I recently discovered that the latest trend in sewing / fiber art / quilting / embroidery (among other traditional skills) is called "slow stitching." I was intrigued, so I decided to do a bit of research . . . and to my surprise, this "new trend" has actually been part of my life for over 50 years!
A bit of history
Back in the "olden" days, as some would call it, this technique was called simply "hand stitching," or "hand quilting." It has evolved, of course, into a very different idea than it was originally practiced.
When I was twelve years old, I wanted a new dress, but of course, there was no money for a "new" anything. I loved the second-hand store where my mom would buy a "grab bag" of leftovers for 25 or 50 cents, and it would almost be like Christmas!
She would pull out anything that was usable "as is" (or in this case, "as was") and then sort out the rest of the treasures looking for any fabric that she could use to make or "remake" for me or for herself.
When I was still pretty little (so I've been told), she took a lady's winter coat, cut it apart, and made me a "new" coat. Perhaps that where I learned to be a frugal and creative shopper!
What happened next?
Back to the time when I was twelve years old . . . I decided that the only way I was going to have a "new" dress was to make it myself. So I did! There was a variety store (we called it a "dime store") in our little town in Michigan, and it carried a wonderful array of fabrics, patterns, threads, zippers, rick rack, lace, and ribbons.
So, I would babysit on a Friday night, make $2.00, then go to the "dime store" and buy enough fabric, and a pattern for about $1.50 - perfect! 50 cents left over to buys buttons and thread.
Then the magic happened!
With that precious piece of fabric and 50 cent pattern, and a few embellishments, I made my first dress. It was a soft yellow plaid cotton fabric, with short sleeves and a Peter Pan collar. Don't know what that is? Check it out, you'll love it!
I wore that dress to school and I was so excited to have something "new" that was all my own. After that, I kept practicing on the old Singer sewing machine that my grandma passed down to my mom and she let me use . . . until I was making jumpers and blouses, more dresses (back then we always wore dresses to school), skirts, pajamas, shorts in the summer, tops of all kinds, and I even made my own swimming suits!
What about "slow stitching"?
As the years passed by, after a year of college, I got married and started a family. And since sewing and "refashioning" had been a major part of my life for a long time, I made many of the outfits that my children wore when they were little. I even learned how to make a man's suit when it was all the "rage" to sew with the new polyester knit fabrics.
Much of the work of sewing for my children and myself involved a significant amount of "hand stitching." Hems were always finished by hand, zippers were frequently "hand picked," and any trims or buttons (of course!) were put on by hand.
Then, one day when my three oldest children were still pretty little, I took a class at a local "variety store" where I learned how to make a quilt, all stitching done by hand. I was fascinated and suddenly obsessed with making quilted wall hangings.
Eventually I ventured into a larger hand stitching project - a full size quilt. All pieced and stitched by hand. Talk about "slow stitching"! It took months to complete each quilt.
The best way to hand piece and quilt a large project (in my opinion) is using a frame where each large square is quilted individually, and then all of the squares stitched together afterwards. Makes the stitching a bit easier.
There's more to this story
There is so much more to the story and history of "slow stitching" which I will document in an upcoming blog post. For now, the most important thing is to remember that "slow stitching" is actually not something that has recently been "discovered" or "invented" but a traditional skill that women have practiced for generations.
The great thing (among many) about the modern trend of "slow stitching" is the philosophy that seems to have motivated it. It is about slowing down, taking time to engage in the process and not worry so much about the finished product.
For now, let me encourage you, if you are interested in "slow stitching" there are hundreds of examples online, with websites, blogs, and videos to guide you to your own style of "slow stitching."
Enjoy the process and we'll talk again soon!
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