Yesterday morning after my blog post I headed downstairs to get back to my
Olympics Organizathon tasks. Since I missed my usual laundry day on Monday I was playing catch-up. Our washer sounds like a jet plane at certain points in the cycle so I grabbed a stack of fabric and escaped to the family room to watch some Olympics on the DVR. Then I had an AHA! moment.
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| Image from http://www.tehkseven.net/quiet-the-mind-104405/ |
Quiet. Not only the absence of noise but the quietness of mind.
Remember how I was itching to sew?
And my brain was feeling overloaded - I believe "twitchy" was used in my post.
Needless to say the TV was clicked off, the piles of stash abandoned and into my quilting room I went with my "newest" pile of skinny scraps. Mindless sewing at it's finest! And oh my... it was just what I needed.
What is it about creative time that is so calming? I left my quilting room after about an hour and felt like a new person... like I had just woke up from a refreshing nap. All the jumbled thoughts had been tamed and I was able to jot down some ideas and get back to my sorting.
For those of you who make crumb blocks how big do you go? I'm thinking between 6-7 inches like the one above. I want to keep them wonky so will have to add some sashing strips down the road - but for now I'm just enjoying the process. And the therapeutic benefits!
Last night Elsa and I settled for our evening Olympics watching session while I worked on the 2nd block of
Little Miss Shabby's Sampler Along. Who knew that cross stitching quilt blocks could be so much fun? I'm including my floss cards so I know what colors I used in case I fall behind. The 3rd block is now available so I've got my night planned.
The cross stitch is coming along so nicely - very cute and springy colors.
ReplyDeleteI also find that even a half hour of sewing has a therapeutic effect on my brain. I should have done that last night when I couldn't sleep. Just adding a few strings to my string blocks might have been just what I needed.
I like your crumb blocks. I'd love to do something like that with my scraps, but I get more riled up and frustrated over these seemingly easy unstructured blocks than with something more planned and precise. Crazy, huh? I do agree with the quiet mind concept, however! I guess that's just how this old brain works.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the olympithon, I'm still working my way through Magazine Culling!
I think taking the time to be creative...whether for a few minutes or a few hours....is the key to feeling that inner peace and calmness. I always tell people that quilting isn't just my creative outlet....it's my therapy, too.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you scratched that itch...well done all round.
ReplyDeleteI'm just about finished the first cross stitch block. I'm very slow. Your stitching is lovely.
ReplyDeleteI have always felt quilting to be such therapy : )
What a lovely way to escape and be creative at the same time!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you could find peace of mind through piecing. People ask me how I get so much quilting done, and I tell them that it makes me function better all around when I have time to quilt. Whether it is called therapy, a coping mechanism, or anything else... I am better when I quilt.
ReplyDeleteLove the cross stitch! It's so cute. I am also a person who needs sewing time to retrain my brain and get back on track when something is bothering me. It calms and soothes me.
ReplyDeleteLuckily both my husband and I need time alone. Neither of us gets upset when the other needs their time. It does make it more difficult when we're stuck in an enclosed space (think camper) for a period of time. If I can sew, I'm a much easier to get along with.
ReplyDeletelinsquilts.blogspot.com
I completely get that overloaded brain "twitchy" feeling you describe! So much to think about you can't focus on anything? So overwhelmed you can't even find the start of the ball of string, so to speak. Mindless is what you need at that time. Too often I take the refreshing nap path!
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