Slow Stitch: Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art

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In Japan ‘Boro’means ‘rags’ or ‘tattered cloth’ which is patched and often held together with simple runningstitches called Sashiko. 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 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!

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! 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 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.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. Fabric Scraps - If you don't already have some pieces of scrap fabric from past projects, the first port of call is your wardrobe. If you have any old clothes that have seen their better days, consider whether you could repurpose them for scrap material. Otherwise, take a look on Etsy or try your local fabric store for cheap fabric bundles. Step 2: Consider Your Surroundings 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. Slow stitching is an organic process. There are no hard and fast rules about what you need or what you should do. However, if you're drawing a complete blank about how to start, here are a few pointers. Step 1: Gather Your Materials Really, it’s a process, an idea, a feeling more than an actual outcome and thing. Of course, the beauty is that it encompasses both process-led-making and making for use.

Place in a keepsake box of small projects to go through everytime you need some creative inspiration and a smile! While the commercialism of the crafting industry can get tiresome, you are still allowed to buy stuff for your projects. The main thing is you USE those supplies more than you just buy and collect them! Slow stitching is a new art form built on old traditions. The movement was originally spearheaded by Mark Lipinksi, one of the quilting industry's most well-known figures. When you make a quilt the usual way, you need to plan meticulously. You're working towards a defined outcome and more often than not, you'll be using a particular motif or theme. 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.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started in slow stitch?

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.

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.I like to think of slow stitching as the “art journal” of the sewing world – it’s a great place to practice, explore, and experiment with different ideas and learn new techniques.

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!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 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?