When I named my blog Stitchin' Therapy 3 years ago, I never thought it would be so insightful! I considered my sewing and quilting as a form of mental / emotional therapy. Time to play and create, to experiment and discover what I liked. Now, it is the treatment I need for physical and occupational therapy. Day 37 of the broken shoulder event and I am finally able to sew a little bit.
Right now the PT is focusing on keeping the joints loose and moving----slightly. I have limited range from the shoulder. But at the sewing machine, I can passively exercise the joints and muscles!!! Just allowing the hand to guide the fabric and let the machine do the work for me, involves the movement I need---froward and then back. Fine motor skills begin to disappear within 2 weeks---it has been 4 already for me---and so stitching will hopefully help those too. Just threading the sewing machine takes fine motor skills, as well as aligning 2 edges of fabric strips.
Luckily, I have lots of strips already cut and a jelly roll from a recent win........ I turned some of them into "brick" style blocks for Deana. She claimed all the hot pink and turquoise strips for a lap quilt from the jelly roll. This definitely will not be my usual style.....a more modern style set for her. But hey.....I am stitching again. That's emotional therapy as well as PT and OT!
Enjoy the long weekend and remember our heros on Memorial Day.
Happy stitching.
Right now the PT is focusing on keeping the joints loose and moving----slightly. I have limited range from the shoulder. But at the sewing machine, I can passively exercise the joints and muscles!!! Just allowing the hand to guide the fabric and let the machine do the work for me, involves the movement I need---froward and then back. Fine motor skills begin to disappear within 2 weeks---it has been 4 already for me---and so stitching will hopefully help those too. Just threading the sewing machine takes fine motor skills, as well as aligning 2 edges of fabric strips.
Enjoy the long weekend and remember our heros on Memorial Day.
Happy stitching.
8 comments:
So glad to hear you're back to sewing.... and that doing so will be mental/emotional/spiritual and physical therapy!
:)
Yea! It makes me very happy to hear that you are progressing this well! It's wonderful you've found a way to combine your PT with an activity you love.
So good to hear that things are now progressing for you. I always believed that quilting was mental health therapy so it is good you are able to be back in the sewing studio.
Keep smiling. Marge
Must be good to be getting back in the saddle, however shaky the initial ride may feel!
Congratulations for getting back to the machine, you must have missed it so much. The mental boost has to be good for you also. Now you can start on all of the quilts you must have been planning in your head.
I totally agree that stitching is therapy on many levels. I'm convinced that it saved me from a life-threatening illness. I was thinking about you and how difficult it must be to be prevented from sewing. I'm so glad to see you're back at it, even if it's just a little bit.
Hey Debbie, glad to hear that you are back to sewing again. I too agree that sewing and quilting is great THERAPY for whatever stress or injuries we have in our lives. Day by Day everything gets a little better.
See you soon,
Shelia
Woo-hoo for Stitchin' Therapy!
Post a Comment