Have Your Say

One of the perks of being part of the Inspirations community is receiving an amazing array of tips and ideas from everyone around the world. And there is nothing better than learning something new or making an exciting discovery and being able to share our excitement with others! After all, sharing is how we all grow and learn.

Recently we’ve been talking about the value of simply investing 15 minutes into a project or setting a brief time aside for focus. Doing this on a regular basis allows projects, tasks and jobs to slowly but surely get done. It also has the added benefit of eliminating being overwhelmed.

Tracy Welborn admits that she is a big procrastinator, and really loved the idea of the ‘Pomodoro Technique’, which she is intending to try. In case you missed it, this is a very popular technique whereby you set just 15-25 minutes to focus on a particular task without distraction. You can set a timer, or there is a plethora of free apps available to use. After you’ve succeeded in focusing for 25 minutes, you get a 5-minute break before doing another ‘pom’. It is amazing how much you can achieve when you eliminate distractions just for that short period.

Janet Henry discovered that the advice to just sit down for 15 minutes was very effective. For Janet, it didn’t take long and an hour had passed that helped her to finish the Baltimore Album quilt. She was thrilled when she originally signed up for the class that she could use up her stash in this lovely project and was gratified that by using the 15-minute technique, she could finally complete it.

This project does look absolutely perfect to us, however that impression neatly leads on to the email we received from Roberta Kenney about perfection. She commented that she grew up in an area where the influence of the Shakers and the Amish is high. They both have a philosophy which states that ‘nothing is perfect, except God’. By bringing this philosophy into her needlework, Roberta has been able to live with the occasional mistakes in her work. In fact, the Amish people deliberately put errors in their projects in order not to offend. This is a fascinating philosophy and is food for thought for us all.

Ann Baseden related to Alison Cole’s tales of her caravan storage solutions. Ann never had a caravan so had to pack her craft stuff in a carrier bag whenever they went away on holiday. She would often crochet in the car while her husband drove, so long as they weren’t on a winding road! However, she discovered the hard way that perhaps working with fine crochet cotton and a tiny hook wasn’t a good idea. Over one particularly large bump, she stabbed herself and had to get her husband to pull over because she couldn’t extricate the hook from her finger. Ouch!

Ann (a different Ann!) wrote about the release of the special 10th Anniversary Edition of Home Sweet Home by Carolyn Pearce. Ann has always admired this project and other intricate etui projects, but she just can’t bring herself to make them as she admits that she would never use them. Ann would be so afraid that they might get dirty, or that they would just sit on a shelf gathering dust. So, she looks at the pictures of other people’s work and enjoys the beauty vicariously.

Finally, Caitlin Doyle wrote to us to share a difficulty she is facing and ask the community for their advice and experiences. Caitlin is only 27, but due to migraines, has had to stop embroidering. She was glad to read that other stitchers have had eye problems that have affected their stitching, as it helped her to not feel so alone. She said she wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but she is really interested to hear stories from other stitchers about how they have adapted their stitching to health problems of any kind. How have you kept your spirits up? Have you had to do other crafts? If so, which ones?

Caitlin has been able to knit as she can do it in the dark by feel. She listens to audiobooks and podcasts for company, and she also tries to keep a sense of perspective by constantly being grateful for the health she does have and the many blessings in life she’s experienced. If you have any stories, advice or comfort to offer Caitlin, we’d love you to write in.