Slow Stitch: Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art

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This makes it easier to hold your piece as well as feel less daunting that you’ve got this big piece of fabric to work on and finish. Of course, this process of sewing everything on by hand is slow…but this is a great time as a creator to remember you enjoy the act of creating – certainly we wouldn’t spend all the time we do on projects if we didn’t! Step 4: Finish and Enjoy! Let’s face it: None of us are perfect and we all have some inner critic who’s going to tell us we’re not good enough or our art is not up to snuff.

But if you've spent a lifetime working with set rules and towards specific goals, going into a task without any end in mind can be daunting. I’ve been able to successfully set up slow stitching on my couch in the living room and in my bed, even if the bed isn’t the most ideal place to work!Mindful stitching is about letting your creative juices flow and just running with it. Mindful stitching lets you turn your thoughts to what you're feeling at the moment and express those feelings with your needle and thread. Slow stitching is a craft where modern creativity meets ancient practices; a craft that's about the journey, not the destination. Slow stitching isn't about mending or making garments from a pattern. Neither is it about working towards a goal or a timeframe. It seems these times, in the not too far distance, are fast becoming lost. As we slouch on the couch, immersed in someone else’s made up reality, a blue glow on our face. Communication happens from room to room in a home via asking a device to send a message. These are times when we are less connected to our selves, our intuition, our sense of nature and how to be in it. Feel free to pour yourself a cup of tea, light some candles or diffuse your favorite essential oils to set the space for mindful stitching. You don’t have to have the perfect setup or even a studio – the important thing is you are comfortable and can be intentional in the stitching process.

If the lighting is good, if you're comfortably set up, and if there are no distractions around, you'll find it easier to get into a meditative state of mind. Consider lighting some candles, playing some relaxing music, or even burning some essential oils. This is absolutely and completely untrue. Thankfully I was not raised like this, but rather in the way that continuously told me to explore, take risks, have adventures, do things and make mistakes. And while I don’t always listen to this advice, and do sometimes think ‘I’m not good enough, or expert enough’, I am not at all like this with my slow stitching. It is essentially a new form of mindfulness through sewingand, especially in these difficult times promotes wellbeing and calmSlow stitching is a term that has only been used for a few short years, but stems from the history of hand sewing, stitching, mending and repair that humans have done almost since we learned how to make string. It’s something that I use in most of my everyday creative practice, as well as share in my workshops and online courses.

There are all sorts of things you can use in slow stitching – much like I say when making junk journals – if you can glue it on, you can use it! In slow stitching, we just sew it on instead. 🙂 No Planning or Expected Outcome What actually is Slow Stitching? It is simply taking a piece of fabric, needle and thread and using simple stitch marks upon the textile. Going with the flow of your fabric, your mind, your thought process. There is no set pattern to follow, no embroidery lines to mark up. Instead you learn to listen to your innate sense of creativity and allow your hands to flow across the fabric. WHY SLOW STITCHING?Most of the time I just hum right along, being happy to just be in the moment without worrying or stressing about stuff going on in my life. And when I am stressed, needlework can definitely reduce that amount of stress, it’s a lot like mark making with fabric! If you count yourself among the last group, you're not alone. As more and more of us realize the benefits of creating for creating's sake, mindful stitching is becoming ever more popular. Slow stitch is a branch of the Slow Movement, which advocates a return to pre-industrial techniques and gradual processes that provide quality and personal value to objects. It is about slowing down and creating from a sustainable balance; about reusing; about doing things as well as possible and not as fast as possible; about savoring time, not counting it. For me, the art of slow stitching is all about just intuitively letting the creative process flow…I don’t worry about following a pattern, or having perfectly cut pieces, I even let raw unfinished edges hang loose.

The slow stitch movement was originally created by Mark Lipinksi, a well-known figure in the quilting industry. After some health issues he realized the need for slowing down – and the many benefits that can come from a mindful stitching practice. One of the best things about this mindful creative process is you don’t have to be perfect – not at meditation and not as sewing either! Kitchen Towels - A kitchen towel requires the bare minimum of materials to make. It's also the perfect medium to showcase your embroidery. Add embellishments or leave it plain: the choice is yours. A Bag - Once you cut out your foundation fabric, you can go to town making a bag that lets your embroidery and fabrics shine. Keep it simple or add as many jewelry pieces, buttons, and charms as you dare to. Mindful Stitching Workshops You don’t know what you might make, other than some type of textile fabric art. Your finished piece might be a textile collage, a piece of embroidery, a journal cover – or it might be something totally unexpected that blurs the lines between what exactly it is – that’s okay! You Can Embrace Your Imperfections This is another slow stitch project perfect for a journal cover – this one is colorful with lots of wonky crazy stitches!

A movement that celebrates artisanal production values and a slower process of embroidery

But you can certainly buy new fabrics, which I do sometimes do myself because…well, when you love a fabric, you love it, and that’s the end of the story. If a material resonates with your intention, it makes sense to just buy it and be done with it! What if I Don’t Like Meditation & Mindfulness But Love the Finished Look? Now that we’ve talked about what slow stitching is and it’s benefits, I hope you want to try it and would love to get started! Below is a simple tutorial that goes over the basic supplies and materials you’ll need, but of course keep in mind there really are no rules – you can do as you like! How to Get Started in Slow Stitching Place in a keepsake box of small projects to go through everytime you need some creative inspiration and a smile!