Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the last Slow Sunday Stitching link up for 2019!  It has been another wonderful year of being inspired by your beautiful hand stitched projects each Sunday.

I like this quote: "Encouragement provides us with motivation to persevere." (Joshua Becker)


This is so true! I thank you for every encouraging comment you took the time to write to another stitcher over the course of the past year. You have no idea how much this means to us! It really helps in being able to stick with these long term, hand made projects. 

Hand stitching niece

While visiting with family over the holidays, I was delighted to see my niece stitching a gift for a friend. She was hand stitching the words "Happy Adventuring" on the band of a head lamp. What a creative idea! She was very proud of her special gift, and I was very proud to see her with a thimble on her finger, and needle and thread in hand! The next generation of hand stitchers has begun!

What are your hands stitching as this decade comes to a close? For the last time in 2019, we invite you to link up your blog or instagram post below and show us the hand work project you are putting stitches into today. We will visit and send you some encouragement to continue your stitching into 2020 and beyond!

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Slow Sunday Stitching

It's Sunday - time for some rest and relaxation. It's the last Sunday before Christmas and everyone is working on frantic preparations, and folks are bordering on nervous breakdowns at the mall, but I encourage you to take even a few moments to slow down and enjoy some hand stitching today. I promise you it will help you to calm down, think more clearly, and be more efficient in completely all the tasks on your to-do list.

This week I have enjoyed working on some projects to give as Christmas gifts, and can't show them on my blog yet, so I want to show you this photo of my friend Debbie's new embroidery floss storage system. 
She is hand stitching the Crabapple Hill Snow Globes BOM, and look how she is winding the floss colours on clothes pins. See how she is writing the colour number on the end? And how she is pinching the end of the floss in the clothes pin so it doesn't unravel... genius idea and so darn cute!

What are you hand stitching today? Are you finishing up some gifts for Christmas?  Enjoy the countdown to finishes and link up your blog post below so we can peek in at what you're doing!

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly link up for hand stitchers! I hope you will make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, and visit the links below for some creative inspiration.



Do you have a favourite hand stitched Christmas decoration that you get out every year to enjoy again? This is my most treasured cross stitch that I made in 1992. It has symbolic meaning for me and every year when I pull it out of the box of Christmas decorations I am delighted to see it again. So many memories are stitched into our projects.

I am putting the final stitches into the binding for a gift that should go in the mail asap.
Are you working on Christmas gifts today?

Link up your blog or instagram post and share what you are hand stitching!

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to Slow Sunday Stitching! 

We meet here every Sunday to celebrate the art of all varieties of hand stitching. If it involves a needle (or 2 or 3!) and thread, and stitches taken with your hands, we want to know all about it!
This is what I am hand stitching these days ...some embroidery projects for Christmas gifts.  Is there anything more fun than embroidery AND selvages?!?! 
I have a rather large collection of selvages that are an untapped source of enjoyment. Most people call this garbage and throw it away, but as my friends know, I consider this a treasure! Do you know how many wonderful things you can make with this collection of colour and inspiration?!?!
What are you hand stitching today?

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party!
Sunday is our day to slow down and rest, to be thankful... and to stitch!

This is the time of year when my creativity is at an all time high. I have lots of ideas for Christmas gifts, and never enough time to make all my brilliant ideas. I have never made bunny pyjamas, but I have made a wide range of gifts over the years.



Today I'm working on a Christmas embroidery design from Gail Pan (free pattern here - thanks Gail!)

Four little designs were finished this week, and only one more to stitch today. I thinking of adding some selvages to turn this into a mug mat gift.

What are you hand stitching today? Are you working on some gifts? Please link up your blog or instagram and inspire us with your slow progress.

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! We invite you to settle in for some relaxation, visit our inspiring stitchers at the links below, and take some time to put a few stitches in one of your favourite projects.


I finished a wallhanging this week and posted photos on yesterday's blog post. I enjoyed every single stitch in finishing this binding while I also enjoyed a coffee and gingerbread cookie. This is multi-tasking at it's finest!



Today I'll be adding more stitches to a Christmas project. 

I mentioned this little Gail Pan project a couple of weeks ago, but have only stitched  the heart so far. I have progressed to stitching the gift, but at this slow pace it will not be finished in time for Christmas. I will try to at least finish the gift today, and get started on the star.

What are you hand stitching today? Are you working on some Christmas gifts? Please share your hand stitched projects with us by linking up your blog post below.

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party where you can visit with members of the Slow Sunday Stitching crew around the world, right from the comfort of your own home! 

breakfast muffin and tea (on Cascadia quilt)

I just adore a lazy Sunday morning drinking a pot of tea, listening to relaxing music and visiting my hand stitching friends to see what they are making. There are so many wonderful projects for my heart and soul to enjoy. I feel totally inspired after visiting the bloggers that take the time to stitch, to photograph and write about their projects, and then link up with us... many many thanks for sharing and enriching our lives! 

Today I am working on  my Gail Pan "I Stitch" embroidery blocks from last year. Even though there are a few more, I felt I was done making these blocks and wanted to get them together into a project. Trimming the blocks was the first step, and as you can see they vary greatly in size. I decided to trim them down to 4" x 5". 

There was one block that couldn't be centred properly. I have no explanation for what happened to the trimming on this one! It will be the label by default!

I had 26 blocks, so with one for the label that leaves a 5 x 5 block layout. I am trying to balance the 4 types of blocks - flowers/plants, sewing items, animals, and hearts. I'm also aware that some of the muslin is darker beige so I'm trying to scatter those blocks around evenly. I'm not sure what to do next, but we'll see what happens once they get comfy on the design wall!

Meanwhile, because I can't be without an embroidery project, I have started a little Christmas gift stitching. This is another one of Gail Pan's wonderful designs. The free pattern can still be found here. 

Now it's your turn... what are you hand stitching today? Share your progress with us in a blog or instagram post below (and link to me at ssskat7).

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party!
Last night we turned the  clocks back one hour because it is the end of Daylight Saving Time. Which means (in theory) that we all get one extra hour of time. In truth it feels like I get an extra hour of darkness every day!
What are you going to do with the "extra hour"? 
I'm sure we'll all have a little bit more progress on our projects because we'll all be stitching for one more hour! LOL 

I'm happy with my hand stitching efforts this week because in spite of a flare up of hand pain, I was able to  finish my Scrap Dance Tango quilt  including 239" of hand stitched binding!

I also finished up two embroidery blocks. This is a Gail pan pattern from her I Stitch club last year (this year is a Christmas theme).

You'll have to stop by tomorrow morning to see my other finished embroidery block as it's the centre of   block #4 for the Happy Little Things blog hop. 

What are you hand stitching today? We hope you will link up your blog post below and share your project with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Slow Sunday Stitching Hands

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! 
If you are an avid hand stitcher over many years, you have probably experienced my current dilemma.... hand pain. My hands are often tired which is not surprising given how hard I make them them work every day. But I am also having some recurrent pain in my right thumb.

Drive to work

My right hand does carry most of the work load since I'm right handed, and it is letting me know that the current demands exceed it's capacity!

I thought it might be fun to snap photos of all the things it has to do in a regular day.

First of all, I work at a job where I hand write notes all day long. I actually hold a pen and write words for 8 hours a day. Totally old school! That might be part of the problem!

Preparing food

Then there are all the household tasks that require my hands to work hard. Peeling and chopping potatoes, carrots and other vegetables are regular chores. 

Washing and drying dishes

I have never had a dishwasher in my life, so I am used to hand washing dishes and find it meditative. 

This time of year is also hard on the hands due to raking leaves, and soon it will be time for shovelling snow. 

Playing piano

And then when all the work is done, I can sit down and practice learning a new song on the piano. But that also requires my hands to work hard. The benefits to my brain and heart are worth the pain!

Hand quilting

And then if I still have any energy left, and my hands are not too sore, I get out some hand stitching for relaxation. I try to spend at least a few minutes each day with my hand stitching as part of a mental wellness plan. Rest, create, breathe, renew.

In case you are curious, this is my current "go-to" pain relief cream (although I do have a selection of products now!)
Do you have a solution to hand pain that I haven't tried? Leave a comment below and share your tips with us.
Today I hope to finish the hand quilting on my Friendship Album quilt and maybe even get the binding on to hand stitch.

What are you working on today? Link up your hand stitching blog or instagram post (and link to me at ssskat7).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party!
Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee or pumpkin spice latte to enjoy while visiting the blog links of stitchers around the world. It's so inspiring to see what other people are creating with their own two hands.

This is the Gail Pan embroidery block I am still working on. I haven't made any progress on this little 3" block since guild meeting earlier in the month, and all it needs are the lazy daisy flowers under the house to be stitched.
Also I'm determined to finish up the hand quilting on my Friendship Album. I really wanted this quilt to be finished in the summer, but the fall season has arrived and the stitching continues. It's cold enough to get out my oldest UFO for hand quilting, and I must get the little quilt finished so I can tackle the big one once again!

What are you hand stitching today? Share your progress (or lack thereof) and link up your instagram photo or blog post below.
Happy Slow Stitching Sunday!

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Slow Sunday Stitching - Retreat Report

slow down!

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! We are celebrating Thanksgiving here in Canada today and I am very thankful for the wonderful Slow Sunday Stitching Retreat Day we enjoyed last weekend.
I posted a few photos on instagram of the activities throughout the day and you can follow me at ssskat7 to see those.
It was a perfect fall day, and so fitting that the speed limit on the road to retreat reminded us that we should slow down to "God speed", which is the whole point of Slow Sunday Stitching!

Retreat day is starting!

This is the room we stitched in. It's a lovely space with windows all around making it bright enough for stitching, but also making it difficult to take good photographs.

"free" to a good home

There were loot bags for each stitcher and door prize draws throughout the afternoon. There was even a "free" corner of the room where there was a pile of donated supplies, tools, rulers, and books for stitchers to rummage through and find just the right thing they "needed". There were bags of scraps free for the taking, and there were even boxes of organized pre-cut scraps donated by Chris. I must confess to helping myself to one of the fantastic bags of scraps that Chris brought to share with us and I can't wait to dig into it!

hard at work  hand stitching projects

I love this photo that shows all the stitchers hard at work on their projects. All the heads are bowed and the stitchers are deep in concentration!
We had so many wonderful projects in the room including knitting, hexies, embroidery, EPP, needlepoint, puppet stitching, rug making, wool work, applique, binding, and cross stitch.

Chris and granddaughter Ava

If you want to read more about the day, you can find Gail's blog post from retreat day at The Cozy Quilter, and see all the wonderful photos she took of the stitching projects. And then hop over to Quilting at the Farm to read the highlights that Chris wrote about. Chris brought her granddaughter along and she was our youngest stitcher at retreat. It's so inspiring when young people show an interest in keeping the stitching tradition alive!

Slow Sunday Stitching Sisters!

We also had some Slow Sunday Stitching Sisters! Try saying that fast 3 times! LOL

How wonderful that these sisters were able to clear their very busy schedules to spend the day relaxing, visiting and stitching together!

Here is the group photo of the amazing hand stitchers!

Slow Sunday Stitching Retreaters

I was blown away by the support and encouragement of this incredible group of women! Thank you to all who helped with the arrangements, the prizes, the tutorials, the snacks, the gifts, and for believing that this crazy dream of mine was even possible! It was amazing to me that we pulled this off on such short notice and after I rest up a bit, I will give some thought to organizing the second annual Slow Sunday Stitching retreat day!

Quilter's Blessings

I did bring along the quilt I was working on when I started the weekly link ups to celebrate Slow Stitching. The quilt is called Quilter's Blessings and was a pattern by Capricorn Quilts in 2008. It is also the quilt that is on the Slow Sunday Stitching button that Connie made for my blog. I took the quilt outside for a photo to show you how much in the country we actually were, and how spectacularly beautiful the weather was!

Okay now it's your turn... what are you hand stitching today? Link up your blog post or instagram photo below.

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts! 
Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee (or maybe a pumpkin spice latte) and join us to celebrate the experience of slowly stitching your way through life!

I'm so excited to be hosting the first (hopefully annual) Slow Sunday Stitching Retreat today! I have been posting my hand stitching projects (and some related thoughts) on my blog every Sunday since June of 2012. 
That is a lot of slow stitching!
And today I am so excited to be meeting some of the slow stitchers that I have only known through the internet. 

I am bringing some of my current hand stitching projects (just 5 or 6!) and some finished projects for show and share. Here is my trunk packed up with some hand stitching "show and share" projects.
I can hardly wait to see the hand stitching that folks bring to show us today. I will make a full report about the retreat on next Sunday's post, complete with lots of photos, so those of you that live too far away can see what went on. 

What are you hand stitching today?
Link up your blog post below and share your slow progress with us!

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly celebration of all hand stitched crafts! We hope you will join us in setting aside a few moments each Sunday for some relaxing stitching on your favourite project. Pick up a needle and thread, breathe deeply, and enjoy a little vacation from the responsibilities of your life.

Last week I announced the first ever Slow Sunday Stitching retreat and we have enough people to go ahead with this wonderful event. If you have indicated an interest in attending, watch your email for all the details about the day. I will take lots of photos to share with all the folks who wish they could be there but live too far away. And if I win the lottery one day, I will fly in all you slow stitchers who would like to come but live a plane ride away!!

My friend Marg is recovering from surgery and while we were visiting she was working on an old embroidered pillowcase which she rediscovered while recently cleaning in her sewing room. Isn't it fun when we unearth old treasures that we forgot we had?!? LOL The colours are so pretty and she is motivated to finish the project. 

I am still slowly working away on hand quilting my little Friendship Album quilt from the Elm Street Quilts Hand Piecing Quiltalong. This project has been travelling around in my trunk of my car for the entire summer, and on occasion I take it out of the trunk and actually put some stitches in it!

What are you hand stitching today? Link up your blog post or instagram below. Happy Slow Stitching Sunday everyone!

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Slow Sunday Stitching Announcement

Welcome to the weekly party where we celebrate the art of hand stitching! 
And today I have great news - I am planning the very first (hopefully annual) Slow Sunday Stitching Retreat Day! It's short notice because a day lease just became available at my favourite facility so I took the opportunity to scoop that up for us! 
If you enjoy hand stitching you are cordially invited!

It will be held at St. Brigid's Villa in Guelph, Ontario which is a beautiful facility on the outskirts of town. 

Here is a photo I took on the way to a  retreat there last year in late October. (Hopefully we won't have snow in early October, but you never know!) As you can see it is in the country at the end of a long lane. There is a beautiful work room with lots of windows all around and I just know that amazing things can be created here!
Mostly we will be working on our own projects and there will also be some tutorials to learn new skills. Of course there will also be a show and share time to be inspired by our creative stitching friends. 
Let me know if you are interested in coming or if you have any questions about the retreat. It's all about taking time away from your busy life to rest, to renew your energy, to take some slow stitches and enjoy being around rejuvenating creative energy! I can hardly wait!
Today I will be finishing this fun little Gail Pan embroidery. Sorry about the washed out photo... it's sunny here this weekend! The variegated thread gives an "interesting look"... I'm not sure if I like it yet or not!

What are you hand stitching today? Link up your blog post or instagram below (you can find me on instagram at ssskat7 and use #slowsundaystitching).

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