Intentionally Slow – in Every Way

After the holidaze pass into the length of winter, life slows and I pick up my winter arts projects of threads, watercolors and hand dyed fabrics. This is a ‘system interruptus’ where my jewelry life rests for awhile.

Through the short days/long nights I gather materials, settle into my comfy chair, cover my lap with a warming throw and create small slow stitched treasures. Purr breaks with our kitteh tribe completes my creative endeavor. This is a yearly slowing down, an interval of self defined hibernation. The time when creatures in sync with the seasons retreat into a natural wintertide reverie.

I come to this cold weather pastime from a lineage of womenfolk who also spent their winter evenings hand crocheting, tatting lace, embroidering, sharing their thoughts and stories. Many of their heirloom pieces reside with me, treasured and carefully kept to be handed down to my daughters. A long lived joining thread that tells one story of our family.

My slow stitch work is a meditation, soothing to my spirit. A relaxation that brings balance and equilibrium. I hand color the fabrics with natural dyes made from plants that I gather throughout the summer. Beautiful hand-pulled Asian papers, watercolor layers and vintage cloth become a part of my stitching. Dyed flosses, gold and silver threads adorn and hold the fabric surfaces.

Summer Pokeweed Dye

Shades from the Berry Dye Pot

This is one of my favorite stitch pieces with gold paths of kintsugi that bind together the torn edges of reclaimed fabrics.

“Drop” (with sketch) is the first slow stitch piece I made – a soft work that is designed to be folded into a small art book. I made this piece in response to a gifted art journal from my younger daughter. On each blank page she wrote a one word prompt to inspire art making. Drop was the word.

Once the winter cold has moved into the tender beginnings of spring, I’ll resume my jewelry making – refreshed and ready to create new jewelry collections from ideas that blossomed in the season’s quiet time days.