Slow Stitched Handmade Journal

This hand­made slow-stitched jour­nal project was born out of the desire to repur­pose exist­ing mate­ri­als and cre­ate a work of art that brings togeth­er vin­tage fab­rics and paper, sewing, art jour­nal­ing, and book­bind­ing. My mot­to as an artist is to focus on the process rather than the out­come. When­ev­er pos­si­ble, I incor­po­rate mind­ful­ness into my cre­ative prac­tice, and slow stitch­ing is a sim­ple and effec­tive way to slow down and be present. Every­thing about this hand­made jour­nal is mind­ful, inten­tion­al, and enduring.

Suit­able for adults of all ages (16+).

What’s includ­ed:
All mate­ri­als for the work­shop will be pro­vid­ed. You will receive a bespoke slow-stitch kit, which includes a selec­tion of vin­tage fab­rics, vin­tage paper, embell­ish­ments, embroi­dery threads, tem­plates, and instruc­tions. As this is a full-day work­shop, lunch and refresh­ments will also be provided.

Things you need to bring:
All you need to bring is an open mind!

What to expect:

• In this work­shop, we will com­bine vin­tage fab­rics and embell­ish­ments to cre­ate a beau­ti­ful patch­work-style jour­nal cov­er. Using sim­ple sewing tech­niques, we will assem­ble the fab­rics and dec­o­rate the cover.
• We will learn how to put togeth­er sig­na­tures for your jour­nal and bind the book.
• Once you learn the basic tech­niques, this jour­nal can be cus­tomized entire­ly to suit your pref­er­ences. It could be an art jour­nal, a mem­o­ry jour­nal, a botan­i­cal-themed jour­nal, or even a recipe journal.
• You do not need a sewing machine or any pri­or expe­ri­ence with sewing to com­plete this project. The embroi­dery tech­niques used will be sim­ple and easy to learn.
• Par­tic­i­pants will be pro­vid­ed with a bespoke slow-stitch kit and all sup­plies need­ed to cre­ate the hand­made journal.

About your tutor:
Dr. Sai Baner­jee is an expe­ri­enced teach­ing artist, art his­to­ri­an, and cal­lig­ra­ph­er com­mit­ted to pro­mot­ing cre­ativ­i­ty as a well­ness prac­tice through art and cal­lig­ra­phy. Sai is the founder of Blue Palette Art Stu­dio – a cre­ative space that nur­tures mind­ful cre­ativ­i­ty through class­es, cours­es, and work­shops for adults and children.

As a for­mer uni­ver­si­ty lec­tur­er with a Ph.D. in Art His­to­ry, Sai dis­cov­ered her pas­sion for teach­ing and learn­ing. Based on per­son­al expe­ri­ence, Sai tru­ly believes in the trans­for­ma­tive pow­er of art and its pos­i­tive impact on well-being. Her goal is to share this aware­ness with oth­ers and help peo­ple con­nect with their cre­ative selves.

Being a mul­ti­po­ten­tialite, Sai has a wide range of inter­ests and skills that she loves to share. Her main aim as a teacher is to demys­ti­fy the com­plex­i­ties of learn­ing a new skill and pro­vide stu­dents with the knowl­edge and con­fi­dence they need to pur­sue their new­found interests.