SDA Book Club: One A Day, Every Day reviewed by Vivien Zepf
August 14, 2026
One A Day, Every Day: The Daily Practice of JPR Stitch by JPR Stitch aka Dr. Jack Roberts
As I opened the beautifully wrapped package, I found an unexpected book. Half its pages were blank which, for a book, seemed odd. The pages were small in scale, 10 x 15 centimeters (3.9 x 5.6 inches) each, but there were almost 400 of them, so the book had heft, all enclosed in a graphic hardcover binding. Flipping the book around I realized I could read it from either the front or the back. The content was different depending on which way I read. I wondered, what kind of book is this?
Now I know—the book is an invitation into our own well of creativity.
JPR Stitch, aka Dr. Jack Roberts, published One a Day, Every Day: The Daily Practice Handbook to spawn daily creativity. Art practice journals have been regular topics for many years, but JPR Stitch introduces readers to his practice and then invites us to create a daily dialogue alongside him.
JPR Stitch began his daily practice in 2023. The sewing machine was too big to bring along when he left on vacation, but he did have paper and pen. While away he created a series of drawings that mimicked the zigzag style of stitching used in his artworks. When he returned home, JPR used black thread and fabric (in the same 10 x 15 cm proportion as the paper he used on vacation) to translate the process to his sewing machine. He found such satisfaction in the results that he decided to continue the small stitches as a supplement to his broader art practice. The author admits, “It took me a while to become comfortable with the process and to understand what the practice was about.” As the year progressed, the stitching became less defined and more fluid, transitioning into reflections of the artist’s state of mind each day. JPR Stitch is now in his third year of daily stitching.
Why do the graphic stitched drawings from that first year occupy half the book? JPR’s goal in developing One a Day was to celebrate his personal achievement but also to share the benefits of a daily creative habit with others. By printing his drawings on only one side of a two-page spread, he invites readers to engage with the blank page opposite his own work. These first drawings were JPR’s experiment and readers are encouraged to experiment as well. The small page size diminishes the intimidation of a large blank page and also harkens back to the start of JPR’s journey. You can imagine starting together.
Open spread from One A Day, Every Day: The Daily Practice of JPR Stitch, 2nd June 2024. Photo by the artist.
I’ve never been successful at what I perceive to be daily journaling. But this book encouraged me to expand my idea of what a daily creative practice might look like. JPR writes, “My daily practice is stitching with my sewing machine. Your passion or aspiration and therefore your daily practice might be something entirely different.” Drawing, recording the day’s temperature or your daily accomplishments, writing a poem, doodling, collage are all mentioned as ways to engage with the readers’ side of the book. JPR includes a lined spare sheet that can be inserted beneath a page to make writing easier (if that’s your passion.) I’ve been recovering from hand surgery and haven’t yet been able to even hold a pen. I used the book to press a few flowers and photograph them arranged on JPR’s stitched drawings and the spare lined sheet. Most books I’ve encountered about journaling aren’t as expansive in their definitions or accommodations for different types of daily creativity.
JPR Stitch, Lined extra page from One A Day, Every Day. Photo: Vivien Zepf.
While the bulk of One a Day, Every Day is designed to facilitate readers’ engagement with regular creativity, it is also a record of JPR’s daily stitch drawings as a vital element of his overall art practice. I was particularly intrigued by his installation of a year’s worth of stitched drawings into towers, a tangible representation of the passage of time. It’s always fascinating to discover new ways for art to be displayed. Crafting the towers literally and figuratively elevated the drawings to a space beyond the personal. Readers also see how these drawings informed JPR’s artwork collection that are layers of densely colored stitches.
JPR Stitch, Towers of Daily Stitch Drawings – Year One (2023-2024), 2024. 357 freehand machine embroideries and 9 pen and ink daily stitch drawings, mounted onto ebony stained back boards and constructed into five freestanding towers, 50 x 31.5 x 92.5 inches. Photo by the artist.
JPR Stitch, 02/06/24, 2024. Freehand machine embroidery with thread on buckram, mounted on ebony stained back board, 16.5 x 21.25 inches. Photo by the artist.
As I engaged with the book, I would have preferred a spiral binding so it would lie flat. When I asked the author, he explained to me that “…the stitched binding meant the book was more durable than a glued binding, so the book can be opened wide, to the point where the spine breaks but there is no risk of the pages falling out.” So there you have it. Open the book wide and create every day. The elegance of the binding certainly helps to confer importance onto the act of creating, no matter how simple. But just create. This might be a workbook/handbook, but it will also become a cherished volume filled with imagination and possibilities.
–Vivien Zepf
- Publisher: JPR Stitch (buy it here)
- Date: 2025
- If you’ve read this book, leave a comment and let us know what you think!
Do you have a recommendation for a recent fiber-related book you think should be included in SDA’s Book Club? Email SDA’s Interim Editor, Lauren Sinner, to let her know!
