Reflection: Stitching Meditation

It is from fiber that all living organisms are built—

the tissues of plants, and ourselves. Our nerves, 
our genetic code, the canals of our veins, our muscles. 
We are fibrous structures.

—Magdalena Abakanowicz

Stitching: it’s a rhythmic, repetitive process. Like taking steps. Like breathing.

Stitches are collective. One stitch out of context is merely a mark. Stitches together can form a line, or fill a space. They can tell a story.

Frequently, a pattern of stitches viewed from the back (the “wrong side”) tells a different story than the front view.

Stitching shows up in my art process a lot. 


It can provide a focal point…

…or enhance an evolving image…

…or it can be the line I use to create a drawing on fabric, by walking the path of the image one threaded mark at a time.

  

But sometimes I stitch just to be stitching, for the pleasure of it, with no end product in mind. I find it soothing.

Stitching meditation creates space. I can’t rush it. It helps me remember what it means to notice. What is true? I only know this moment of pulling this needle through this fabric. Breathe in. Breathe out.