February is often recognized for being the month of love, Black History Month or American Heart month, but did you know it's also National Embroidery Month? There's no better time to celebrate with some stitching (especially as many of us are waiting for spring to arrive!)

So just for fun, here are 20 ideas for how you can celebrate National Embroidery Month!

1. Choose one embroidery project that you have in progress and commit to finishing it by the end of the month. 

2. Try stitching on a material other than fabric. 

3. Organize your embroidery needles and notions. 

4. Find a new use for embroidery. If you usually create wall art, try making a pillow or stitching a design on a tote bag. 

5. Treat yourself to a new tool you’ve been wanting, like a cute pair of scissors or a needle minder. 

6. Block out time on your calendar to stitch this month. Light a candle, make yourself some tea (or pour yourself a glass of wine) and let your stitching time be a treat to yourself! 

7. Try a different type of embroidery than you normally would, for example felt appliqué, cross stitch or sashiko. 

8. Experiment with freehand embroidery. 

9. Treat yourself to a sit-on embroidery frame. 

10. Instead of hanging your project in an embroidery hoop, frame it or stretch it over canvas for a different look. 

11. On your next project, try stitching with different threads than what you normally use. If you use 6-strand floss, try Perle cotton, tapestry wool, or silk ribbons. 

12. Add some embroidered embellishments to a stained or torn item of clothing to give it new life. 

13. Add sequins to an embroidery project. 

14. If you’re feeling ambitious, select a stitching project for each month of the year! 

15. Plan to learn new stitches with an embroidery course. 