Slow Meditative Stitching

Meditative Slow Stitching by Hand

Friday, February 21, 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM

What You'll Create

Working with small fabric scraps, you'll hand-piece and hand-stitch a unique quilted cloth assembled from the outside in—a distinctive approach that builds your work organically. This is slow stitching: intentional, meditative, and deeply satisfying.

By the end of the workshop, you'll take home both your completed piece and a toolkit that enables you to continue this practice at home, long after the class ends.

What You'll Learn

• Hand-piecing techniques for joining fabric scraps

• Traditional hand-quilting stitches

• The unique outside-in assembly method

• How to work meditatively with textiles

• Finishing techniques for your quilted cloth

• Skills to continue your practice independently

This workshop is designed for beginners. No previous sewing or quilting experience is required—just curiosity and a willingness to slow down.

What's Included

• All fabric and materials for your quilted cloth

• Complete toolkit to continue stitching at home

• Four hours of expert instruction

• Finished quilted piece to take home

• Skills for a lifetime of slow stitching practice

About Your Instructor

Billie Theide is Professor Emerita and former Chair of the Crafts Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A multidisciplinary artist working in metal, textiles, jewelry, and ceramics, Billie's work is held in prestigious public collections worldwide—including the Smithsonian, Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, and the Racine Art Museum.

She is the recipient of a Visual Arts Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and five Artists Fellowship Grants from the Illinois Arts Council. Recognized for excellence in teaching, Billie is a Distinguished Member and Past-President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.

Her approach honors traditional craft techniques while making them accessible to contemporary makers. In this workshop, she brings decades of experience in textile arts and a deep understanding of how handwork can be both creative expression and meditative practice.

Who This Workshop Is For

• Complete beginners—no sewing experience needed

• People seeking a meditative, mindful creative practice

• Those interested in traditional textile techniques

• Anyone wanting to slow down and work with their hands

• Quilters curious about hand-piecing methods

• Makers looking to expand their skills

This is a rare opportunity to learn from an internationally recognized artist and educator whose work is held in the Smithsonian and other major collections. Billie's expertise in traditional craft and her commitment to making these techniques accessible make this workshop exceptional.