Slow Stitching Flowers

A little while ago my Instagram pal Catherine posted this gorgeous bird applique and it inspired me to make something similar. It was especially the background of the appliqué that really flipped a switch in my brain. Must try! So I did. But not with birds, although I do have an idea for a bird one. No, flowers. Always flowers for me. :-)

This is the first one I made, using basically all my favourite colours. Pink, green, turquoise-y blue and a dash of orange. I loved making it so I have been making some more! It is fun, of course, to play with scraps of pretty fabric but it is also very…soothing to stitch those scraps to the background. There is no complicated stitching needed, just straight stitches and running stitch most of the time. And maybe some simple decorative stitches as well.

Soothing. Meditative. It was good timing that I started making these recently. The whole corona virus thing is really getting to me some times. Some days I just don’t have the mental space to focus on anything other than this simple stitching.

It sucks. But beating myself up about it doesn’t help one bit so I just let the feeling…be there and try to keep my hands busy. I find that does help!

How are you dealing with it? I find having daily tasks helps a lot. For example, I’m learning Scottish Gaelic on Duolingo and I really don’t want to break the chain of daily lessons, so even if that’s the only thing I manage, atleast I did those ten minutes. Accomplishment! (If you want to try Duolingo, sign up using this link.) It is also amusing the things I now know how to read/write in Scottish Gaelic, “I have a bonnet and underpants on” it’s very useful! :-D

My daily walk with Blake is also really important now that we can only go out for very essential errands and for exercise once a day. I usually take him out in the morning, for about an hour and I try to time it so we get to ‘my tree‘ around sunrise. Watching the sunrise is really lovely, and standing there for a couple of minutes feeling the light and the warmth of the sun feels so invigorating. Like everything will be ok.

Erm, back to the appliqué! I love the look of the back of the stitching. And the look of the machine stitching on the quilt batting I’m using as a backing for the appliqué, it has a nice texture.

I normally use both red and yellow sparingly so this combo feels a bit uncomfortable. But sometimes that’s good! I need to remind myself that there are other colours apart from pink and green. :-D

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5 Comments

  1. Sheena
    March 9, 2021 / 4:26 am

    This is really beautiful! Do you put interfacing or anything like that on the fabric before stitching it?

    • Carina
      Author
      March 10, 2021 / 9:53 am

      Thank you! :-)
      I make a patchwork first and then I tack that to some quilt wadding and quilt the two layers before adding the appliqué.

  2. Erica B
    April 25, 2021 / 5:43 am

    I’m just discovering slow stitching and I love your work! I’m intrigued about learning Scottish Gaelic I didn’t realize Duolingo had that now!

  3. Robin
    September 12, 2022 / 12:11 pm

    Hi, Carina! Just popping in to say that I have been trying to get started with slow stitching, but was put off by the fact that almost everything I’ve seen is done in shades of neutrals. While I think those pieces are beautiful, they don’t spark joy in my heart the way beautiful colors do. However I couldn’t figure out how to use rainbows of beautiful printed fabrics and not have the entire piece become a muddle with no definition. Incredibly, it never occurred to me to use a softer colored background, the way you have done. I have also never seen any examples done with the background machine stitched like yours, which I find intriguing and delightful. You’ve opened up a whole world of beauty for me. That’s why I’m so happy to have found your slow stitching examples. This particular post has some of the most beautiful slow stitched items I’ve ever seen. I wanted to let you know that you have inspired me and now I feel I have a direction. So thank you! Can’t wait to get started!!

    • Carina
      Author
      September 16, 2022 / 11:18 am

      Thank you so much, Robin! I am so happy to hear that you found my slow stitching inspiring. :-)
      Happy stitching!

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