Slow the Stitch; What Sewing Is Teaching Me About Motherhood
Slow the Stitch: What Sewing Is Teaching Me About Motherhood
In a world that praises fast fixes, highlight reels, and overnight success, sewing has been teaching me something I didn’t even realize I needed: how to slow down. I am by no means a professional at either of these, but they are things The Lord has been using to teach me. Maybe they’ll be of some help to you as well my friend.
When I rush a seam, it shows. When I skip a step to “save time,” I usually end up unpicking it later — tangled thread, wasted fabric, and frustration that could’ve been avoided. Sewing doesn’t reward hurry. It invites patience. It requires presence. And honestly? So does motherhood.
It’s easy to get swept up in the pressure to do more and be more — to hit all the milestones on time, to plate balanced meals while little ones cry for nuggets, to create Pinterest-worthy playdates and picture-perfect routines. There’s nothing wrong with those things — they can be beautiful. But when they become burdens, when they become measuring sticks instead of choices, we start missing the grace.
Rigidity and haste don’t make room for fruitfulness. A heavy hand — even with the best intentions — can wear down a child’s spirit instead of shaping it with care.
“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…” – Malachi 3:3
God refines us in the slow heat — not in rushing flames, but in steady, intentional process.
Most days in this season, I’m just trying to drink my coffee before it goes cold. The laundry never ends. The dishes multiply like they’ve made a pact. And the toys? Somehow they’re always underfoot, no matter how often we tidy up.
But here’s what sewing is gently reminding me:
The goal isn’t speed.
It’s progress.
And beauty takes time.
Motherhood, like sewing, doesn’t always give you instant results. You pour out love, discipline, correction, kindness, meals, bedtime stories, midnight cuddles, whispered prayers — and you wonder if it’s sinking in. But then, out of nowhere, your child says something kind without being asked. Starts a prayer on their own. Folds a towel without being told. And it stops you in your tracks — like the perfect topstitch after a messy beginning.
“And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” – James 1:4
The long days are not wasted — they are forming something whole in us.
That’s the thing: the beauty is in the process.
Stitch by stitch.
Day by day.
And I’m learning to treat myself the way I treat my fabric — gently. With room to breathe. With space to make mistakes. With trust that it’ll all come together in time.
Some days, I finish a whole project. Other days, I’m lucky to thread the needle before someone calls, “Momma!” And that’s okay.
Here are a few ways I’ve been practicing a slower, more grace-filled rhythm lately — maybe they’ll encourage you, too:
Pause before reacting — like I pause before a seam. Take a breath before responding to a meltdown. A moment of calm can shift everything.
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” – Isaiah 30:15
Pick up something creative just for the joy of it — sewing, painting, journaling, baking — not to be productive, but to be present.
Let some things stay undone without guilt. A load of unfolded laundry doesn’t mean you’re failing — it means you’re living.
Find your rhythm, not the world’s pace. Maybe you’re a slow-stitch kind of mom in a serger-speed world. That’s not a flaw — it’s a gift.
So if you’re feeling behind, frayed at the edges, or like everyone else is sewing their lives together faster and better than you — hear me:
It’s not about catching up.
It’s about staying faithful.
And maybe, just maybe…
It’s time to slow the stitch.
Here’s to soft starts, slow stitches, and grace for the process,
Mary