How to start Slow Stitching

A Beginner’s Guide to Stitching with Heart, Not Hurry

If you have been feeling the call to slow down… to create something by hand… to find beauty in the gentle and imperfect - then slow stitching may be just what your soul needs.

You do not need experience.
You do not need fancy tools or expensive materials.
Just a needle, some thread, a few fabric scraps - and a willingness to begin.

Unlike embroidery or quilting with patterns and precision, slow stitching is about letting go. It is about following your instincts, layering cloth, and allowing each stitch to quietly tell its own story. There is no rush. No rules. Only rhythm.

What Do You Need to Begin?

The lovely thing about slow stitching is how simple it is to get started. You can use what you already have, which makes it both sustainable and deeply personal.

Here is a little list of what I use:

 Fabric scraps – Bits of worn linen, old clothes, or those offcuts you have been saving for something special.
Needle – A standard hand-sewing needle. I often use crewel needles - they have a fine point and a bigger eye for easy threading.
Thread – Anything goes. Embroidery floss, cotton, leftover bobbins - use what speaks to you.
Scissors – Sharp little ones are best.
(Optional) Embroidery hoop – Some people like the structure, but I prefer to feel the fabric soft in my hands, but I do use them sometimes.

You do not need matching sets or curated kits. That is the beauty of it - it begins with what you have, not what you buy. "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Arthur Ashe

A Gentle Way to Begin

If you are sitting there thinking, “But where do I actually start?” - here is a lovely way to dip your toe in.

✿ Gather your fabric pieces

Choose a few scraps that catch your eye - perhaps a pattern that reminds you of something, a colour that makes you smile, or a soft worn edge you just love the feel of.

✿ Arrange them intuitively

Lay your scraps out and shuffle them around until it feels right. Overlap them. Let the edges fray. There is no perfect layout - just what feels balanced to you. I call this part “auditioning” the pieces.

✿ Thread your needle and begin

Start with a simple running stitch - the most basic up-and-down movement. Let the stitches wander along the edge of a fabric or ripple across the middle, or even just follow a crease in the fabric. Add a few cross stitches, some seed stitches, or anything that wants to emerge.

✿ Let go of expectations

Stitch slowly. Stitch without judging. You might follow the weave of the fabric… or make loops and knots just because. You might echo a print with stitches, or stitch in spirals. It is your canvas. Your rhythm.

✿ Most of all… enjoy the process

Feel the fabric in your hands. Watch the thread pull through. Let your breathing slow and your mind settle. That is where the magic lives.

A Lovely First Project: The Stain and Stitch Scroll

Start with a long strip of fabric and slowly build a stitched story over time.
You can layer, patch, stain with tea or natural dyes, and let the piece grow organically.

If you would like a little guidance, in the Slow Stitch School Library there is a lovely Stain and Stitch Scroll Challenge, complete with a step by tutorial to get you started - it is gentle, nourishing, and full of creative freedom.

A Few Gentle Reminders for the Journey

There is no rush. Let it take the time it needs.
You do not need perfection. In fact, embrace the wobbles.
• Use what you have. Your scraps hold memories.
• Stitch with heart. Let it be personal.
• Pause often. Reflect. Notice how it makes you feel.

Why Try Slow Stitching?

✿ Relaxation & Mindfulness – A calming way to reset.

✿ Creative Freedom – Intuitive, rule-free making.

✿ Sustainability – A use for those beloved scraps.

✿ Connection to Tradition – A timeless, global craft.

✿ Personal Expression – Every piece is a part of your story.

What Is Next?

Now that you know how to begin, why not make yourself a little stitching space today? Gather a few scraps. Find a quiet moment. Thread your needle. And just begin.

Because the moment you make that first stitch…
you are already a slow stitcher.

And you too will be 'stitching the world together'