While battling Wilson’s Disease, I started losing myself. I felt aimless, lost, what are you supposed to do with endless days with not much to do other than Netflix and literally chill and just feeling the pain. I knew I had to find something to motivate me, focus me, give me a sense of purpose. I was spending a lot of time in The Word, which was great, but we are made to work/produce, create, be in community, and grow. So like the title says, this post is about what I’ve stumbled upon for growing myself, and helping to make me feel like I am contributing in some way… even if it’s just in my own life.
First off, filling my days with online streaming didn’t last very long. It was kinda fun at first, but then it took a nose dive when I could start feeling my brain turning to mush. I knew I needed more than just some mindless sitcom to fill my days. So I turned to books which was great, but it was still missing something. Then I turned to puzzle games and that helped, but it kinda felt like being on a treadmill where you were exercising, but not really going anywhere (not that there is anything wrong with treadmill in general…just not my jam). By pure accident I found that I could hand sew pretty decently even on my super bad days. Not to mention it totally calmed my nerves and was somewhat therapeutic. I never had much patients for hand sewing before, but in this season of life it is really fun and it feels like I’m actually accomplishing something! Am I slow? Yes! Is it perfect? Heck NO! But is it satisfying? YES!!!!
I started off just doing simple mending projects, but I really needed something that would take more time and at the same time maybe something new? That was when I decided I really wanted to learn how to sew sashiko. Now I know this may sound like a random type of embroidery to get hooked on and I won’t deny that I am pretty random at times (lol), but this time I blame it all on Instagram. It just randomly found its way on to my feed and I fell in love with its rhythm, utility, and beauty. What is sashiko you might ask? “Sashiko (Japanese: 刺し子, literally “little stabs” or “little pierce”) is a form of decorative reinforcement stitching (or functional embroidery) from Japan that started out of practical need during the Edo era (1615-1868). Traditionally used to reinforce points of wear or to repair worn places or tears with patches, making the piece ultimately stronger and warmer, this running stitch technique is often used for purely decorative purposes in quilting and embroidery.” – Wikipedia
I had been drooling over all the fun feeds for the #sashiko for months and thought I would give it a shot and I was not disappointed! It has been a great way to while away the hours, especially on the days where I can’t do much more than just sit and relax (I call them bad days… I like to be more active). I won’t lie that on occasion my shakes get too bad to even sew, but when I can, it is definitely a worth while endeavor. Hand sewing has made some of my bad days, BETTER days. I am so grateful to have found this silver lining. While it’s been a steep learning curb it was worth the growing pains.
Now I promise I will keep posting some progress posts as I continue to complete this jacket. I mainly work on it on my bad days to give me something to look forward to on those days; so it will probably be a little slow going, but worth the wait. With that said, I have a challenge for you… Will you try something new too? And would you share it with me? I’d love to hear from you and get inspired by your pursuits!
Live a life worth living! Blessings,
CL Chick
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