The Art of Slow Stitching and Weaving: A Creative Journey

Welcome to another inspiring week of Material Mondays!

Today, we're diving into a world of creativity that has been an important part of my life for many years. I've always enjoyed simple crocheting, but I've also been a collector of various yarns. I'm thrilled to share this journey with you, one that combines the art of slow stitching and weaving to create unique, visually captivating pieces. Weaving and stitching offer a different kind of creative fulfillment when combined with my ever-growing yarn collection.

My crochet journey has allowed me to collect an assortment of crochet needles, some of which are passed down from my mother, who created delicate doilies that covered our coffee table and the backs and arms of chairs.  While I don't have the passion to create delicate doilies, I'll be showing you how I've integrated my yarn collection into my weaving and slow stitching projects, leading to increased artistic expression.

Weaving: A Creative Revelation

I started growing my own cotton and delved into the art of weaving and spinning. This marked the beginning of a journey, incorporating not only different types of yarn but also other materials like fabric, wood, and beads. I'll take you through some of the projects that I have created on this adventure.

The Woven Masterpieces

1. Combining Yarn and Fabric:

One of my favorite creations is a fusion of yarn and fabric, where I intertwined yarn from my collection with painted fabric, which gives you a lot of fantastic colors and textures.

2. Incorporating Natural Elements:

In some projects, I've integrated Moringa and other wood from my garden.  To decorate the wood I use a wood burning tool, and other mark making tools 

You can get some lovely designs working with the Moringa Wood

3. Unique Stitched Pieces:

I've also dabbled in the art of Boro shashiko, a traditional Japanese stitching technique. It's led to the creation of beautifully stitched pieces that add a unique character to my collection. It's a way to infuse new life into old fabric scraps and turn them into something quite beautiful.

The Joy of Slow Stitching

Incorporating slow stitching and weaving into my creative process has brought a whole new dimension to my mixed media work. It's not just about the final product but also the journey, the process, and the therapeutic aspects of creating something with your own hands. Here are three benefits of embracing slow stitching and weaving projects:

1. Mindful Relaxation:

These activities encourage mindfulness and relaxation. The rhythmic, repetitive nature of slow stitching and weaving allows you to unwind and find solace in the simple act of creation.

2. Versatile Expressiveness:

Slow stitching and weaving provide a versatile canvas for self-expression. You can experiment with different materials, textures, and techniques, allowing your creativity to run free.

3. Sustainable Crafting:

These projects often make use of existing materials, like old fabric scraps and yarn, transforming them into something beautiful. It's a sustainable and eco-friendly way to embrace your creative side.

So, whether you're an experienced crafter or someone looking to embark on a creative journey, I encourage you to explore your own creative journey, seeing where there is overlap or where materials have dual uses.  Experiment with your supplies, blend different materials, and let your imagination run wild. Craft your own unique, artful path and savor the joy of slow stitching and weaving and what ever else you want to couple with them.

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Before You Go.....

Crafting Narratives: Exploring Fabric Projects and Book Inspiration

The Art of Slow Stitching: Elevating Painted Fabric

Welcome to Material Mondays, a world where creativity meets meditative stitching - today, we dive into a series of slow stitching projects on painted fabric. This combination brings together the joy of stitching with the vibrancy of painted fabric - both while painting on the fabric and also using it.

Slow stitching allows you to interact with the painted fabrics, experimenting with color, stitch and thread, the possibilities are as endless as your imagination. The stitches weave through the painted surface, adding depth and dimension. It's a tactile experience that goes beyond the visual, inviting you to explore the different mediums.  

Stitching has a meditative quality. As you navigate the needle through the painted fabric, there's a sense of mindfulness and focus.

Benefits of Slow Stitching 

Expression - Slow stitching allows you to infuse your personality and creative spark into the painted fabric. Your choice of stitches, thread colors, and patterns becomes a personalized expression of creativity.

Relaxation - Engaging in slow stitching on painted fabric is a therapeutic practice. The repetitive nature of stitching combined with the visual feast of painted colors creates a relaxed state of being.

New Ways of Working - The fusion of slow stitching and painted fabric offers a unique way to work with the materials and add texture.

Slow stitching on painted fabric is a journey. It's about savoring each moment, exploring the colors and stitches, and allowing your creativity to flow organically. So join me each and every Monday.

Before you Go, Check out

Check out the Art Resource Hub on my Realityarts Course platform with FREE Weekly resources

Do you have a story that could help others? - Soul Hunger Starts Monday 6th November!

 

Are you ready to Nourish Your Soul, Tell Your Story and Shine Your Light?

You are invited to join me and a whole community of women for The InStory Show Soul Hunger: On Hearing God, Making Meaning and Leaving a Legacy.

Join this powerful free series on Soul Hunger and how we heal that soul hunger by nourishing our souls, telling our stories, and shining our light. When you join the series, you will find that you are not alone. You are standing beside women from all over the world who are finding their voice and sharing their stories.  Starts Monday 6th November 2023

Learn More

We are here to inspire you so that you can turn around and inspire the next woman who is ready to be seen for who she really is. I thought it was important to participate when Devorah asked me to be a speaker, everybody has a story to tell, and now is the time to tell it.

In this series, writers, coaches, spiritual teachers, artists, body workers, healers and creatives in all fields will help you get clear, unstuck and discover how to shape your story, trust your intuition and access a whole new way to nourish your soul and make a difference with your wisdom and your story.


When you sign up for The InStory Show, you will discover new and powerful ways to:

* Share your wisdom and your story

* Create with more ease and flow

* Trust yourself, your story and your vision

* Bravely find and follow the calling of your soul

* Strengthen and follow your intuition

We look forward to having you join us as you access the power of your imagination, intuition, higher guidance and expanded consciousness!

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Before you go....

Get Your Art Bundles for Good HERE

Only 2 more days to get Art Bundles for Good #8

 

The all new Art Bundles for Good #8 is only here for 2 more days, finishing on Monday 6th November!.

There are over $5400 worth of courses and resources on on topics like watercolour painting, art journaling, sketching, mixed media, drawing, abstract art, acrylic painting, collage, pastel pencils, colored pencils, creativity and much more all bundled together for one low price. There are over 100 products this year!

You’re not going to want to miss this fantastic deal. The sale will end on Monday at midnight, New York Time, so don’t miss out.

Go to the Art Bundles for Good

If you decide to purchase the course bundle, I thought I would share some tips for getting the most out of it, with so many classes and resources, it can get overwhelming, and you want to make the most out of it.

7 TIPS FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THE COURSE BUNDLE

If you like taking different art courses then you will love this bundle, there are so many great lessons by some of your favorite artists. One thing you do have to remember to do is pace yourself. And this goes for any course that you do. For all of the courses you will have access for about a year, so you could get through all of them if you do approximately 2 courses each week - or sign up and go at your own pace. I would go through as follows:

1. Think about the skills that you want to learn first and foremost and do those sessions
2. Identify which ones that jump out at you immediately - could be what you will be creating.
3. Classes by teachers you have heard
4. Classes that are then left
5. Try to sign up at least so that you get your money's worth, then at least after that at least you can then do the class at your own pace after the year sign up access.
6. If there are any classes that you think ‘no not interested’ at least check it out, you may find that there are techniques that you would be interested in learning.
7. Make notes of what you learnt, what you liked about the class and transferable skills or techniques you can use again.

25% to Charity

25% of the Art Bundle profits are going to support Courageous Kitchen, a Bangkok-based charity helping refugees. Get over 100 top art learning resources from more than 85 artists AND do some good at the same time. We’ve raised US$ 118,950 for charity so far.

Go to the Art Bundles for Good

The Art Bundle is backed by a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee. Try out the courses for a couple of weeks. If you are not happy, John, from BundlesforGood, will refund your money.