De-stress with quilting

October 8, 6:01 PMQuilting ExaminerKelly Smith

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October is Emotional Awareness Month

Autumn, when the world winds down and nature tucks itself in for the winter, is a great time to recognize and reduce stress in your life and try to put things in balance. This is especially important right now as the world is in economic turmoil.

A survey released by the American Psychological Association points out that 80% of American adults cite the worsening economy and worries about their job as their top stress inducers. In April the number of people who felt that way was only 66%. And women reported being more worried than men, since we are usually in a more precarious financial situation than men.

While it is hard to forget about the credit crunch, having a hobby that you love can be a great stress reliever. Quilting fits that bill perfectly, especially since you can do it with the tools you already have on hand. (You don't really need to buy more fabric.) I have spoken to many quilters for whom quilting is their primary means of stress relief. A lot of them told me, "It's my therapy."

When the world seems to be overwhelming, when you can’t find two minutes to string together a thought, when you’re feeling ready to throw in the towel, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to your sewing room.
2. Shut the door and lock it. (Put out a do not disturb sign if you have one.)
3. Open your fabric stash, (whether it be a closet or a box or just a single drawer).
4. Look at all the gorgeous potential just waiting there begging to be turned into a masterpiece.
5. Pull some fabric out and get to work!

Do whatever puts you in a creative mood. Have a drink. Turn on some music. Pull out all the fabrics that inspire you, and mix and match them until the colors speak to you. Flip through your books and patterns. Drink in the inspiration from all these sources and then go for it!

Pick up your ruler and rotary cutter and start cutting. Turn on your machine and start sewing. Soon, the familiar hum of the machine, the feel of the fabric in your hands, and the growing stack of pretty blocks will have broken through the wall of stress and you’ll find yourself humming, singing, dancing around the room as you put your creation up on the design wall.

You’ll skip dinner and not care, miss the latest “must-see” TV show, work late into the night after your spouse has given up on you and gone to sleep alone. And most importantly, you will forget what was worrying you in the first place. In the morning (or whenever you finally collapse from this marathon of self-help) you will find that you have a beautiful, unique work of art (and incidentally, what were you all worked up about yesterday?)

So accept your emotions for what they are - temporary responses to your environment and the world around you - then go ahead and fill your environment with beauty! You'll feel better. I promise.