Weekly Slowstitch 2024 - Week 21 - Boro 

I lost my husband unexpectedly last September and in my grief lost the ability to do my usual creative things then I came across this weekly therapy , I am so grateful for you and your sharing of craft and stories... you have truly saved me in this unknown place I have found myself in 🙏❤

A Haiku for your dad K3n: Spring breath stirs old cloth, Hankies patch the worn heart's tears- Mending souls with threads. And one for week 21: Spring rain on old jeans, Needles mend the worn threads- Memories bloom fresh. Thanks for sharing. xoxo

I love it when you say, "Look up! I'm showing you something." ❤

I am so glad to read that others experience the similar feelings. I lost my husband in October of last year and have not been able to create anything. I have tried many times, but just cannot do it. I do love watching you create and listening to you winter on is like having coffee with a friend that I miss terribly. Thank you to all who are sharing here and going thru difficult times.

Your story about not being able to stitch right after losing your dad really makes a lot of sense to me. When my dad passed, at first I could not bear the thought of having to live with that loss forever. But the process of grief is really just that, isn't it? It is learning to integrate your pain in your everyday life and finding a new baseline. You have to overcome the first shock to be able to tackle that task and process all the emotions. You can learn to love your scars, run your fingers over them, because they remind you not only of the pain but also of your own strength to get through difficult times, but as long as the wound is still fresh, better not touch it right away.

After my son died, for a year all I could do was sit and stitch little "stones". It was an idea from Jude Hill to hand applique small roundish pieces of fabric onto small squares. I made hundreds and I think they may have saved my life. When I introduced my 10 year old granddaughter to ironing fabric, she said it felt "satisfying". Boro feels that way.

Another great video, Kathryn. 15 years ago, when i lost Dad, i also made a Boro style lap quilt. Luckily for me, my Dad loved very soft Denim jeans, so l keep a few of his pockets and stitched them into the quilt and when i slip my hand in i know his has been there also. Very comforting. Needless to say, they are also handy for the remote control and the odd chocolate.😊

Thank you for this fantastic video. Love boro and I had a book on it for a gift at Christmas. Also it was wonderful to see your ‘ crumb’ dad’s quilt. Lots of things you said reinstated for me. Not sewing when you lost your Dad ( me last year when I lost my Mum) and then when you got the gifts from your Mum ( your Dads shirts and hankies) My Dad in 1999 ( he was 60) .. I was reeling as was my Mum. My mums sister came in to ‘help’ the same week he died!! .. she emptied my dad’s wardrobe and drawers and got rid of all his clothes, .. Everything! I went beserk to be honest. I have one of his shirts ( found in his dirty wash bin ) . I used to put it on and hold on to it as a coping mechanism. I have it still and now because of you sharing such a personal make and story, I want to incorporate it into a throw or quilt . Will see where my slow stitching takes me on this project for me. Thank you Kathryn xx

I totally understand about your not stitching for a while. I am sorry for your loss. I lost my father in February and I haven't picked up a needle since. I was glad to hear you didn't stitch either, only because I felt like I was so alone. I'm happy to know that someday I might want to pick up a needle again. Thank you for this video 😊

“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.” ― L.R. Knost I am learning and mending with intention thanks to you dear Kathryn for sharing your light🌻love from Cath

I'm watching your video while I'm stitching my grandmothers old ragstrips. She was born in 1912, and I have kept several rolls of "rag-balls" that she have torn from used clothes, and actually sewn together to get long strips to put in the weave. She would have thought I am very weird, ironing her old narrow strips of scraps, and stitching them together to make a piece of cloth of them again😅 I actually recognice some scraps as dresses she wore when I was a child. Love your videos❤ Anne (from the north of Norway.)

I LOVE your quilt, so beautifully special. My mom has also put a heart made of my dads favourite shirt on each of the quilts she has made her children and grandchildren ❤

When my husband passed 19 years ago my son was still in high school, I took all the T-shirt’s from places they went together as well as my husbands old denim jeans and made a quilt for my son. My son loved it and still has it in his room. I was shouting for the other side up. 😂

Thinking about the history of boro, Gee's Bend, and other "needful" crafts, I think about the many hands that have carefully preserved and "made do" with what they had available to them. The same is true of the tools and building materials that people use to survive and handed down over generations. A dear friend who passed recently taught me so much about the practices and principles of homesteading. He once held up the axe he was using to split wood and told me reverently "This is my great grandfather's axe. My grandfather replaced the handle and my father replaced the head, but it's still my grandfather's axe." I had to go sit down and think on that for a good long while.

This was wonderful to listen to! It always makes me smile when you talk about getting new scissors when you are in England. We have a great family-run old shop in Frankfurt where you can buy good scissors of all kinds, but they also sharpen and recondition them, is that the correct word? I had my old aunt's 60 year old scissors made-up there, she was a seamstress and taught me everything. These scissors are so precious to me when I sew I always think of her when working with them. She died in April, 93 years old. ❤ from Germany.

We’re watching our Alpha, 11 year old German Shepherd reach the end of his life. I have not been able to pick up a needle. Thank you, Kathryn, for sharing. ❤

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story about your healing process. I find myself turning to crochet when everything else gets overwhelming x

When I lost my beloved Bill all of my creative projects stopped for quite a long time … I could not pick up a needle , a crochet hook nothing . I was sure and still do believe it was part of the severe grief I was experiencing…. I eventually was able to start again along with other aspects of life though different forever .

Can i just say, i love your quilt and i decided quite a while ago to do the same with my dads shirts, my dad is still vital but physically frail, i know i wont have him for much longer, so your quilt story pricked at my heart... ❤️

Everything you say makes sense to me. Stitching heals my brokenness - like stitching my heart back together. I have a quilt I pieced when my Dad was dying, I sat beside him and sewed it. I keep it folded up because it can be painful. He suffered in the end. I appreciate boro. And you ❤

My one extravagance of ‘new’ is sashiko thread. It’s so lovely to sew with - not that I could ever say I’m doing sashiko. Anyhoo … as ever, thank you for your inspiring processes. ❤️🙏

Objects of use are imbued with a beauty that isn't necessarily a part of what we can see, but we feel it. I can remember being drawn to a plain bowl in an exhibit of gorgeous Asian objects. I kept going back to it, and when I eventually read the card, it had been used, over many years, in ritual.

In truth, Kathryn, your work is Zen and the Art of Sewing. For those who need an explanation, or who ‘get irritated’ by lack of measurements are quantifiers and will never truly understand the qualitative.

My daddy also always carried a hankie. And he still does. He will be 96 in July and still does what he wants to everyday. And still lives alone. I am so blessed. So hankies have a special meaning to me also. On your piece made from your dad’s clothing…it’s never finished because you have to add stitches of love ever so often. Love your videos!

The concept of using one of your projects when it is not complete seems so strange to me. That you can keep working on it as need be, is a new refreshing thought. Definitely something to consider over time.

It was fun, not thinking. Yust go with the flow with old cloth. Loved it. Thank you Kathryn 🙏🏼❤️ When I lost my brother in 2020 i made a comfort blanket ( chrochet)with my sister. His colour, waves… that was my manor to remember and to face the lost of my very beloved brother❤️❤️

I started my slow stitching adventure with a boro bag I made from a kit I bought at the Harrogate quilting show in 2020. I’m using it as my project bag and it’s attracted a few compliments esp from my daughter who is not at all into stitching of any kind. 🤣

The idea of making a quilt next year is great

“I was Here”…..my favorite “say” of yours Dear One…..I am trying to follow your lead in some of my work…..

And yet, I am the only one that can say what inspiration contributed to the the work I do. It is my work. And, I WILL do what I like. The labor itself --the fact that I am the one doing it qualifies me to do what I like. I am willing to respect traditions that are not my own. I don't have to tell anyone else what inspired it. Respect is essential. So is overcoming paralysis. If splitting hairs begets paralysis, no one wins.

Whilst waiting for this video I was going through my stitch journal and, you know, it was the feel of the pieces that I found delightful. Kawandi was particularly pleasing - maybe the many overlapping layers and the complete covering of stitching…just delicious! Thank you for this one. I’ve a small stash of cloth from my son. His widow has a lovely quilt made from his clothes. I have just a few small pieces…maybe now I can use some of it to make this ‘new’ cloth from old.

Hi Kathryn, yes it was me who sent the link to Atsushi's video :) Like Atsushi said, it's a sensitive topic, so I watched the whole video through again before deciding to share it on the Kawandi video. It's wonderful to hear about the thought you gave the subject. I enjoyed watching you experiment with this piece and how its meaning/focus emerged as you went ❤ Its also lovely to read some of the comments sharing stories of grief and crafting. What a community, and what a journey we're on together ❤

I have two of my dad’s neckerchiefs…he was a rancher. I have one red, one blue, very western looking. He wore one every day around his neck, along with his Stetson hat. I rescued those two from the clearing out. They’re very “Texas rancher”, still very bright in color, because they’ve been in my cedar chest. I just haven’t come up with a way to use them or incorporate them into something less “ loud.”

I am only 20 min into listening and need to stop and whitter! I appreciate how you share your knowledge about stitch words and techniques. My thought was I need to watch this part of the video again later. Then when you talk about getting inspired and learning about it vs. going off and doing your own thing, I thought, well that is why I am here! I almost always (but not all the time) do my pages *inspired* by clothtales, doing them mostly like you do --- it is a learning thing. And I am never disappointed. Each week is a new fascinating lesson.🌷🌷🌷off to finish watching this week's lesson!

My father was a medic in the army also , and he also always had a hanky in his pocket . I ironed them, when I was a child . Wish I had some of those hankies now to stitch with.

Beautiful video, thank you. Today I learned what "boro" is, along with sashiko. I adore slow stitching...found a place to rest and create.

Just as I was thinking ‘there is so much love in this little piece’ you started talking about affection for it so apparently it shows!🥰 Such a wonderful video! I feel like I have started to mend my soul the day I started creating and especially when I started stitching. It feels as if I have become a much calmer person, more in tune with myself and my surroundings. Thank you as always for doing this!!!💖🍀

Hi K3N. All your tutorials are wonderful, and this one really hit the spot with me. I like this type of mending and stitching, almost making a new piece of cloth. I find the whole process very relaxing. Thank you.😊❤

Oh and my dad always had hankys as well. I can’t tell you how often I think of those and regret I don’t have them anymore. But he died when I was not at all thinking I would be stitching one day. He also had a lot of paper. I kept a lot of that. Love you dad-quilt!🍀💖

I really like the remark about stitching rhythmically. I'll have to try stitching following my heartbeats. ❣️ Thank you for the lovely chats, tangents, dogs and cat, and of course stitching!

Your quilt is splendid. It’s wonderful to go down a rabbit hole and investigate and enjoy your findings. Thank you for the video.

Супер!!!! Люблю технику БОРО, у вас золотые руки!

Fascinating. I am mesmerized watching you create a new piece of cloth out of thin air with scraps....

Hi Kathryn, I have never been a sentimental person. Whether a product of birth or environment. I come from an Air force background where we moved every 2 years and got rid of all that wasn’t necessary. We weren’t destitute but didn’t have much. We are practical people not sentimental. It has been a massive learning curve to realise that I can be both. I got rid of my husbands dads clothing that had been mended and mended because it was old, didn’t even give it a thought that it held memories. I am sad now that I placed absolutely no value on those sort of things. I can see why you have named your channel as ‘cloth tales’, it’s a personal journey of what has been worn on a persons body and the lives they have lead, so many stories. Now I know why I found it a little hard to just get fabric from the op shops in one way as I didn’t have that connection, to me it’s just old cloth. My perspective has changed. Can I say that I love the idea that my new cloth will last a little longer into the future of my family but ….. I’m respectful of the past and the traditions and of preserved fabric and the history of it ( even if I don’t know it). It has made me realised that I can make an emotional connection for my family that honours the past. Maybe I am getting sentimental after all. Cathy A🌻

Your dad’s quilt is finished but not done with, perhaps - another good analogy for the loss of those we have loved. 💜

Thank you Kathryn. It’s a bit serendipitous for me as I had been looking at the Boro 1:42:39 inspired journal at the weekend. The song that comes to mind is Dolly Parton’s Coat of many colours ❤❤

Hi Katherin. Love to hear you talking of all the tings going on in your head when you’re stitching. You mention that those of us who are following you here on YT must interested in stitching, and I presume we are. I don’t know if you get any sour, angry comments, hopefully not. But once in a while I get them. Comments like this. “Sorry, I'd love to love this, but it's the most boring thing on earth. Watching someone thread a needle, ineptly. aaaargh!!!!!!!!!” . So I don’t hope this woman find your channel. What on earth get people to take time to writ those things, instead of just jump of the video.

One of my first chores as a girl of 9-10 was to iron Dad's hankies, just so. Now, I iron only for funerals or wedding, grudgingly. It seems I have waited my whole life to learn of this beautiful mending tradition. How I regret disrespecting the old cloths at my dear grandparents farm. I vaguely remember quilts and floor rugs, obviously handmade and deeply mended, from the time of our original Ontario homestead. English/European culture brought to a harsh Canadian life. I too, think this is my favourite piece so far. Sincere thanks, K3N. Go get those new scissors.

Thank you for your explanations about boro and sashiko and doing this lovely piece. It's healing for me to listen to you talking about mending as healing. Thank you!!!!❤

I love both the feel and the utility. 💖💖💖

Looking forward to watching and listening a little later in the day. I love your comfort quilt. One of my regrets is not having a single piece of my late father's clothing, as a panicked family member threw everything out without so much as asking whether I'd like to keep something. I have found other ways to keep him in my life and memories.

Oh my....... the "Crumbs of Comfort Cloth" is gorgeous. And so much love for your Dad stitched into it. Thank you for sharing............ And thank you for diving deeper into Boro. Thanks to you, I have been reading and learning more about Boro and Sashiko .... having never heard of them before you introduced them to me. Thank you for introducing me to it all !!!

This is so much better quilts i've seen- i really like it! Ty❤️

I just love your dad’s quilt, it’s beautiful and I love the thought of you starting in the middle and working out joining memories as you go. Found it really tough to start with but as I went on it became easier and very enjoying. Fancy having a go at a big one. Another to my Kathryn’s got to do list 🤣 ❤

Kathryn, I always enjoy your cloth tales ❤. I never realized how many types of sewing there are... each having amazing history. Is there a plan or a requirement for the number of layers sewn together in Boro? Thank you for today's visit ❤

K3n thankyou for this beautiful exploration of boro, for the opportunity to reflect in every way on how we might draw fragments together….whether these are cloth fragments or the fragments of self and of memory that are left when there has been loss. I am often struck by the healing that occurs in the mending of cloth for myself and when I have had the honour to mend old cloths for others. I cared for my mother for 15 years and I often had an image of assisting her to conserve the fragile fabric of her life as she gradually declined. At the same time, she still had agency and a strong spirit. I have a precious memory from 8 years ago of she and I joyfully assembling a kantha inspired quilt from family garments to welcome her great grandson to the world . 🧡X

Hi Kathryn, I’m watching/listening to this video for the third time as I sit on the Brisbane Australia autumn sun (glorious). When you said that you hope that none of us are worried about where are next meal is coming from (gratefully I’m not) I had a thought; no I’m not but I am increasingly thinking who’s going to prepare it because I’m busy stitching, whilst I’ve enjoyed this entire process of weekly stitching so far this is my favourite week! Thank you for your teachings and the links you share, I feel my mind expanding and healing as I stitch. With this prompt I feel like I am taking tiny bits of fragility and stitching those bits together to make something stronger and more resilient. 💚🌼🌼🌼

Thank you for this video. I’ve been stitching more than usual after my beagle passed away and my husband is looking at me like “what is your deal?!” However, I know it’s bringing me a processing I couldn’t do on my own - I have to use my hands. My Dad has late stage cancer and we don’t know how much longer he has. Just saying that is surreal but the old issues and triggers for argument don’t exist anymore or at least they’re not worth acknowledging. My heart is sad but cloth and fiber heals me and this exercise is perfect. Thank you for showing us the many ways people use cloth in their lives and for being a comforting voice through tough times.

Hello from Beautiful British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦 I am happy that you made this ahead for us.

In good days and in not so good it’s important to have something meaningfull to do ❤

Your bravery To talk so naturally about such deep hurt and loss. I've for the first time, followed as you stitch. There are about 12 pages I haven't filled in my journal. So we have a numerical connection .... At risk of a very long post I'm just going to say I, too loved my Dad. But the step mother cleared all but his handkerchiefs, which I took into our lives and used. They are now, true rags. Fuel for future possibilities. Thank you.

Just wonderful. Thank you

I believe that you started stitching again when you received your Father's shirts and hankys because you were stitching a on going tribute to your Father. You stitched with all your heart, soul and love for your Father. The process allowed all your feelings to be stitched into this wonderful treasure you were creating. Your love for your Father's is in each stitch, I think you don't complete it as your love is eternal...as his love is for you.❤❤

When you are stitching and talking, the sounds of your stitching and of your voice blend together, and everything you say makes perfect sense - to me at least. The one thing I don't get is why you think you don't make sense. (But again, that could be just me.) I just love sitting here with you.

The song that comes to mind for me is "Coat of Many Colors" by Dolly Parton. Made of rags but she wore it so proudly.

Thanks for sharing, priceless encouragement.

My father always had a handkerchief and a small pocket knife and could solve all my problems, I so miss that!❤

That was wonderful. I love learning and seeing new things. Oh, I'm ok if you carry-on for hours and hours.LOL

Sometimes making stitches, is like creating a message and dedicating time to the meaning. If that makes sense.

Inspiring video,as always.Thank you Katherine.Janine

Ok, I finished my piece, and decided to do another. However, I think I like stitching onto a base much better and doing the hidden basting. I find the smaller pieces are a little more difficult to handle this way. But thinking about it, if I were mending a garment, there would be more fabric to grasp and I probably would do better. I found on my finished piece that the larger it grew, the more control I had while stitching. Maybe it just takes practice. I am liking my second piece. Just chattering about my thoughts.🌷🌷🌷

This one was more difficult for me. I like to sew on a base. But it looks neat

In Afrikaans we add a -tjie to words to make them in the diminutive. Lekkertjie ( small sweet) ❤

Thank You.

I have purchased several packets of sashiko needles to play with and I have two favorites. Be sure that you get sashiko LONG needles.... they also come in short for stitching curves. But for rows of straight running stitches, you need the long sashiko needles. My two favorites are Daruma Sashiko Needle Long Type (a pack of 3 needles of different lengths is $5.99 on U.S. Amazon at the moment) and Clover Sashico Needles Long (yes.. that's how it is spelled. Pack of 3 $7.25) They are both good. Both Daruma and Clover are well known Japanese brands. The Clover needles have slightly larger eyes than the Daruma. The size of the eye that you need is dependent on the thickness of the thread that you are using..... Just an FYI from someone, Kathryn, who has been inspired by your introduction... to me... of Boro and Sashiko. I have no interest in doing the precise Sashiko patterns. I haven't got the patience for that. But my favorite stitch for slow stitching is the running stitch, so it is interesting to play with the Japanese method of doing running stitches for Boro/Sashiko and to be able to borrow bits and pieces of the formal Sashiko patterns in my slow stitching pieces.........

Thot I’d mention when you change direction with Sashiko stitching to leave a bit of a loop on the backside because the thread moves and the loop helps prevent puckering and pulling 🥰

I learned to iron with my father’s hankies when I was quite young. Then I graduated to his work shirts. He was a farmer but everything had to be ironed.

It’s a very difficult issue; when does inspiration cross over to cultural appropriation and theft of cultural intellectual property? I think all you can really do is treat the craft/art/culture with respect. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion again , makes stitching my huge kawandi “inspired” (at your urging😂) extremely enjoyable.

I love this so much. There is something stone soup-like about it. --magical. Something from nothing.

Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colours would be a good fit. ❤

My fav, too!

As you spoke about the hankies from your father, the loss of a father is a big wound. So maybe it was the right thing to cover it with a handkerchief the size of a quilt, because the loss hurts the whole person.

Thank you for another enjoyable video. I would love to hear more about the piece you are working on using your dad's hankies. I would love to see a wider shot and you share more details on the work you have done on it. Perhaps a video just on the piece. ❤ Australia

Oh, I did miss the foundation cloth initially, but as the piece progressed it reminded me of the kawandi - basting & stitching all in one. The more I added and stitched, the more I liked it…

Listening to you (k3n), your phylosophies on cultures, traditions, techniques, being 'inspired', etc. ... while I was crocheting 'granny squares' ... my mind started to wander ... If I make 'granny squares' do I have to do research on the tradition, the history of the crocheted square? And because this specific 'granny square' I'm making now, which starts as a circle and then later on turns into a square, has something to do with 'hippies' ... do I need to know more on the 'hippie movement' in the 20th century? Can I do whatever I want (using material and colours of my own choice) and still say I am making a 'hippie granny square cardigan'? Sorry, maybe I went too far 😉

Thanks

I look forward to creating a piece of cloth

I acknowledge and appreciate the importance of understanding as much as possible about the philosophy, culture and history of an art form, but there is one aspect about a too rigid authenticity, or fear of disrespecting through creativity, which I find conflicting. Isn’t Art, like language, a constantly evolving form? If it weren’t for being inspired to take an existing concept and having the freedom to explore the endless creative possibilities, we would exist in stultifying stasis, where originality and individualism are sacrificed for a restrictive adherence to history. It seems admirable to be inspired to take something off in an original direction and contribute to creative evolution.

The devastation of Grief is an interesting thing, I used to deal in spinning wheels and teach spinning classes. Turning wool into yarn. I was teaching a class when Fourteen years ago I lost my son. It has been very rare that I sit down to the spitting wheel since then. A couple festivals, and that's about it. When you lose somebody that close to you, you tend to lose the passions in your life and it takes a long time to get them back or more likely they get redirected to different things. My creative interests were redirected to quilting and lots of other things that i've dabbled in, but spinning has never truly come back to me.

I appreciated the comments on cultural appropriation.

I must go and watch the Manx quilt video, I can't cut a straight line even with a ruler and rotary cutter 😂I've tried several times, no measuring and tearing the cloth is definitely my thing. I'd love to make a quilt but it'll be a scrappy raw edge rather than perfect, square and symmetrical

Congratulations!! That job is lovely!....i d love to mend and decorate at the same time...i mean visible mending... could you recommend how to start learning, step by step please?

💐🦋

😊

I find that the first place I put it down is nearly always the best place. So, yes, I was shouting No! lol

Thanks, as usual k3n 😊 I’ve been watching a RU-vid account called The Green Wrapper which has a lot about Sashiko, I think she’s Japanese, she shows how to do the stitched patterns 😊

NO!!! wrong side up in the jurnal 😆🙃😂

Love your chat about origins and respect. I did some research after the Siddi week, as my husband practices Siddis as part of his meditation. I couldn’t really find a link, but the term Sidi that refers to the Africans that settled in India has vague origins. Could be from ‘sahibi’ - an Arabic term of respect in N Africa. Could be from ‘sayyid’, the name given to captains of the boat that brought the people to India. Both terms of respect, both meaning ‘master’ in some way, so maybe Siddi and Sidi mean a master in some sense???

.....and in Sweden we have got Momiyama! Just saying....look him up

Do you know how to do indigo? Natural with other plants?