How Handwork Saved My Life
My Gram was a very important person in my life. She passed away close to two years ago and I miss her all of the time. When I was growing up, I remember Gram always having her needlepoint around. She would needlepoint on airplanes, when we watched movies, and to take breaks in the afternoons. Needlepointing is an old school form of handwork. I like to described it as coloring a picture with a needle and thread. First you buy a canvas with an image on it. The canvas has an open grid for the needle and thread to pass through. You then choose thread to match each color. As you work your way through, each stitch is very close together, so that when you are finished, the image is covered with thread and has made a tapestry like fabric. You can do stockings, decorations, rugs, pillows, accessories, and upholstery. The sky it the limit.
Each member of our family has special needlepoint pieces from Gram around our homes. Gram made a precious giraffe needlepoint for Ellen’s nursery and I also have a one with a fox prancing through the trees. She amazingly completed the upholstery fabric for an entire chair, which I have in my house. She did this on a bunch of international flights with my Grandfather in the 70’s. We always laughed about the completion of this one because she said it was a wonder that she didn’t accidentally stab my Grandfather with her needle on all of the bumpy flights.
Gram told me that handwork saved her life many times. At the time she shared this with me, I couldn’t have known what she meant, but I do now. Before the end of her life, Gram had two severe breaks in a 6 month period of time. She was staying at a skilled facility to receive the physical therapy she needed to get better. When she was close to healing and being discharged after her first break, she fell when she was trying to get out of bed and sustained another fracture. This was a time when handwork allowed her to have hope, intellectual stimulation, creativity and a sense of calm in the midst of a chaotic and painful time.
When our body and mind are struggling, handwork allows us to feel engaged and purposeful. It has been proven to lower blood pressure and anxiety because of the methodical nature of the work. It provides just the right amount of stimulation to create a sense of calm that is very hard to access in the fast paced and chaotic world we current live in.
I picked up needlepointing to feel close to Gram after I lost her. I now know on a personal level why she said handwork can save your life. It has been a supportive and healthy outlet for me when I experience uncomfortable emotions and physical ailments. It also has the capacity to meet multiple needs from my Social Budget at one time (Read Boundaries Are A Woman’s Best Friend to access education on The Social Budget). On nights when I am tempted to lean into old coping skills that don’t serve me, needlepoint allows me to move my hands and feel engaged without feeling stressed. Since starting, I have completed Ellen’s stocking, three decorative wall pieces and I am part way through Ben’s stocking. I experience supreme joy going to the needlepoint shop to pick threads and speak with other women who love needlepointing as I do.
I have only scratched the surface of all the stitches I will be able to learn throughout my life. I am deeply grateful that Gram went before me and modeled what it looks like to take care of the sensitive soul that she was. Knowing I have handwork as a coping skill and a joy filled activity to lean into is encouraging. The word soothing comes to mind when I think about how I feel as I pull the thread through each hole in the canvas. The sense of pride and accomplishment that comes as each hole gets filled in and the picture starts to appear is deeply satisfying. Handwork was made for perfectionists and sensitive people like me and Gram to slow down and just be. I would encourage you to learn some sort of handwork as a coping skill so that you can carry it in your back pocket to pull out when you are in need. It can save your life!