Slow Stitch: Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art

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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.

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. 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. One of the things I love about slow stitching is it doesn’t have to be any specific sort of project or even a specific medium. You could quilt, embroider, knit, crochet – or perhaps even combine a bit of all your favorite needlework and textile arts. Step 1: Gratitude for Supplies & Materials 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.

Hand Stitched Buttons - Buttons might be small, but their uses are extensive. Hand stitching buttons can add a special layer of personalization and bring a big hit of interest to whatever project you decide to use them on. 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! You also don’thaveto make anything from it – no rules again – but if you want to, you can – whatever you fancy doing. It is almost like giving yourself permission to relax and let your creativity come through, with no comparison to anyone or anything else. Lap Quilts - Quilts are the perfect medium for slow stitching. All you need are two layers of fabric to get you started. From there, you can add whatever embroidery and embellishment you like.

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?Recently I’ve fallen in love with a new creative practice called slow stitching, and it fits so well with journal making I decided to start a whole new category here on Artjournalist just for textile arts.