism.

Book Specifications

This guide explains how to stitch your own stories in fabric and thread to create a stitched journal. Author, Jessie Chorley, explains how to combine treasured items of fabric, threads and notions with techniques including simple patchwork, hand embroidery and applique, to create a unique, hand stitched book to treasure forever. Author: Jessie Chorley Publisher: David & Charles Subtitle: A practical guide to sewing seasonal stories in fabric & thread with iron-on transfers