Hand sewing has a bad reputation for being tedious. Right now that tediousness is my refuge. I am in a high-stress situation taking care of sick family members and a needle and thread are helping me process my stress.
I started embroidering a couple of pillowcases last year. Thankfully, I brought them along with me. What others may view as tedious–the same stitch over and over–is my salvation. It gives me a soothing rhythm that allow my thoughts to ride along and then settle down.
Truthfully, I’m not sure I could sit at a machine right now. But I can still find solace in the creative process.
Perhaps your handwork is also bringing solace to others around you.
Last week I enjoyed doing a lot of handwork on a gown I made for a doll. As a child I would have begged my mother to let me do it on the machine. At this stage of life, I understood the value of doing the work by hand.
My own form of handwork takes a less creative and more ‘mending’ approach: assemble pile of mending and alterations, rip out offending seamlines, stitch-by-stitch, set aside to run thru the machine later. How mindless can it get?