Patchwork Slow stitching kit

About your patchwork Slow-Stitching Kit

My fabric collection started more than 25 years ago, when I attended a patchwork workshop in Tavistock Devon, from that moment I fell in love with fabrics, to the point that every trip abroad or in holidays I used to invest my time and money looking for all sort of fabrics.  But that changed a few years ago when I learnt that the textile industry is one of the biggest contributors to the pollution in the planet, and I make the point of trying to choose fabrics that may not be of much use to other sewers or crafters. Fabric with holes, stains, tears, old worn-out embroidery or leftovers from curtain shops, quilt shops etc. I believe that getting all that unwanted cloth will add the magic, and give more personality and story to each artwork. In my own work I always make a point of using these ‘features’ of the old and unwanted fabrics and fibres to my advantage to help tell the story of the piece. 

The kit will contain fabrics that have been given a new lease of life, sometimes due to marks, holes, etc. As you incorporate these fabrics into your artwork, you can be comfortable that you are creating an object of beauty from bits of fabric disregarded for being end of line or only fit for the bin. This is what makes this Kits absolutely unique and special!

Every Kit contains a similar, but different, selection of fabrics to every other kit. Once I have used up a piece of fabric, that’s it, I cannot simply buy more of the same because it will be nearly impossible as I only used scraps. But, by using these special, limited pieces of fabrics, you can be sure that your kit is 100% unique; as far from ‘mass produced’ as they come! I am a solely designer and I put every kid together with own hands and in my own time. What is also very important to me, is that by using these fabrics, instead of constantly buying brand new fabrics, we are reducing our footprint on the environment. We are making something stunning out of fabrics that may otherwise have ended up in landfill.

I source fabrics from my travels across the world to use in every kit from the softest Colombian cotton, to French, Amsterdam, Italian, Argentinian, Spanish and middle East flea markets and my home land the United Kingdom.

While you’re working on your design you can also add your own ‘special touches’ if you like.  You can add wadding for a puffier look or have any of your own special scraps of fabric that you could incorporates or Perhaps you have a box of old lace doilies or grandma’s old lace hankies that instead of sitting in a cupboard, could be incorporated into your special textile collage to be admired and enjoyed every time. Also, there are no time limitations on your project – start and finish as you please. Nor do you have to try to follow my instructions for that matter...YOU ARE THE CREATOR!

Take your time and enjoy the process, select your fabrics, cut out the shapes and arrange them the way you wanted, the picture and the instructions are only a general information, you are now in charge of putting that little bundle of love as you wish, enjoy it, daydream you are the artist now and each fabric scrap may have had a life before. It was put into your hands to give it more life. This is what matters and makes this Kit special.

Happy creative time!

 Sandra Streeter

What does each kit contain?

• Instructions
• Embroidery Needle
• Linen fabric Piece for Background
• Reclaimed Fabrics for Flowers/Leaves/Stems
•  Embroidery Threads different colours.
• patterns

 Patchwork Slow stitching kit

Kits contain all the elements you need to be inspire and creative.

Enjoy the true sense of achievement that comes with producing your own unique and beautiful artwork.

You will find a carefully chosen assortment of fabric in every Slow-Stitching Kit. You will also find embroidery threads and a sewing needle.

 

This is my story

I am formally trained as a social communicator at the Catholic University in Colombia and worked in the industry for few years combined with teaching, until one day my life changes completely.

This story began a while ago when I became very ill, and decided to take workshops to learn other techniques and to connect with other mindful people. But it was always on my mind the thought of how to be productive while I was housebound.

 I started making fabric jewellery book covers using the fabric stash in my studio and the reclaimed fabrics I like to collect.

I also when to college and pass with distinction a 2 years course on fashion and textiles design. That was a big physical challenge - sometimes I had to hide my pain and keep going, but that course gives me the tools, knowledge and confidence to start my own business.

While I do use small amounts of new fabrics where needed, the vast majority are unwanted or reclaimed textiles that I had from across the world. Others have been dyed by me using natural and organic methods. Sometimes I don’t always achieve the best results, but the experimentation is half the fun! It is these lovely qualities in the textiles that give my work the “perfectly imperfect” character that appeals to so many. “Loving your perfect imperfection” like the song by John Legend.

Each Slow-Stitching Kit combines a selection of these beautiful textiles, along with cotton threads & an embroidery needle. By combining the beautiful textile pieces with slow-stitching & appliqué you can make a truly beautiful textile collage of your own that is completely unique, as while they are similar, no two kits contain exactly the same pieces of fabric!

Feel free to contact me at  street.sandra@gmail.com

This is the beginning of a new chapter in my life

I’m so pleased to share my slow stitching kits with you, I’ve being doing slow stitching for few years now and I discover It really transformed how I feel when I am anxious or under a lot of stress it has a calming, relaxing and restorative effect on me. That’s one reason I decided to do this kit, other reason is a beautiful gift to yourself is a meditative moment is a time that you invest in yourself alone, with a friend or in a group with like-minded people and the last reason is a beautiful gift for family and friends a way to say thanks and to celebrate life.

You don’t need fancy tools or supplies to get started. You only need a needle, thread, scissors and some fabric. I really enjoy just sitting and stitching, is very much like doodling with pen and paper. This kit is designed for happiness, don’t feel pressure to finishing a product. I know is exciting to make things and I definitely enjoy the satisfaction of finishing my own projects. But when I’m slow stitching it’s different, I enter another world is like escaping from reality, I don’t feel the pressure of doing it “right” and I don’t even usually pull out stitches I don’t like. It’s incredibly liberating! I usually just stick with a simple running stitch, but if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll try out some fun decorative stitches. No one need to inspects my work, including me, and I learned to accept and to love everything I do.

It is easy for you to get started. Kit contents will vary from project to project, but you will at the very least receive a selection of fabrics, needle and threads.

1.      Your kits will often contain multi-stranded embroidery floss. You can choose to separate the strands and use between 1-6 strands at a time, depending on your thread.  I use chenille needles, which are typically included in slow stitch kits. I recommend to split the thread and work with 3 strands and no longer than 50 0r 60 cm at time.

2.      Use smaller-eye needles for thin sewing thread.

3.      Your slow stitch kit includes a larger piece of foundation fabric, some are hand-dyed or natural linen, as well as several pieces of fabric to stitch on. You might want to add a piece of cotton or wool batting and/or a piece of backing fabric. For me, it just depends on the kind of stitching I want to do and what I want my piece to look like. If I want it to puff up a little bit, I add a piece of batting behind my foundation fabric. If I want to finish my piece and bind it later, I definitely add a piece of backing fabric.

4.      Add whatever you want to your slow stitch kit – it’s your project, find little scraps of fabric or paper to add to your stitching. Maybe a leaf, a wooden button or something you find on a nature walk. You can use any of the threads from all your kits on all your projects.

5.  Please share your project with me on my Facebook account Sandra Maria or Instagram @streetersandratextiles

You can also visit my blog at sandrastreetertextiles.blogspot.com