A Brief Rant

Slow Stitching: what it is and isn't

I have become rather irritated with the abuse of the term slow stitching in facebook groups on youtube videos. So I'd like to review briefly what slow stitching is and what it is not.

Slow stitching would better be called mindful stitching. The concept is that while you are stitching you are totally immersed in and focused upon the task at hand. No multitasking. No worrying about what to make for dinner. No focusing on hurrying to get the project finished in time for some special event. Focus in the moment. Mindful.

Slow / mindful stitching is not synonymous with hand stitching. Given what I've said above, clearly you can be hand stitching without slow stitching. Perhaps more importantly, you can be mindful when using a sewing machine to stitch. Yes, slow stitching can take place on a sewing machine and it has nothing to do with the speed at which you are stitching.

I have seen one facebook group acknowledge this misunderstanding. But for the most part, for most stitchers, slow is a reference to speed and machine stitching is not slow.

On this note, I'll end my rant with the wish for you that all of your creative activities be slow.

dks, 27 Sept 2025