Relax, take some time out, just let your hands do something relaxing and calm. Mindful stitching is a great relaxation technique. There are no rules, no objectives, you need no previous experience, everyone can do this!
These are the instructions included with our Mindful Stitching Kit (available from THE SHOP). You could recreate the kit contents from items that you alrady have, and use this article as a guide to getting started. If you wish to purchase one of our kits as a gift for a friend, or for yourself, please follow the menu to our shop and we will be delighted to send one to you.
Inside the box you will find:
Fabric for stitching
Embroidery floss
Needles
You will also need:
Thread snips or Scissors
Useful Information
Your kit contains one skein of six-strand embroidery floss which can be split to provide any combination of strands for stitching. For embroidery, it is customary to use two strands, but for this meditation cloth, the choice is yours.
When cutting thread for sewing, try to cut a length no longer than the distance from your elbow to fingertip. Anything longer and you will find it starts to knot and tangle, which can be terribly frustrating.
Don’t immediately throw away your thread snippings, pop them in an old jam jar and use for stuffing toys/pincushions etc. By saving your snippings, you’re keeping them out of landfill and preventing dyes from leeching into the ground water.
Stitching and Mindfulness
The aim of this kit is to encourage you to take some time for yourself to create something meaningful to you. You do not need to be an embroiderer, or expert sewist. You do not need to know any complicated embroidery stitches – running stitch is perfect - but if you would like to stretch yourself a little bit, we have written a simple stitch guide so you can try out some new stitches. Our stitch guide can be found at https://www.TheYarnGenie.com/posts/Stitch-Guide
If you get really ambitious, you could look at the Royal School of Needlework Stitch Bank website (https://rsnstitchbank.org/) for further inspiration.
To get the most from your kit, allow yourself at least ten minutes when you know you will not be interrupted, put down your phone, turn off the TV or radio and focus on the fabric and your stitching. Make sure you are sitting comfortably, and feeling cozy and relaxed.
Your kit contains a piece of fabric with a subtle but visible design. As many people feel a sense of panic when confronted with an unadorned piece of cloth, the intention here is to give you a starting point for stitching: you can follow a line, fill in an area, or ignore it completely.
Thread your needle with as many strands of embroidery floss as you fancy and knot the end of your thread. Really look at the cloth in front of you and see if a shape, line, or area is calling to you. Bring your needle up from the back of the fabric and start stitching there. Perhaps you feel like following the line, maybe you’d rather fill in part or all of a shape – start working in running stitch, letting the needle lead the way.
As you stitch, breathe slowly in and out. Be aware of your breaths and how your body feels. Are you holding any tension anywhere? Acknowledge it and then let it go. Concentrate on your stitches and your breathing as the thoughts bubble up, hear what your mind has to say and then let it float away. Don’t engage with your thoughts, just acknowledge them, and let them go; if you feed them, they will become more urgent, and you will feel you have to act. If your thread runs out, tie the end off and start again with a new one. Don’t worry if the back of the fabric is a bit messy, it’s all part of the journey.
You can continue stitching in this way for as long as feels right for you. You could even set a timer to pull you back into the real world.
You can try out different stitches and different colour combinations across the surface of the fabric. Add in embellishments if that feels right to you. Listen to what the thread and fabric are telling you.
You could use the cloth to remember and make a permanent memento of a period of your life, or just to have some fun and me time. Don’t worry about the appearance of the back of your cloth, the knots, stitches and snags all form part of your story.
Things to do with your meditation cloth:
Use it as a patch to mend damaged clothing
Frame it and hang it on the wall.
Keep it somewhere safe where only you can look at it and bring it out when you need help to restore a sense of calm.
Work it into a larger project, like a journal cover, cushion cover or wall hanging.
Make it into a pouch or small keepsake bag.
Shove it in the back of a drawer and forget all about it!!
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