In Praise of Mindful Slow Stitching

Ugh. Hand stitching.

Many contemporary quilters shudder at the thought of having to use a hand needle and thread anywhere on their work, finding ways around it with their sewing machines and clever techniques to avoid it. Hand stitching is tedious. It's monotonous. It's SLOW!

‍But that's the point.

We need to slow down.

It seems like people talk faster, move faster, and want everything faster than ever before. Technology is advancing at an accelerated rate; social media encourages us to keep scrolling so we don't miss anything; and nobody drives the speed limit anymore. Whew! What happened? Why do we feel like we have to be in such a hurry?

Hand stitched silks

Which is why I love slow stitching. It forces me to stop and focus. There's no way I can scroll on my phone (or drive!) when there's a stitching project in my hands. I must pay attention to what I'm doing. My monkey mind slows down, and I find myself feeling calmer. My thoughts become more creative and less chaotic.

Slow stitching can be a project such as a Kawandi quilt, the addition of Kantha-style stitching, or incorporating simple embroidery. I love adding hand stitching to my work. There's a sweetness to a cluster of French knots, an innocence to a wonky running stitch, and the more intricate embroidery stitches I hide in a piece are often a delightful surprise, like discovering a tiny, buried treasure.

Kawandi-style stitching

We can't stop the world from moving at its accelerated pace, just as we can't stop ourselves from aging. But we can choose to slow down. We can, and should, create moments of mindfulness, peace, and balance by adding a little slow stitching to our art quilting practice.

Kantha stitched linen