How Slow Stitching (English Paper Piecing) Changed and Improved My Life 

I too find stitching a relief of mental issues. It's real nice knowing others find stitching a healing factor in their lives. I'm binge watching your vids and seeing an amazing assortment of know how.

Oh Emma... I've been binge watching your videos for the past 2 weeks repeatedly...may I add. I have an Autistic non- verbal child and my cousin that was literally like my sister(I'm an only child) just took her life on August 16th. So I'm just big ridiculous mess. And this video made me cry and really evaluate my life. I'm 45...not getting any younger and I'm as always on the go. You have 100% inspired me. I put my machine away and I got myself a little EPP kit to try. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. There is a purity in this sewing that gives me satisfaction that I just cannot describe. I want to thank you sweet girl for putting yourself out there and showing the true beauty of sewing. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I also ordered the book you suggested. I honestly found the calm in my river of chaos. I dont have alot of free time so i assumed that hand sewing would take forever. I WAS SO VERY WRONG. Thank you from across the pond!!

Yes, the slow, rhythmic process of making stitches, whether they are sewn, knitted or crocheted, is definitely therapeutic. It works for me where nothing else could. Thank you for putting this into words. ❤❤❤

Thank you, Emma, for putting into words what a lot of people are feeling!! I’m with lots of other people that thinks your voice is so calming and it is able to make me slow down a bit and enjoy the moments!! You are so appreciated, thank you for everything you do!! 😍❤️

Discovered your channel by accident. I began EPP for a trip I was taking. Little did I know my brother would pass away a month later at 50. EPP I feel saved me. It was now I grieved my only sibling. Spending months working on a quilt helped. A year later I have an amazing memory of my brother with over 3000 hexies hand stitched together.

Thank you for sharing your journey. This is such a profound topic and video. I’ve found the same beneficial paradigm shift from hand crafts. I’ve been mostly bed-bound for the past 7+ yrs. Once a week I take a bunch of meds to be able to ride a cart around the grocery for 30mins & then collapse back home. Living alone & not being able to do much will drive anyone to depression and boredom. You get cabin fever times 1000. After missing sewing at my machine, I tried hand stitching quilt blocks. I went to the library when I could, grabbing a dozen books to last me until my next burst of energy. I found blogs & then RU-vid & learned about almost any craft, for free at home. That was a boon as I couldn’t go to paid classes. This all changed my quality of life. I learned about quilting, EPP & crochet. I picked up old hobbies like cross stitch & embroidery, trying whatever I could using what I had. These have all been amazing. I switch between all of it, being careful to prevent repetitive injury or stress. Using my hands every day helps keep my mobility with arthritis. My drs have seen improvement in my strength & dexterity. It shows actual, physical benefits. But these crafts also help ease my anxiety & depression. They have shown psychological benefits. Crafts are so beneficial. They are therapy, truly. I’m so glad you shared this. I’ve forwarded it to my mom. By you sharing this you will help those who need to hear this message, just as the book helped empower you to know the benefits you felt were real & scientifically proven. I know many people need to hear this, and you will be a part of their journey to help them. Hope you have a wonderful week. Blessings to you & your family.

The beauty of RU-vid is that I didn’t miss this moment of peace.

My son took his life in 2019... I have longed to find peace again in my life...The gal who quilts my sewn quilts recommended EPP...so I jumped into it but I ran out and bought a pattern & fabrics...as I only got into sewing & quilting at the urging of a friend and it renewed my spirit, but I still longed for something. I plan to buy the book an I thank you for this lovely & loving Vlog. My Mum was from London, married my AmericanDad & did so many arts, as her family were all tailors/ seamstresses she a milliner. She would knit for hours in winter...her solace, for sure. Many thanks 😊

I agree so much with all you’re saying - sewing has improved my appreciation for process - I actually get sad when I finish a quilt, I enjoy the “making” so much I don’t like when it ends lol

Hi, I am a knitter, crocheter, jewellery maker, (no machines or heat sources,) embroiderer, sewer of doll and people's clothes, beginner quilter and started a hand made hexie quilt 7 years ago before I had cancer treatment. I still find crafting soothing, I love seeing what I have made, it blows me away when somebody wears something from me. When I need a break, I switch crafts. Computer games have their place, but don't leave you with something tangible. On days when I can hardly get up, I crochet , or knit toys or hats and wrist-warmers etc, or hand sew. The cancer is gone, the chronic fatigue etc., is still here. I can't just look at the 4 walls, or the telly, or read all the time, I love feeling useful anyway. All the best.

Emma, I too experience depression and anxiety and yes hand sewing and knitting and crocheting help me so much...your voice is so calming...I'm so glad I found your channel...God bless

Good morning Emma!...I agree with you...I love slow stitching creative way of living as well as the old stitching creations and I fell so great joy when I come across with them!...I send you my love!...Eleni from Athens!...🙂

I am so glad I have found your website. I enjoy watching the items you are working on and helping me to slow down, not just with sewing. Thank you.

This is so true, this explains why I love doing it and not even caring about the end product. ❤

Beautiful video and so true, the joy of slowing down through hand stitching. When my mom was diagnosed with cancer and had to go through several rounds of chemotherapy, hand stitching helped me keep sane. Even though I hadn't been stitching in months, it was the first thing that came to mind to take with me to her sessions. A bag of scraps and a tumbler pattern which later turned into a mini quilt. ❤️

That was beautiful to watch and calming to hear you. I feel really emotional having watched it. I identified with so much you said. I feel really happy that you have found an outlet, something you are clearly loving and we as viewers love watching and learning from you, I know that,you have sparked my interest in EPP It made me feel joy seeing you in your garden and realising the flowers can bring you peace and joy and that growing your veg is so satisfying too. Thanks for sharing, x

Thank you for puting this in a video it has been a bad year for most people and we need to slow down and have sometime for ourselves. Take care xx

Another lovely vlog emma. Theres something very relaxing about your voice and watching your close up stitching. Just beautiful 😊. I agree that slow stitching is good for your mental well being, just lost in the moment, not thinking of anything else. Take care sue xx

Morning Emma , I have always struggled with anxiety all my life and when I had a stroke I had to slow down and since lockdown I have found the world of stitching thank you for sharing xx

I recently came into slow stitching and am enjoying it thoroughly.. and today I found this video and it’s unbelievable how well you explain the calming effect it has also how enjoyable.. your work is beautiful and you are an inspiration.. God bless,

Emma…my goodness….you are delightful! I love watching your videos. They are so informative and soothing to the soul. Thank you!😊

Your slow stitching and your comments are very helpful- the details made a difference in to make a good piece! instead of rushing to make the piece- so much better- I feel better my self - i want to make a Lucy Boston block and will take my time! Thank you, Emma🥰

I really enjoyed this video, I have some painful medical problems which have got worse and I find slow stitching has really helped with pain distraction. I've found when I turn to sewing the pain calms and I can really get lost in my project 😊 thank you again for this video!!xx

I have just returned to needlepoint, (after about 20 years) not the same I know but your video was so relaxing and beautifully done I had to subscribe. 💕

I'm still new to EPP, but I have experienced an 80 percent decrease in my daily anxiety. May said a little dramatic, but this has changed my life, for the better. I have such a quiet ease to my slow sewing and feel it's healing that frantic part of my mind. Thank you for your videos, you've really helped a lot of us in this community of sewers.

I just discovered your channel and I'm hooked! When I was a little girl in the 50's I had a seizure disorder called St. Vituses Dance. It is a horrible thing to have to live with and causes horrible anxiety after each episode since you are awake the whole time. Our doctor told my mother to teach me how to sew to take my mind off the episodes so she taught me how to darn, then embroidery, then paper piece. It was a .God send! I outgrew the condition but not my love for hand sewing. I can't do it any longer due to health issues so instead I watch videos like yours to give me that same feeling of peace and calm. God bless you dear heart.😏💞

I have to agree with you wholeheartedly. I love and work more than anything I do with quilting. I appliqué some and that has brought me great joy and also at the same time it’s been therapeutic. And when I saw you stitch I got the same feeling watching you. As I watch you I feel like I can find that same joy with English paper piecing that I do with appliqué and I’m very excited about that. Creating a whole quilt Gives me joy and a sense but handwork is so calming. Thank you so much for your insight.

I have no idea what slow stitching is but I am watching this whilst doing a cross stitch, I can relate!

Totally agree with all you said Emma . As a crocheter snd knitter and now into epp too , I can completely zone out when working on these and my day is not complete unless I do some slow stitching of some kind ( today epp and crochet) and that is 365 days of the year !. I feel truly blessed that I have these skills and between that and gardening ( my other passion) my life has been enriched beyond measure and I have been able to see joy in the smallest of things as a result . As you say , it is to be recommended and is such a blessing . Carry on enjoying and please keep doing the podcasts as you are so calming and gentle to listen to 💕

I’m and a new follower so my reply is current! I suffer with fibromyalgia which causes chronic pain. I e had it since 1987 and discovered several years ago exactly what you are saying in this video! Slow stitching the binding of a quilt or EPP distracts the pain signals and brings calm. I love your channel! So calming, peaceful , and informative! I live in the US in the Deep South state of Alabama on a small farm where we grow cotton, wheat, corn and soybean!Currently the fields are a brilliant bright green with a sublet season of wheat before the longer seasonal crops are planted. I love slow stitching on my front porch back patio and watching the fields, the planting/ harvesting, birds & surrounding trees. I have a new spring birds nest on my back porch eaves . Slow stitching is the perfect activity in spring and fall . Not so much in summer due to the stifling heat e have in Alabama from June- September. Have a lovely spring and continue to make your videos. Your voice is perfect for this type of stitching!

I completely agree with you. I only discovered the beauty of hand stitching because I wanted a portable project and thus discovered paper piecing. It was the biggest thing I learned intuitively that when I slowly stitched with care and love it totally calmed my mind. I wish every child could learn this in school. Think of what the frenetic video games do to the mind.

Love this, I started slow stitching about a year ago , what you’re saying is so true. Praise God thank you for putting it into words 💛🦋

Hi Emma. Yes I too enjoy handwork. When I was younger I went for speed couldn’t get enough things done. Enjoyed what I did. But now it’s not about how much I make but am I having a relationship with it. I look around and see all the nice things I made. Now it’s not about how much I make but the relationship that I develop from working on something. And then when I see it around the home when it’s done it really makes me feel happy. Years later I get up in the morning and I see the things that took me time and I just look at them. It’s nice to make your house into a home with you all over the walls of the furniture. I know the feeling it just makes you feel at peace. It’s so nice to to listen to someone who feels like I do. Thank you for sharing your feelings about your sewing.

I am a cross stitcher and that has been a blessing also. I tried EPP before and didn't care or it. But watching you and listening to your voice has inspired me to try again. Your work is beautiful! i just found your channel. I a binge watching you stitch.

Emma … thank you so much! I’m here with tears in my eyes after watching this video. Your words hit me straight to the heart … thank you! 🌺🍀♥️

Thank you for sharing your perspective and your lovely handwork. I’m so grateful that I found your videos!

You have the most calming voice. Thank you for sharing.

A very interesting and inspirational video. I have subscribed because I want to hear more - I crochet, knit and watercolour , and it's the same thing, you get totally absorbed in the project. Thank you for sharing this, you have a very calming voice x

I am so glad I found your videos. Everything is beautiful.

Actually your voice and your tutorials are so cool. It will motivate us to do this type of work slowly and steadily. Thankyou so much .Stay safe.

I absolutely loved this video. So true for me. Thank you for sharing. It’s exactly how I feel.....can’t wait to watch more of your videos. You are calming to watch. ❤️🤗

What an absolutely beautiful video. Thank you so much. I long to have those quiet moments with my stitching to calm my mind. There are so many tangled messes in my life right now. I wish I could get all of my responsibilities taken care of so that I can sit down guilt-free and know I shouldn't be somewhere doing something that needs doing rather than what I want to do. This video is...I don't even have the words. Your voice and your beautiful accent are so soothing. The images of your gorgeous Lucy Boston patchwork of the crosses block is pure loveliness. I love your videos and your projects, but this video. It is truly inspirational. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing.

I love this. It reminds me of my first two hand sewn items. The first a tiny ginger bread man at school aged 8 then a large stuffed elephant at 12 under the scrutiny and guidelines of my aunt. I used to love the concentration and quiet that comes with hand stitching. I guess that's why I love hand finishing the binding on my quilts. Thank you for your insight ❤

Thank you for your thoughts on slowing down and living more mindfully. I have also found that getting out of my head and into my hands helps a lot when stressed or feeling ill. I knit, sew, crochet and draw ink line art. All of which help me to deal with daily pain and the stresses that brings.

I have just come across this video and totally agree 100% with everything you say.That desire to own fabric and covet it is something I have been dealing with for many years. The rush to make everything and finish it quickly so you can get onto the next project just seems to overtake the pleasure of creating it. I was making quilts all the time but never enjoyed the item once completed. I recently gave all but three quilts away to the Linus Project along with loads of fabric I had been hoarding. It was to say the least very therapeutic! This obsessiveness is not good for the mind or soul and you have hit the nail on the head with this video. Greetings from Norfolk!

This is the first time I have seen one of your videos. Your block is beautiful and your sewing box is so cute. I used to love doing EPP but I stopped sewing about three years ago, something I loved doing for over 50 years. Tragedy struck and my world stopped until recently. When covid-19 struck I started making some masks and lately I've thought about picking up my old EPP projects and working on them. I think it's amazing how things like your video are put in our paths at just the right moment. I have subscribed to your channel and look forward to your videos. Thank you.

I speak a little english, but i understand your feelings and I agree with you. You are a wonderful person , my admiración for you forma Costa Rica!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇨🇷🇨🇷🇨🇷

What a peaceful, relaxing voice you have.

I love this video, I feel like this with Cross Stitch I just love the process and I am not thinking about when it is going to be done. I do tend to think like that with my knitting, I want to be finished! It hasn't been making me feel so good. I am so glad you are sharing your videos its so profound I watched it twice :)

I just found you and I want to thank you for this lovely vlog. I just started epp this year, actually around April and it has given me such peace and calm during this time. Finding your vlog has also contributed to this and I now stitch while hearing your calm voice and it is a great start to my day. Thank you again ❤️

I'm so glad to have come across your video. I have an interest in english paper piecing, and want to give it a try. Your video hit me about all the feelings thats come about this past year. Thank you for making this video and plan to follow you. You are an angel.

beautiful words and beautiful hand work . Thank you .

I gave it a go this weekend. I made two flowers using 1.5" hexagons. I really enjoyed it. However if the hexagons are any smaller, I think it will be uncomfortable. I reviewed this video several times throughout the day. I am looking forward to completing a project with my hexies. I found the slower pace and attention to detail as soothing as many other coping techniques I employ when feeling stressed. This particular type of sewing, I think I could do at my desk while working. I think the smaller scale of the hexagons will provide a needed stress breaker without taking up too much space. I also viewed several of your more recent videos. You have really grown with your skill and confidence. Thank you for continuing to post videos.

Thanks Emma! I have picked up an engish paper piecing I set aside before my Mom passed away in 2019. It’s helped me a lot as well. ❤

You are so right, the stitches are very soothing! We all need to slow down and not be so demanding of ourselves. Sometimes at work during the day, I can feel hopeful because I know I can sit down in the evening and sew, watching videos like yours.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings. Your words resonated with me, as I also deal with anxiety. I have found myself in a very stressful work situation recently. I cope by arriving early and crocheting or doing embroidery. Of course, spending time in my garden is a must as well. I look forward to watching more of your videos. Thank you🌷

Lovely, encouraging video. Thank you. You have encouraged me to focus on the process not the end result.

Thank you Emma! Just what I needed to hear today ❤

Thank you for sharing your story and experience. I have been captivated lately by paper piecing videos. I think I will give it a try.

What a wonderful post. I have the same experience with EPP. I have ADHD & anxiety, and don’t get the same effect from knitting or other craft/art forms. But I read the study that found EPP induces “flow.” There is indeed something unique to the process. I love it. And it does have a creeping, positive effect on how I approach other aspects of my life. 💗

I think I saw this video before but I just watched it again. I do love the slow-stitching! I was surprised how therapeutic it felt to cur and glue the pieces, using hexi-foam. The beauty of a little block or group of pieces is incredible. Thank you for your gift of peacefulness and your gentle nature that you always share with us!

Really thoughtful and a Good reminder to be Aware of the beauty in Simple surrounding. I enjoyed this & your Philosophy. Your post Was wonderful & encourages me to go Back to the hobby of Quilting after a ten year Pause.

Beautifully and eloquently put Emma x Big hugs x

This video is perfect. Second time watching, and will return again. Thank you for your insight and encouragement, based on your real experience.

I stitch slow like a turtle or snail and luhv every minute of it. Slow stitching completes me .

Very good advice. I knit and crochet and find both are calming and relaxing.

Thank You for sharing your struggles in life. Sometimes we think & feel like we are the only ones going through all the struggles. I do crocheting, sewing. I would love to try this. I will start with something small. So I know I can finish it. ❤️

I found you on RU-vid and especially happy to see the tiny prints! Just now I'm watching your 3/8-inch hexies Pincushion. Looks beautiful and a perfect example of tiny. I just started a hexie quilted wall hanging for my favorite Veterinarians with Fussy Dog & Cat prints. Best to you! P.S. I also save the tiniest bits of fabric. Ohio, USA.

I recently discovered your channel, Emma, and I just wanted to thank you for this lovely video - a lovely message.

Thank you for making this video. You are an inspiration. Your explanation of ‘slow stitching’ was very timely and something I’ve been feeling but couldn’t explain. Thank you for all of your wisdom and especially your videos. Stay healthy and keep stitching and we all will keep watching and learning.

I just discovered your channel and it's a real pleasure to listen to you. This video makes me really want to try this technique, but I've never done any sewing. I mainly do embroidery, cross stitch...

RU-vid just suggested this to me. I adore the piece you are stitching. I lost most of my sight four years ago and am now registered blind and adore the tactile nature of hand sewing. Currently sewing simple hexagons hoping to try more complicated patterns too. Thank you for sharing. PS also enjoy machine piecing quilts using an AccuQuilt to cut my pieces and a home made guide on my machine to help me keep my seams accurate

Thank you for you honest and inspiring story. I wish you much success. I thoroughly enjoy your videos and you have been an inspiration for me.

Hi Emma. This particular video that you made was really good. Having somebody else verbalize how sewing makes them feel is very encouraging especially if you have the same issues. I find my sewing to be extremely relaxing for me. It certainly grounds me.I just want to thank you for making such a nice video. I have a couple of friends I think I’m going to send this one to them because this will encourage them as well. Thank you for sharing.

I agree with you. I know that my knitting, crochet or sewing is therapy for me. I look forward to doing it always because I know it is calming.🧵🧶🧵🧶🧵🧶🧵🧶🧵🧶🧵🧶🧶🧵🧶🧵❤️

Wonderful video Emma. Your voice is really calming too. Take care🤗

Sew sweet & peaceful. I love your videos. 🥰

Such a lovely and honest video. Thanks for sharing. Love your channel and videos. Keep up the great work.

Thank you. I enjoy the process. I never thought I would ever be able to stick with the process of building a quilt. After making so many quilts I'm ready to slow down and under take paper piecing. Stitching is very meditative for me. I did a lot of patching on some quilts and learned to darn socks after my dad passed away. My mind wanted those repetitive motions. It helped me through the grieving. Thank you for sharing how healing stitching is for you also.

Emma, thank you for sharing how EPP has made a difference in your life. I would like to get the book and give it a try. I enjoy quilting and embroidery as well. You are so right that we all need to use our creative brain daily, if even for an hour or so with a cup of tea or coffee at the sewing machine or comfortable chair.

Thanks love this video. I did epp many years ago. I used to love taking it with me to the beach or camping. I don’t camp anymore but I still go to the beach. Thanks for reminding me I want to start epp again. I have to start from scratch but like you said it doesn’t really take much to start! I want more time away from social media. I dropped it all of social media it made me so depressed. But I still watch RU-vid!

I, too, appreciate the meditative nature of repetitive stitching. For me, it's the feeling of drawing of the thread through the fabric that I find the most calming. I have discovered that I don't need most of what I see online as the newest greatest thing. I learned that I can be perfectly happy as long as I have a really good needle and lovely thread to make the process even more enjoyable.

It's so true how getting in our craft room and making something is very calming. You start to get so absorbed in what you're doing that all the troubles seem to fade away. And my desk faces a window and there's my garden right outside the window and so I have birds and butterflies and squirrels and beautiful flowers to look at and when the rain is coming down it's just even more calming to me.

I love hand sewing, nothing pleases me more than hand stitching a hem, I used to hand stitch quilts as a child, I thought that once you grew up you had to machine quilt. Which I don’t enjoy, I think you’ve inspired me to go back to hand quilting.

Thank you for another lovely video Emma. Just ordered the book you've recommended and determined to make handsewing a part of every day. God bless from Northern Ireland. v

Thank you Emma for your openness. Lovely to see your creations. You’ve inspired me and given me new ideas for my patchwork and embroidery. I look forward to seeing more of your videos.❤️

Hello Emma! I was lucky enough to find you in my RU-vid feed for things of interest. I just started to explore EPP so the timing was perfect. I am a knitter also and very much appreciate what you said about slowing down, which gives us a chance to think and clear our heads. I've recently retired from my high pressure job and am ready to embrace a slower pace. Thank you for this testimony to a slower lifestyle. I feel that I'm meant for it. 💗

I enjoyed this video, thank you. I might have to give this a try sometime. I have found in the past that any time I did anything that involved using a needle and thread, by hand, that it was extremely relaxing. I have added the book you mentioned to my Amazon wish list.

For me, the Inner Critic kicks in and says I can’t sew too well by hand. But if I nurture the voice, saying that I’m not working on a project but am allowing myself some “down time”, the Critic shuts up and waits. Then things turn out well.

Thank you Emma for reminding me that its OK to slow down, enjoy the process as well as the finished item, crafty hugs and stay safe

Great job. You got this.

Loved this video , I’m a fan of all you said! I love stitching fabric, quilting, knitting, crocheting and embroidery! I can relax and be away from the noise of life and it’s truly a blessing to me as it is for you. Thankyou for your thoughts, be safe and stay well and happy stitching friend! ♥️

I've spent 4 years making an applique quilt all by hand, I'm quilting it now by hand, I have enjoyed every minute of it. I may not have a lot quilts but I have a truly beautiful heirloom quality quilt. Love every stitch :)

I just found you from Just Get It Done Quilts! So glad I did!

I enjoyed your words and your video so much! Thank you!

Fantastic video! Thank you. 🙏🏻❤️❤️❤️

I don't love EPP, but I do like hand stitching. I like the fact that it is relaxing . I think more about my fabrics.

Thank you for your lovely lovely post. 💟

What a wonderful and inspiring video! I have already shared it.

I’ve never tried this but really would love too. Thank you for sharing I will research and try now 😀