Slow Stitching for 2025

A new year, and an opportunity for another fresh start, so I have begun a new slow stitching project. I expect it to take me months! I am using up some natural dyes collected over the years: madder, logwood, saffron, Hopi tea, turmeric and onion skins. I selected about a kilo of recycled cotton or linen pieces and scraps, because both are plant fibres. 

The kilo of fabric needs scouring first, which is basically giving the fabric a heavy clean to remove grease that will prevent the dye from attaching to the fibres. Next step is mordanting the fabric. I used a large stainless steel pot filled with fabric, water and alum for mordant, which is the simplest and least toxic to use. Last step is the actual dyeing. I used the madder, saffron and logwood in three smaller pots to dye about a third of the fabric in each; some bits were white or natural, and some were patterned fabric that I was overdyeing.

My scraps are now ironed and ready for the printing, painting and stitching that will come later. If you are doing any fabric dyeing, just remember to keep all the utensils you use for dyeing separate from any used to prepare food in the kitchen. 

There are some interesting online fabric dyeing workshops at Maiwa: www.maiwa.teachable.com 

There is also a list of enticing creative workshop escapes at this site: www.bellissimaartescapes.com/art-escapes-2025