Slow Stitching & Seasonal Shifts

There is a real north south split in the UK at the moment in terms of weather patterns. The south is gearing itself up for another heatwave and we are 10 degrees lower up north. Our wee Scottish island also has its own micro climate and here the leaves are turning and the blooms are beginning to fade. Bear in mind that I am writing this fairly early on in August. I am so tuned into even the smallest seasonal shift that my creative brain shifts with these changes. Creating seasonally is joyful as it places your soul right in the centre of the natural world all around you. Taking inspiration from seasons and even resourcing from the natural world has been my signature offering as an artist.

However, it is more than inspiration and resources that seasonal creativity offers up. You will, no doubt, find that different creative projects belong in different seasons. Some are fluid across seasons but many belong in a specific season.

Some years ago I can across the work of Claire Wellesley-Smith and her book Slow Stitch - Mindful and contempative textile art. Published by Batsford in 2015 this book changed the way I approached my stitching work. My grandmother taught me to stitch to repair and embroider pretty things for our home. My textile art training taught me to free motion embroider and that quickly became my artistic voice. Then I stumbled into Claire’s book. From the first few pages Claire had dumped me back on the sofa next to my beloved grandmother stitching, chatting, drinking squash and eating the best cakes. When I got to part three in her book that speaks of some techniques in mending I felt the book had been written just for me!

On page 94 Claire introduced me to stitch journals and in that small moment my outlook on stitching changed dramatically. I understood the merits of stitching as mindful practice. Running parallel with Claire’s journey I had been training and working as a meditation teacher so the words she used were very familiar. Claire even uses the term ‘thinking space’ which is a term I use with my clients but in a meditation context. So, I began a stitching journal and I am still going with this practice today. Each stitch taught me the importance of stitching for stitching sake. I wasn’t stitching at speed to meet an exhibition deadline or doing a quick repair. I was stitching slowly and mindfully. As a meditation teacher I know the merits of this but this slow, mindful stitching brought my two worlds together.

Like Claire, I had a career as a community artist as well as an exhibiting artist. I went on to facilitate slow stitching projects for many years. I have now retired as a community artist on the island and an exhibiting artist. My focus is now my Stillness Studio membership here on Substack and my Patreon group. Slow stitching features in both of these contexts.

However, I want to mention the personal. In a world where sharing is a dynamic currency I have remained fiercely protective over my stitching journal. The images I share are the same each time I mention this project as I consider this journal to be private, personal journey. In a complex world it is even more important to create space to let our minds rest and slow, mindful stitching has the capacity to do just that. If our bodies need rest we can all be very clear that our minds also need it. Keeping some creative projects private and just for you can provoke a calming of the mind especially across time. Every time you pick up your stitching journal your shoulders will no doubt drop as you begin another wee chapter with an old and, very much, loved friend.

In my humble opinion Claire’s book moves way beyond stitching but as a measure I believe it to be the best textile book I have read and I have read a lot! I wonder if you have a creative book that has managed to reach inside your creative soul and shift something?

So, back to my introduction about the changes in the season on the island. As the autumn winds arrive it is time to gather my stitching journal out of its summer hibernation and begin stitching again. I will now stitch regularly through to spring next year. Next month Claire has a new book coming out ‘Reflective Stitch: Time and Place in Textile Art’ so that is my September reading organised. Give slow, mindful stitching a go and see how it moves you. Take your time and let the magic work one stitch at a time.

Until next time,

Fiona xx

About the author

I am a mixed media artist living on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. Here on Substack I write free content weekly focusing on seasonal creativity. I also run a paid subscription. The Stillness Studio focused on the relationship between creativity and the meditative mind. It will bring together my two teaching areas into one place and we shall wander along together working on creative tasks that speak well to the meditative mind. This, in turn, speaks well to our sense of physical and mental wellness.