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In and out

How needlework helps me tune out and tune in

By Eve BlairPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Photo by pinodita via Flickr

In and out. In and out. In and out.

Does that sound like something you’d hear from a soothingly-voiced instructor in a meditation class? It sure seems like it to me, but it’s actually my rendition of the embroidery process.

No matter how large or elaborate, every piece of embroidery is made using the same simple repetition of passing the needle and thread in and out through the fabric, however many hundreds or thousands of times. It’s all about that one simple reciprocal movement.

Your needle moves in and out, from front to back, up and down. I think there’s something incredibly soothing about it, something that speaks to the subconscious mind. Think of sitting on the beach and watching the waves lap and the shore, receding back to the depths only to return once more. Or warming yourself by a fire, with flames that jump and flicker. Just like those, the repetitive movements of the needle back and forth can be almost hypnotic.

I find needlework to be a great break from the stresses of school and work, of negotiating a hectic world. It can be scary and unpredictable out there, but when I sit down with my hoop, thread and scissors everything fades away. All I have to think about is placing my stitches and following a pattern. If I make a mistake, it’s a matter of pulling the thread out and redoing it. If I change my mind about a color, I can simply cut it out and use another. Even if I want to change part of the pattern, I can. Everything is flexible and up to me, which seems vanishingly rare these days.

Speaking of flexibility, the form of needlework has huge variance in expression. Pretty much any artistic vision you can think of can be realized. My most recently completed project was a cross stitch angel for my grandmother. It’s a very traditional piece, in understated violets and periwinkles in a golden frame. Before that I made something for my sister, a portrait of her in modern back stitched lines, with thread hanging down to make her long blonde hair. I think it’s a great craft for anyone to try because any tastes can be expressed. Bright colors or muted pastels, bold shapes and backgrounds or simple, dainty linework.

A portrait of my sister

It comforts me, too, to think as I stitch of all the generations of women that have passed this craft down to me. I learned to sew and embroider from my mother, who learned from her mother. I imagine my ancestors hundreds, thousands of years ago, heads bowed in focus on projects just like mine. It feels like I’m part of something much bigger - a single strand of thread in a worldwide tapestry, if you’ll indulge the metaphor.

I’ve been embroidering since I was a toddler, my first efforts consisting of a few long, colorful stitches crisscrossing across tiny hoops. They seem chaotic, but I suppose that’s what the mind of a three year old looks like. No problems, just color and movement and unrestrained fun. Looking at them now allows me to communicate with my younger self in a way, to see what she liked, what she wanted to express when she was creating something. It’s like looking at the embroidered works of historical artists, like the Bayeaux Tapestry. It builds a bond between us, it lets me hear from someone I’ll never speak to. It’s more than just me and what I create.

My young interpretation of an apple

So when I’m burnt out from being berated by angry customers at work (retail life!) or I’m completely stuck on an essay, I take a few minutes to stitch and decompress. I can ignore all the pressures and scary threats of daily life and allow myself to focus only on the picture coming together in my hands and the movement of my needle creating it. In and out, in and out, in and out.

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About the Creator

Eve Blair

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