Mindful Stitching

Earlier this week, I had a truly calm moment, one in which I was truly focused on the task in hand and nothing else; not the past, not the future, not the world beyond my immediate space. I felt my mind relax, my muscles relax. It was lovely.

It may surprise you to know it wasn’t a moment with needle & thread in hand. Nope. This was a moment working at a table saw, cutting down pieces of wood into usable strips. Being a new tool for me, one with a sharp blade moving fast, I shifted all of my attention to cutting – examining each piece, placing it along the fence, guiding it, using the pushing tool to ease it past the blade – and repeat.

The calm I found was much needed.

This prompted me to think about the other tasks or activities that give me the same sense of calm. For me, two that come to mind involve stitching.

First is the spiral quilting I use for my witch hat brims. Working my spiral of stitches in from the outer edge, each row is done by eye with a little visual guidance from the machine.

I find I need to be in the moment, to rid my mind of all other thoughts as I spiral around the brim. Any distraction, be it thought or sound, can cause a slight verring in or out, widening or narrowing the spiral path. I enjoy this process so much, I’ve imagined other projects I could quilt spirals into: sunhats, table mats, pillow tops, etc. (I acknowledge some/many would not consider this mindful stitching as it uses a machine rather than hand sewing. 90+% of my sewing is by hand. So, I grant myself permission to include this for me.)

Second is the decorative embroidery I use for patchwork pin cushions and needle-pages for
sewing cases or needle-books. This mindful stitching, for me, is less about keeping distracting thoughts at bay and more about excess thoughts slipping away. On needle-pages, my focus is on stitch spacing and following the line of the page – rhythm, positive and negative space, balance. For patchwork, I get to play with color, texture, pattern, space…. there are nearly no rules.

What sewing activities or other activities do you find are mindful or a good way to calm your mind?

Definitions & Technicalities:

Mindful sewing or mindful stitching is a type of process art where you are fully present in the process of stitching without an intent for the end result. This is not the same as the mediation technique of mindfulness. According to the APA, mindfulness “is an awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings.” It is a technique of being aware of what is happening with your mind, body, and/or surroundings in the present moment without judgement. I need to note: Technically, what I am talking about isn’t truly mindful stitching (or mindful task) because I do have an end result in mind.