It's been a while since I have written anything. And that's because I have been sick.
Two years ago, I had 3 major infections in 1 month, an abdominal tear which caused me to bleed internally (losing half of my blood), and then within 6 months had open heart surgery.The one thing that helped me survive and recover from all of that (and I am still recovering) was my needlework.
In a nursing facility recovering from the infections and abdominal tear, I finished a little needlepoint coin purse. It had the design of seashells on it. It gave me a small feeling of being at the beach.
I had some friends pick up some embroidery from my home. I was so glad I had different projects organized in bags so it was easy for them to find. I worked on a flamingo embroidery (that allowed me to try some new stitches. It was a wonderful kit.). I finished a ballerina embroidery for my hopefully to be completed Nutcracker Ballet Quilt.
I even tried some freeform embroidery. I took a strip of fabric, would draw a shape on it and then decorated the design with thread. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it but putting in and pulling out the needle was soothing to me. It helped calm me since I was then 2 months in a care facility.
I worked on some needle felting which allowed me to make a gift for an aide who was particularly comforting to me.
Once I got home, my needlework helped me concentrate and kept my mind and hands busy while I continued to recover. I finished the flamingo and also finished some UFOs. It was nice feeling of accomplishment since building my strength was going so slow.
Because I was in a wheelchair, I couldn't sit close to my sewing machine so I found myself going back to hand piecing. That was fun rebuilding a skill that had gone dormant.
My doctors and I began to notice problems with my heart and so a valve replacement surgery was scheduled. I made sure as I packed for the surgery, I had needlework to do. I knew I couldn't stay in the hospital with nothing to do. And it did help. Having a needle in my hand helped occupy the time as I healed. ( The only problem came when I would drop my needle in the folds of the bedding. Surprisingly I never did stick myself.)
I'm not sure what would have happened if I hadn't had my needlework to do. It helped calm me, comfort me, and bring some normalcy to my life, all of which helped in the healing process.
2026. Cheryl Fillion
