The materials needed for this course are (hopefully) what you might already have in your home, or you can access simply and easily.

You'll need:
+ Some beautiful pieces (scraps) of fabric in any colours, patterns, designs, sizes that you have. Treasured pieces of clothing, scraps from the op-shop / thrift-store, all the little pieces of experiments from your Botanical Dye making. Silk, cotton, linen - natural fibres are best.
+ Plain cotton to use as a backing cloth to stitch onto, such as calico or an old sheet or similar.
+ Needles - see notes.
+ Thread - see notes.
+ Old woollen blanket pieces or wool felt, to use for inside-padding.

Notes:
+ Needles : this can be any needle you have, but ideally a long & thin needle is best for straight lines, combined with a shorter needle for curves lines. You should be able to get something from your local craft / fabric shop. Look for Sashiko needles. Otherwise use what you have, rather than buying new supplies.
+ Thread : Sashiko thread is slightly different than embroidery thread, and lovely to use, but again I suggest you use whatever embroidery thread / floss that you already have. You might like to divide a 6-strand floss into 3 strands if it feels too thick.
* I use a silk / cotton stitching thread that I get from Beautiful Silks (in Australia). {You can get it on a giant cone, or a smaller skein or roll. I also use this for my Loom Weaving as both the warp and weft. It takes natural dye so magically, so you might want to look into getting something similar - clicking the link will take you to the product, but if you want larger quantities - ie by the kilo - just send them an email asking for Y05.}
* String Harvest has some lovely Japanese threads (but I haven't used them myself), and Purl Soho has Sashiko hreads as well. Please let me know if you know anywhere else to get lovely threads from.
+ Fabrics : the aim of these projects is to use what you have, rather than buying new fabrics. Old and worn out clothing, blankets or quilts that are too precious to throw away (silk, linen or cotton really are the best). And old blanket that you've been meaning to do something with. If you've been experimenting with Natural & Botanical Dyes then this is the magically perfect way to make use of - actually to further love & enjoy - all the special pieces you've been making.
* I work with my naturally dyed silks, cottons & linens as well as vintage Kimono fabric and any other special pieces of fabric I have (including a box of fabrics someone gave me from 40s, 50s, 60s).

I don't use an embroidery hoop for my slow stitching, and I personally think it's easier without for a few reasons - a) it's more transportable b) you can add bits and stitches anywhere, without being restricted by the edges of the hoop c) if you don't get back to your piece for a while, the hoop can make marks/indentations on your fabric d) it's a little bit more organic to hold the fabric, making you really focus in a different way. Having said that if you want to use an embroidery hoop then please do.

I also suggest a small pair of embroidery scissors, so that you have some to carry with you. These are great for all your fabric, sewing needs anyway. (And look pretty in Instagram photos hehe).

If you have a tiny drawstring pouch or simple zippered bag to store your fabric and threads in this means you can put it in your handbag and do a few stitches whenever you have a few spare moments. Or otherwise leave it sitting on a tray/bowl/old Indian chapati dish (that's what I have) so that you can carry it from room to room, or outside while the kids are playing. Having your projects portable means that you're more likely to pick them up and work on it.

Cups of tea & quiet (family-free) time are great too. And also putting your phone in another room so it doesn't distract you. But all those things come in spurts and starts, and you shouldn't wait for that before you start stitching. I've found that when I'm sitting & stitching then the quiet slips into my mind, and the noise outside has a way of falling away (unless it's an emergency of course!).