A stitch log is a simple record of what you made, how, and how long it took. It is a small habit that improves your Kasuti quickly, keeps your designs safe, and – if you ever sell or teach – gives you the facts you need.
What you’ll learn
- What to record for every piece, and why.
- How to make a swatch book that becomes your own reference library.
- How to photograph Kasuti, front and back, so the pictures are useful.
- How to time your work honestly.
- How to chart and record old pieces respectfully.
The five parts of a stitch log
- A swatch book. Every new motif or stitch, worked once on a labelled scrap before it goes onto a real piece.
- A record sheet for every piece: cloth, thread, stitches, size, hours and problems.
- Photographs of the front and the back, in daylight.
- Your charts, dated and filed with the record.
- A maker’s tag on the finished piece.
Why it matters
- You see your progress. Photos of your backs, month by month, show your Gavanti getting cleaner.
- You stop repeating mistakes. A note such as “2 strands too heavy on khun” saves the next piece.
- You know your time. After a few pieces you will know how long a border or a gopura takes you. That is the basis of any fair price and any honest delivery date.
- Your designs are kept. Motifs charted from family pieces, or designed by you, are not lost.
Making a swatch book
- Cut scraps about 10 × 10 cm. Work one motif or stitch on each.
- Label each one: date, cloth and count, thread and colour numbers, strands, needle.
- Mount them on card in a ring binder, or keep them in clear sleeves.
- Show the back too: fold the scrap over the card edge, or mount it in a window so both sides can be seen.
Photographing your work
- Use daylight near a window, out of direct sun. Turn the flash off.
- Lay the piece flat on a plain background; a ruler in the frame shows the size.
- Take the front, the back, and one close-up of each.
- Name the files the same way every time: date, piece, front or back.
A record sheet you can copy
Copy this into a notebook, or make one row per piece in a spreadsheet.
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Piece and date | Napkin border, started 3 Oct |
| Cloth and count | Handloom cotton, about 10 counts per cm over 2 threads |
| Thread | Stranded cotton, 2 colours, colour numbers noted |
| Strands and needle | 1 strand, tapestry 26 |
| Motifs and stitches | Diamond buti, Gavanti and Menthe |
| Size | 120 × 14 squares |
| Hours | Logged in 15-minute blocks |
| Thread used | Lengths cut, per colour |
| What went wrong | Miscount at repeat 5; unpicked |
| Photos | File names, front and back |
In more depth: timing your work
- Use a phone timer and start it each time you pick up the needle. Stop it when you put the work down.
- Log in 15-minute blocks. It is accurate enough and easy to keep up.
- Time one repeat, not just the whole piece. “One diamond buti in Gavanti takes me 25 minutes” is something you can plan with.
- Record planning and finishing time separately: charting, setting up, pressing, trimming. They are real hours too.
- Expect to speed up. Your third border will be faster than your first. Keep the old figures to see the change.
- Be honest. A log that leaves out the hours you unpicked is less useful than one that shows them.
In more depth: charting and recording old pieces
- Ask first. If the piece belongs to someone else, ask before you handle or photograph it.
- Handle gently, with clean, dry hands, on a clean table. Don’t pin or press an old piece.
- Chart by counting, never by tracing. Count the stitches of each motif and draw them on graph paper. You learn how it was built.
- Record the story: who made it, where, for what occasion, as far as the family knows. Write “told by” rather than presenting a memory as fact.
- Measure the whole piece and each motif, and photograph both sides with a ruler.
- Credit it. If you stitch or share a motif charted from someone’s heirloom, say where it came from.
Tips for learners and teachers
- Start small. A log that takes two minutes a day lasts; a perfect one that takes an hour is abandoned.
- Keep the log with the work, in the same bag, so you always fill it in.
- Back photos side by side: put this month’s back next to last month’s. It is the clearest way to see improvement.
- Write problems as questions (“Why does my Murgi lean?”) and bring them to class or to the club.
- Use the log to choose your next project. If Neyge is always slow, the next piece should practise Neyge.
- Teachers: ask learners to bring their swatch books to every class. It shows you what they have practised at home.
- Back up photos to a second place: a cloud folder or a computer.
Common misunderstandings
“Logs are only for people who sell.”
No. The fastest improvement comes from comparing your own backs over time. That needs only photos and dates.
“Photographing the back shows off my mistakes.”
It shows them to you, which is the point. You don’t have to share them.
“If I know my hours, I know my price.”
Hours are one part. Materials, finishing, skill and the market all count too. The course Kasuti as a Business covers pricing methods.
“Tracing an old piece is the same as charting it.”
Tracing copies the outline. Counting teaches the structure, and gives a chart someone else can follow.
For earning and teaching
For earning: your log answers the questions every customer asks: how long will it take, and why does it cost what it does? It also lets you show proof of hand work: photos of the back, dated, from start to finish.
Sign your work. Sew a small cloth tag on the back or inside: your name, the date and the stitches used. It tells the buyer who made it, and it is a habit that helps hand-made Kasuti stand apart from machine copies.
For teaching: a learner’s log tells you where they are stuck. A class swatch library, built from everyone’s labelled scraps, becomes a shared reference for the next group.
Check yourself
- Do you have a labelled swatch for every stitch you have learned?
- Do you photograph the front and the back of each piece?
- Do you know how long one repeat of your favourite border takes you?
- Are your charts dated and filed with their photos?
- Does your last finished piece carry your name and the date?