How Art can Help with Stress

This is a very stressful time for everyone.  Just having your routine upended can be upsetting but then having the fear of getting sick and possibly the loss of work and you are on stress overload.  But art (in any and all forms) can help.

Working on something, anything that you enjoy is a distraction from the stressful news on television or social media.  It gets you thinking about something else and in times like this, that is the best thing you can do.   It helps your mood and relaxes you.  That in the long run helps your health.

Doing anything that will help you laugh improves your health.  Laughter helps release hormones that dissipates stress and improves the immune system.  So do that thing that gives you the most joy.

If you are social distancing, creating art and posting it on Social media or through emails, can help you connect with other people even if you can’t physically be with them.  And creating art helps your surroundings look a little different.  Staying at home and not going to other places can become boring very fast. 

And creating something also helps make the time go by fast.  I was working on a project the other day and before I knew it 3 hours had past.  I was concentrating so hard I wasn’t even aware of the time.

This is the time to start a new project.  Or maybe finished one you started a long time ago.  If nothing else, this may be the time to clean up your art/craft area.  Take an inventory of what you have and what you might need and when the retail shops are up and running, you can help them by shopping for new supplies.

I told a quilting friend of mine that after this break from our Guild meetings, we were going to have one great Show and Tell session.  Maybe on a smaller scale, you could plan a show and tell party with your friends when we don’t have to social distance ourselves anymore.  Show ff what you created and oooh and ahhh what they created.

What ever it is that you enjoy doing, make sure you do it now.  It will help with your stress, with your health, and create a lot of fun in this uncertain time.  Happy Creating.

©2020 Cheryl Fillion

Kid’s Crafts Revisited

 

With everyone being told to stay at home and not venture into groups, I wanted to repost the blogs I have done on crafts for kids (adults can do these too).  So here are some ideas to keep everyone occupied.  Just click on the blue underlined words and it will take you to the blog (a new window will open up for it).

Cookie cutters are a great way to create crafts.  They are not just for cookies.

You can use colored pencils on fabric.

Do you have fabric and a notebook?  Why not make a cover for it and write stories about what the kids are doing during this time?   It could make a great keepsake.





How about making some fabric yoyos? 

 \How about a spool doll and create a puppet show? 

You could also have adventures with a yarn tassel doll.  

And there are your hands or your kid’s hands – those can make wonderful designs to color.

And if you have some berry baskets or any open side container, how about decorating it up with colored yarn.  

And if you have some paper plates, they can make great spirals to decorate the house and yard.  You can also do the same thing with a circle drawn on construction paper or card stock.  Draw the circle first, cut it out and then follow the directions in the blog.



And of course, if you search the internet you can find lots of things to make with the kids or by yourself.   Happy Crafting.

©2020 Cheryl Fillion





Take In A Show

March is National Quilt Month.  I thought this would be a good time to repost my blog on the advantages to taking in a Quilt Show.

As I am writing this, I am frantically finishing up my entries, getting the items ready for the hand work demonstration I have organized (to go on during the show) and trying to figure out what to make for the potluck our guild provides for our vendors and volunteers.  

I just posted on my Facebook page about the show, inviting all my local friends to attend.  Have any of you been to a quilt show?  It is a fun place to go if you like quilts or if you like color, patterns and texture.  But it is also a good place to go to increase your creativity.

In fact, attending any craft or art show is a good idea for the same reason.  You can see what is trending, as they say now, in patterns, designs or colors. You can get inspired by a different way to do a design.  One quilt show I went to many years ago, displayed a quilt with a skeleton of a dinosaur which had its head and tail extended off the main body of the quilt. I never thought of having part of the design expanded like that.  

Something you see at a quilt or art show might just click a memory of yours that you would like to capture in paint, or ink, or fabric.  It might give you an idea of something to make for a loved one. With quilts, it might show you just the arrangement of quilt blocks that you were looking for or just the pattern you wanted to make.

Even if you are not a quilter or a painter or photographer, going to an exhibit or show can still give you ideas.  The artist or the quilter’s perspective may show you a different way of looking at or thinking about a subject matter or just the world in general.  

When you go to a quilt or art show, you are supporting the arts in your community and that in itself is a good thing to do.  If you are reading this, you are probably interested in creativity in one form or another.  Think about how your life would be without what you create.  Don’t you want to make sure creativity in all its forms is available for everyone?

So do yourself and your community a favor: go to a show.

©2020 - Cheryl E. Fillion

Sewing With Invisible Thread

I am not the best of home machine quilters.  My stitches aren’t always uniform in length and when I free motion they are often wobbly and not smooth around curves. So when I do machine quilt, I often use monofilament or invisible thread so my stitches don’t show.  Recently I learned some tips for using monofilament thread that I thought I would pass on to all of you.

Some people avoid invisible thread because they think it is like the thread their grandmother used.  That thread was thick and broke easily.  I have some that is still on a wooden spool that I use for a hanger loops on ornaments.  I would never put it in the machine.  But the thread now is very thin and actually quite strong, durable and flexible. .  It is often made out of nylon or polyester.  The only concern I have heard about either is that nylon tends to be less heat resistant (especially if ironed).

Because the thread is thin it is best to use a smaller needle in the machine such as a 70/10.  The bigger needle isn’t necessary for this thin thread and the bigger the needle the bigger the holes in the fabric.  But since the thread is clear in color, you might have trouble threading the needle.  I occasionally have trouble with colored thread so I use an old fashion needle threader that you might use for hand sewing.   Remember that the thread with a machine needle goes in from the front so you have to put the needle threader in from the back so you can pull the thread through.

I wasn’t sure my threader would fit in the smaller hole so instead of struggling with it while the needle was on the machine, I took the needle out to test my different needle threaders.  When testing it this way, put the threader in through the flat side of the needle shaft (the part that goes into the machine).

You can use the monofilament thread in the bobbin or you can use a thin cotton thread.  If you are quilting it might be good to use the same color thread as the backing.  It will help the bobbin thread blend in with the backing fabric. When I used monofilament thread in the bobbin, I didn’t have to change the tension in the bobbin holder. Your machine might be different so test out your machine.

You should though lower the top tension of your machine.  This thread is strong but also tends to stretch if it is pulled too tight.  And if you are using a cotton thread in the bottom, lowering the top tension keeps the bobbin thread from pulling up where you can see it in your stitching. How far you lower it depends on your machine.  I would do some practice stitching to find what looks best for you.

One thing I did notice when quilting with invisible thread is that the first few stitches can come undone.  So either start off with very small stitches like a .5 size or stitch in place a couple of times before let the fabric move.

I enjoy using monofilament thread especially when quilting.  And I am always learning new ways to use that thread.  I hope this blog has helped you to decide using invisible thread or helped you improve your sewing with it.

©2020  Cheryl Fillion