Slow Stitch: Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art

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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 What is slow stitching? Modeled after the slow food movement, slow stitching encourages sewers to forget about perfection and forget about the finished article . Instead, it nurtures the idea of enjoying the process of stitching for stitching's sake. While you don’t have to go all minimalist, it’s nice to know that you can escape from having to lug around a sewing machine just to meet up with friends to do a little sewing together. It’s also great for travel! Slow Stitching is a Soulful Process Muslin Fabric By The Yard{Don’t go crazy buying a ton – 1 yard is plenty for several small projects!} Another nice advantage of slow stitching is it’s portable and well suited for travel, especially if you’re sewing by hand. You can bring an English paper piecing project almost anywhere, and you can certainly embroider with minimal supplies in tow.

The only requirements needed to learn to slow stitch are the will to stitch, the ability to thread a needle, and time to complete your pieces. Children slow stitch, experienced textile artists love the process, as well as mixed media artists. But, anyone, even people who have never sewn anything, can slow stitch and most love it. Of course not! You can still use your sewing machine. The important thing is to practice gratitude and set that intention and focus on the creative process more than the final result. I have had a lot of fun “slow stitching” on my Vintage 1947 Singer Sewing machine! Am I Never Allowed to Buy Anything Again? Modeled after the slow food movement, the point of slow stitching isn’t to be perfect, or even to make a cohesive final piece {although many pieces are beautiful pieces of textile art!} – the intention is to enjoy the process one stitch at a time, to relax, and to not stress about all the things we might worry about if we were trying to make a perfect quilt or sewing project. There are 101 ways to practice mindfulness. For some people, mindfulness is about sipping on a cup of herbal tea and meditating. For others, it's about taking a walk and appreciating nature. For yet others, it's about sewing.The important thing is you practice a little gratitude for those supplies and materials – they didn’t come from thin air! Someone designed a pattern and put all the work into creating the fabric you are working with. If you’ve ever spent some time weaving or spinning yarn, you know the time and talent involved!

The possibilities are endless for things you can add to a project. If you can sew it down, you can add it to your final piece. Like I said, this process is so much like art journaling, just with fabric instead!

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

You don’t need a lot of fancy supplies to get started – you can use some old fabric scraps or if you don’t have any fabric yet, a lot of shops sell fat quarters super cheap which is a great way to build a stash. Slow 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. So, what is slow stitching? In a busy and chaotic world, sometimes it’s just nice to…well…slow down, relax, take a few deep breaths and not worry about creating a product, but enjoying a process. Slow stitching is one of those creative arts perfect for this!

For a basic project, gather some foundation fabric {cotton muslin or quilt batting works great for this!} and some favorite fabrics from your scrap pile. You only need little bits, so don’t worry if your pieces are small. Slow Stitching is an emerging technique which is influenced by an era when we wish to recycle/upcycle old fabrics and learn how to enjoy theprocessas much, if not more than, the outcome. If you need some inspiration to get started, consider some of these great projects, all of which give you a specific goal to work towards while still letting you concentrate on the joy of creation.

What materials do you need?

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. 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. As you're sewing, keep your mind focused on your stitches, not on what the end result will look like. This is the time to enjoy the process of creating, not to worry about how neat the finished article will look. Step 4: Admire Your Creation Slow stitching is about doing things your way. About {re}learning your own sense of creativity. About not following rules, but settling into what happens when you sit and stitch. Many of my students have grown up being told they have to follow the patterns, pull out rows of stitching when they did it wrong or too messy, that they don’t have any of their own creativity. I personally like to use upcycled fabrics from thrifted finds because not only are they are much more affordable that way, but also because it helps reduce landfill waste.