For the love of it..
One of the main reasons I craft is for the joy of process.
I find nothing more calming than sitting down with a cup of tea, a good podcast or tv show and picking up some stitching. Sometimes though, stitching can turn in to a bit of a chore. I do most of my stitching for exhibition or testing designs for sale as patterns. And I enjoy both equally. But it is super important that I give myself a balance between the two otherwise it does sometimes start to feel like work.
And occasionally I like to sneak in a stitching project just for fun! We truly can’t take ourselves too seriously all the time otherwise it’s easy to lose perspective on why we’re being serious.
I’m guessing I’m not alone in the craft community in feeling like crafting is a form of meditation for me. What I find particularly interesting is how my wandering thoughts change depending on what it is I’m stitching about. I have spent time stitching and thinking about craft history, feminist organising, radical parenting, environmental activism, identity politics just to name a few things. And I very much enjoy this intellectual space crafting provides for me.
However, when I’m working on a bigger project I sometimes find I need a BREAK! The problem when you’re on a deadline though is that it can only be a little break. It’s times like this I often crack out the sewing machine and make a small project or two. Or I do a small cross stitch project, often on a kids tshirt or something.
My latest short break was inspired by a dig in my craft room and I stumbled on a wee frame I got in an op shop. It had been lying around for a while and I decided I’d had enough looking at it and wanted to use it. So I grabbed an opportunity to make something new and little and frivolous.
And I’ve decided to give this one away. I want to give this to one of our readers just to say thanks for your ongoing support. Despite not having too much time to blog at the moment it makes me so happy that people continue to visit and say hi. And people keep joining up on Facebook, Twitter & Tumblr to share ideas, projects and thoughts.
So to enter this give-away, just comment on this blog post and I want to hear what it is you get out of your craft? What sort of fulfilment do you appreciate from having time to make stuff? Comments before July 16 go in the random draw.
xox
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13 Responses to “For the love of it..”
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Yo’ mah homiez.
I was in Wellington, and there were some knitted hearts on a fence, and I thought; ‘Chea boi. That’s cool.’
Prost.
it’s a rad one huh? We’ve been doing some over here in Melbourne too. They’re easy and fun! Reckon Dunedin needs some too.
Lovely to see you here m’dear xox
I totally understand the craft as meditation thing – I’ve found it to be my meditation since I was a teen. Funnily enough, I’m not able to meditate any other way!
I also find that working on craft/ art projects helps me not just to clear my mind, but to pursue deep trains of thought that I don’t get to think about while doing other things. And of course, all my thinking usually goes straight back into my art. hehe.
Natalie´s last [type] ..A new sketchbook for me
if i’m crafting with other womyn, it’s the discussion, food (always gotta be food), laughter and company. when i craft alone it’s totally my thinking and resting time. i find it hard to do nothing so craft projects give me the physical and mental relaxation time with out the nagging feeling that i’m wasting time. i also love the feeling of satisfaction when a craft idea becomes a reality.
I like crafting time cause it’s time out. It’s a mental challenge that I don’t face anywhere else, and I love the show and tell and praise at the end!!
Yay!
Crafting for me was a way to deal with healing from abuse.
I spent a lot of time feeling stupid, ashamed, and worthless, and when I started to pick up crocheting and such, I could hold tangible evidence in my hands that I was, in fact, creative.
It’s also an independence thing. The more I can craft, the less I rely on a capitalist system and other people to get the things I want and need. That’s wonderful too.
I credit crafting with getting me through a really difficult period of anxiety, bereavement and OCD. Yes, it’s meditative, but it’s also wonderful to put all that negative energy into something beautiful. And the sense of achievement at the end is priceless.
I use cross-stitching as a way to not think. Just focus on the stitch and then the next, and the next. This helps clear my mind which seems so cluttered sometimes!
Hi!
For me, crafting satisfies the logical part of my brain, the part that craves a measurable accomplishment. I like how slow it is and how portable (at least the crafts I do are). I like how people treat me when I’m making something–those flashes of recognition and appreciation.
I love this so much, because I feel the same way. Crafting (specifically stitching) is my form of meditation. Literally, from the moment I pull that first length of thread through the fabric, my whole body relaxes. I also love that you can’t really rush stitching. You can only stitch so quickly, so it forces you to slow down and really be in the moment with each and every stitch. There are very few things in life that allow me that kind of zen, creative outlet, which is why I can’t imagine life with with out stitching. (dorky, I know, but hey – a gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do!) And I’m with you on the small projects in the midst of big projects. I have a really involved embroidery project that I’ve been working on for months, and it’s been small projects like the one you mention here that have helped me take small breaks and get re-energized for my big project.
Love this post!
Rachel´s last [type] ..If you register your site for free at
Hooray for finishing & sharing projects
I have a tough work schedule. I can be away for 6-8 weeks at a time, living on a bus. And then be sat at home for a month. I get so many ideas from all the creative people I meet, and it’s so much fun to try and make something of them when I get home. At the moment I’m still refining my embroidery and cross stitch skills so I’ve mainly been working on things for myself. One of my current projects is embroidering Mexicana and tattoo patterns onto a pair of black tennis shoes in glow in the dark and metallic threads.
It’s so calming to sit down and create something, and after it’s finished it’s nice to see something I know I put a lot of time and effort into. In my job it’s not always easy to see the consequences of what I’ve been working on, but with crafting I see it taking shape before my eyes. And nobody can say they had any part in it, it was all my own work.
Congratulations Kerry! Check your email
Thanks so much everyone for sharing your stories about process. I find it so interesting how we all have similar but still very unique experiences with craft and how the act of making makes us feel.