The Coziness Project is Back!

Why hello there! Hard to believe it has been almost a year since I last posted here at The Coziness Project! Since moving back to the United States in February, I have continued to update my romance comic book blog, Sequential Crush on a regular basis, but this here blog sorta fell to the wayside. At first I was a little stressed about not being able to maintain it through the huge transition of moving back to the States and getting reestablished, but in my heart I knew it wasn't gone forever... and well, here we are! I originally started The Coziness Project as a personal blog to document my adventures in Denmark, as well as the things that were inspiring me at the time. I have decided to shift my focus from a sort of "catch-all" personal blog to one that is more narrowly themed. If you are a reader of Sequential Crush then you already know that I am definitely a fan of niche topics! So, may I present to you -- the new and improved Coziness Project -- a blog about cross stitch and other crafty endeavors (but mostly cross stitch)!

So why cross stitch you may ask? Well, I first learned how when I was around seven years old from my very patient and crafty mom. I worked on a few projects, but then the rest of childhood came up... and then adolescence... which led to adulthood. Nary a stitch was crossed during that time -- despite being generally crafty. Fast forward 20+ years, and here I am, a fresh arrival to the beautiful state of Tennessee. A few months after the move when I finally finished unpacking the things that I had in storage while I lived abroad, I came across a beautiful counted cross stitch kit that I had purchased years ago on a visit to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (more on this kit in an upcoming post). Soon after purchasing it I decided that it seemed far too difficult for someone who hadn't cross stitched in years and socked it away, not to be thought of again until that evening when I took it from a box containing my knitting materials. I took a good look at the pattern again, and was like, difficult? Pffft! If I can move across the ocean twice in the span of a couple years and set up camp in a new state and city where I know no one and basically start life over from scratch, then I can totally cross stitch a bookmark! So, I put needle to aida cloth and got to work. And what I felt as I stitched the intricate geometric design was an overwhelming sense of calm, confidence, and a connection to history. A history that was both my own (learning the craft from my mother), and a history of all the women who came before me who for hundreds of years partook in various types of needlework.

Since that initial project I have completed a few other pieces, and I am in no way stopping now. I. Can't. Get. Enough. And not only do I want to actually do the physical act of cross stitching, I also want to read about it, learn about it, and blog about it! But unlike in the past when I would stress about posting in this space, I am just gonna let this blog take shape organically. If I feel like posting, then so be it. If I don't -- well that's okay too. No pressure. So, whether you are a friend or family, a Sequential Crush reader, or a crafter yourself, I hope you'll join me for some reflections on my adventures in the cozy art of cross stitch!