What Is Slow Stitching?

If you are not familiar with slow stitching, it is stitching using a needle and thread in the same way you’d use a paintbrush. It takes on more of a leisurely pace in terms of creating something beautiful. It’s about creating art BUT enjoying the process rather than worrying about the end product.

It is about taking a step back from our often busy and chaotic world. It also just happens to be a great way to repurpose and use up spare fabrics and old clothes.

The slow stitch movement was originally created by Mark Lipinksi, a well-known figure in the quilting industry.

After some health issues, he realized the need for slowing down – and the many benefits that can come from a mindful stitching practice. Modelled after the slow food movement, the point of slow stitching isn’t to be perfect, or even to make a cohesive final piece – although many pieces are beautiful pieces of textile art! – the intention is to enjoy the process one stitch at a time, to relax, and to not stress about all the things we might worry about if we were trying to make a perfect quilt or sewing project.

It can be so easy to get wound up in the details of any art project (myself included). Slow stitching takes the pressure off and encourages stitchers to become mindful of the practice itself.

Here’s What You Can Achieve With Slow Stitching

The sample above was influenced by slow stitching and is a panel of a larger art quilt project stitched and designed by one of my customers, Sheila. This particular panel was stitched exclusively with Colour Complements threads.

The panel measures 15-1/2″ X 12-1/2″, and is made from vintage linen and cotton fabrics that were hand-dyed. The threads are size 5 Perle cotton in three shades of green and the Kreinik ribbon from one of the Colour Complements older autumn coloured samplers.

Sheila tells me she has been trying to do different things with feather stitching, and going in this circular pattern helps her practice keeping her stitches consistent and spaced properly. This is proof that slow and steady can create beautiful pieces.

With all of the hustle and bustle that happens regularly, slow stitching is a great way to unwind and relax. Perhaps you might like to give slow stitching a try yourself. Thank you for sharing Sheila.

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A few months ago, I received this beautiful wisteria embroidery design by one of my customers. 

Wisterias are such show-stopping plants, known for their beautiful, soft cascading floral blooms. While they look stunning on their own, I sometimes see them beautifully draped on buildings and patios. If you’ve ever come across Wisterias, it’s an absolute delight – the blooms are so magical and lush. It’s as if you’ve walked straight into a fairytale!

How Susan Achieved This Wisteria Design

Susan has a talent for original designs and she created this stunning floral wisteria design.  If you are new to stitching, the design was created using different embroidery techniques.  Let’s start with the beautiful vines and foliage!

Susan achieved the dimensional effect of the leaves using Colour #63 in size 8 Perle cotton. Colour #63 has since been discontinued in my shop, but you can easily swap it out with other green-inspired shades like Colour #55 or Colour #71.

The tatted flowers and French Knot buds were achieved using Colour #64 in size 12 Perle cotton. I love how Susan was able to simply use ONE product to create the look of different coloured blooms. This is handy in embroidery, especially when making French Knot buds. 

The colour palette for this design blended beautifully! I love the look of the soft greens and how it complements the pastel shades of the flowers.

Susan stitched this piece on a 5” x 6.25” background. The colour of this fabric is actually a soft, mint green. This was an excellent choice as it still works as a neutral background while also giving the green shades a bit of “pop.”

A stunning, spring/summer inspired design made with care and creativity. Thank you Susan!

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I’ve shared a few Blackwork designs in the past but today I’m featuring a Blackwork heart.

Just a refresher.  Blackwork is sometimes historically referred to as Spanish blackwork.  It is a counted thread embroidery traditionally worked with black silk thread on white or off-white linen.  In the past, it was particularly popular decorating collars and cuffs.  This technique consists of outlines and “fill” or repeating diaper patterns.  You can see blackwork today stitched using variegated threads and I am pleased to share one example of this here. 

Mary Corbet of NeedleNThread has written a great article about blackwork just in case you would like to check it out HERE.

The design above is a Blackwork pattern by Karen Bourgaizerose called Décor Wreath.  Sadly despite extensive research I was unable to locate the pattern – it is an oldie!  Having said this, I did find some of her patterns on Ebay so you might like to take a look.

The pattern reminds me a bit of the Frank’s Rose design from this blog post.  All of the threads used in the design were solids versus any variegated.  Just goes to show how effective solids can be!  Some of the stitches used were scotch and triple herringbone.

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Don’t you just love this Smart Phone Case?  It was stitched with my new floche.

I have posted about Kerry’s projects many times over the last several years.  She is a prolific stitcher and always has some project (if not many) on the go.  Well, she recently picked up a new phone and decided to stitch her own case – brilliant!

She chose to stitch on black canvas AND also decided to take progress photos so I could share these with YOU! Fantastic to watch the pattern develop.

As I have discussed previously, stitching on black can be challenging.  It is a strain on the eyes.  Kerry experimented with white paper underneath which definitely helped but it was still a strain.  Unfortunately, many of us are reaching that age when our vision is not what it used to be.  I personally use a magnification light – it is fantastic!

So, the details

• Fabric is 40 count linen, sold as plain weave
• Floche Colour #8
• Pattern from Yvette Stantons “Smoyg – Pattern Darning from Norway, Band #1 on page 38

I was thrilled with Kerry using my new hand-dyed floche.  Colour #8 is the same colour combination as Colour #44 in my perle cottons and floss.  It is VERY popular.  Kerry used this particular pattern as it was the correct stitch count width for the phone case.

So, that’s it.  What do you think?  Are you going to stitch a new phone case?

Thank you Kerry

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Bookmarks are great small and fast stitching projects. What about secret santa for one of your friends. Today I am sharing one completed by a customer.

Sharon emailed this to me recently.  She stitched it using a size 8 perle cotton.  There is no pattern as this is one of her “doodles”.  The background is a dark green 32 count linen she picked up at her local thrift store – great find!  Finished size is 6 ½ by 1 ¼ inches.

Search online and you are sure to find a variety of patterns. Naturally, you could make one up as Sharon did.  Have fun and experiment!

I have a selection of mixed size 8 samplers in the shop – check out the link below! These would be great for stitching some.

Thank you Sharon

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I must admit, it was an absolute thrill to see Flights of Fancy published in Inspirations magazine.

I have been a fan of Inspirations for years.  Most of you are likely familiar  with the publication but if not, it features “the world’s most beautiful needlework”.  I signed up for a subscription when I first started my crazy quilting and have been a fan since.  I tried the online subscription for several years BUT went back to the printed version recently.  The photographs are always superb as are the articles.

Issue #102 features Flights of Fancy – Soft Landing on page 77 designed by Nina Burnsides.  It is a gorgeous stumpwork butterfly featuring Colour Complements Colour #49 in the body.  It is described in the magazine as follows:

“The vivid colours of butterfly wings contrast beautifully with sparse outlines in these two elegant studies.  Stitched with stranded cotton and glossy rayon thread, the detached wings have wired outlines that enable them to be shaped into numerous positions.  Choose from gently clasped hands with a vibrant black and red butterfly, braided hair with pearls and a green and black butterfly or selection colours to work your own favourite butterfly.”

If you are interested in purchasing the pattern only, it is available in digital format HERE. 

I think you may recall that I LOVE butterflies.  I always add them to my crazy quilting in various forms including either stumpwork, embroidered, iron-ons, applique or metal.

Thank you Nina.  I think I may have to experiment with this myself.

It is Thanksgiving in Canada on Monday so I will be enjoying a long weekend with family and friends.  I will return to posting on Wednesday October 16th.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian customers.

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HUCK WEAVING or Swedish weaving is a surface embroidery technique known by a variety of names.  These include Huck Embroidery, Huckaback darning, Punto Oitinho (Brazil) and Yugoslavian Weaving. 

The name Huck Embroidery comes from the specialty fabric, huck, which is the base fabric.  The technique dates back to the 1600’s, most often found in linens.  Swedish weaving was very popular in the 1930’s and 1940’s in the United States.  Stitching was done on huck kitchen towels and linens. Designers are now creating exciting patterns using a wide range of fabrics and fibers.  A popular project is Monk’s cloth afghans.  There are a variety of articles available online that you can check out.  

What distinguishes huck weaving from other similar styles is the design is worked completely on the top of the fabric.  The thread never appears on the back.  It is an easy technique using basically two stitches.  Designers combine the stitches in a repeating pattern that is easy to follow and relaxing to stitch.

Marie stitched this sample measuring about 2 by 3 inches.  She used 2 strands of floss in Colour Complements Colour #35.   This colour combination is a blend of brown, green and golden brown.  A great option for fall themed projects.  

Marie found this small pattern in a very old publication which is no longer available but she did tell me there are a variety available online.  If you click on the link above for huck embroidery, this should provide you with a good start.

Perhaps you might like to try some huck weaving yourself.  Have fun.  Thank you Marie.

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A lovely example of pattern darning today. 

In April of this year I attended a stitch in.  I had never attended a “stitch in” previously so really was not sure what to expect.  I was in for quite a surprise when they were over 40 women gathered at a variety of banquet tables stitching all sorts of projects encompassing various embroidery techniques.

At one point during the day there was a show and tell and oh my – what a feast for the eyes!  Some amazingly talented stitchers.  There were examples of cross stitch, hardanger, whitework, stumpwork and crewel just to name a few. 

I had just completed my summer collection at the time and showcased above is Colour Complements Colour #53.  It is a BOLD blend of teal blues and lime green.  I was inspired by my Autumn Kaleidoscope colour palette that I completed last year.  I can’t quite remember how but during the day a conversation came up about pattern darning and if I recall there had been a show and tell highlighting pattern darning. 

Karen has kindly stitched this small bookmark using size 8 perle cotton in Colour #53.  It is an adaptation of pattern darning from a free pattern. The background is 28 count linen and the bookmark measures 2 ¼ x 2 ½ inches.  She flipped the design to create a modified mirror effect.  

If you are not familiar with pattern darning (and I was not) it is a weaving technique over and under the fabric threads.  The stitches that show on the front create a geometric pattern.  To create this, you vary the stitch length.

Thank you Karen!

You can find another example using Colour Complements Colour #53 HERE.

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I am always delighted to share various forms of EMBROIDERY on my blog.  It is enjoyable to see the creativity of how customers use my threads.

Jess recently sent me a photo of her own original design.  She was inspired by a doodle she came across on Doodlers Anonymous.  The project measures 10 x 13.5 cm, about 4 x 5 inches and is stitched using a variety of Colour Complements perle cottons on garment linen.

The French knot tail looks great! Thank you sharing Jess.  You can find more posts of embroidery projects HERE.

Please remember, I welcome all my customers who wish to share their projects to send me high resolution photos for posting.  Please email these to me directly at info@colourcomplements.com

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Always a pleasure to show some EMBROIDERY stitched by one of my customers.

Recently I have had an increasing interest in what I would refer to as modern embroidery.  There are a lot of examples of this in both Etsy shops as well as on both Pinterest and Instagram. 

The first sample is a flower pattern designed by Moody Green Embroidery.  Mary Ann stitched this using Colour Complements Colour #44 in a size 5 perle in a 7 inch hoop.  You can see more of Sanita’s designs on her Instagram HERE.

The second sample is a pattern designed by Urban Threads using Colour Complements Colour #10 in 6 strand cotton floss.  This is shown in a 4 inch hoop. 

Thank you Mary Ann.

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