Beading as a Slow Stitch Meditation
Hey my beady friends,
How are you doing these days? Seems to me that no matter where we live on this wonderful globe, you can’t help but notice that the world seems a bit discombobulated these days.
I sure won’t dive into a hornet’s nest of political stuff, but it’s definitely politics that’s driving up searches for stress relief, yoga for relaxation, how to meditate, how to disconnect.
Did you know that mindful practices such as slow stitching are a form of meditation? (For that matter, even washing dishes by hand can be meditative. You work slowly and mindfully, and zone out!)
A quick Google search brought up this definition of slow stitching from Sewing is Cool:
“Slow stitching is about using the needle and thread in the same way you'd use a paintbrush. It's about creating art, about enjoying the process rather than worrying about the product. Basically, slow stitching is about taking a step back from the busy, chaotic world we live in.”
The words that follow are from Deep Rooted Healing’s post titled Contemplation Cloth (I’ve shortened it slightly). I think this paragraph perfectly explains the refuge that is found in pulling a needle and thread through a bead, fabric, paper, leaves, leather – any kind of stitching.
“… a practice of mindfulness and meditation, slow stitching gave me a steady rhythm and anchor to return to again and again where I didn’t have to think about what I was making, didn’t have to conceptualize anything or plan anything, just had to return to the simple repetition of the flow of stitches, like entering a stream. Because at the time, my mind and my heart were so full of anxiety, fear, worry, doubt, overwhelm, confusion, shame, embarrassment, anger and distress that I had no space, no energy for planning or conceptualizing what I would make. My creative spirit guided me to what I needed most, a soft refuge to unravel my mind and my heart.”
The link in the subtitle above you takes you to a Stitching Notes blog on the meditation scroll, and I’ve shared a link to a favourite YouTuber from k3n clothtales on the same topic, below.
I think that the meditation scroll is a great option for beaders! When we choose a project or pattern that does not require a stressful adherence to a complex sequence, beading fits the slow stitching philosophy. Free style bead embroidery, off loom beading (petyote, netting, herringbone?), or loom beading are all good options for a meditative beading experience.
If you are inspired to try a beaded slow stitch project, a la the meditation scroll, a small repetitive component lends itself to this meditative de-stress activity.
Here are a few ideas to give a try, or to use as a jumping off point for your own slow stitch meditation project.
Floor Kaspers work
- vary the colours as you wish
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· add different colours as they pop into your mind or onto your needle
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· don’t allow yourself to “correct” anything, just go with the flow!
(photo) Floor’s “Turquoise and Black 2013” from Art & Beads, www.floorkaspers.nl/
The Beadworkers Guild offers many free patterns, one of which is Floor Kaspers Ribbon Necklace, which perfectly fits the requirements of a meditative project, one you can pick up and drop as time permits or inclination nudges.
(photo) Floor Kaspers, Ribbon Necklace, The Beadworkers Guild 2024
Black and White Together Project launched during the 2020 International Beading Week. It aimed to collect black and white warped squares – made from size 11 Delicas – from makers around the world and assemble the collection into one piece.
Instructions for the warped square – amazingly easy to follow graphic lesson from Contemporary Geometric Beadwork from Kate McKinnon – here.
(Photo) from Norgard Designs.
Until the world returns to a more peaceful place, my advice? Carry on beading! Xo Cathy