Recovering with Needlework

 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 of all of that I 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 

Colored Pencil with Embroidery

 I wrote back earlier this month about using colored pencils on fabric. It is a very simple way to create a design on fabric. But you don’t have to use pencil alone.  Using a colored pencil is also a great way to enhance embroidery.

I am creating a sampler quilt with very bright colors. I decided that the alternate blocks would be embroidery.  But when I put the blocks together, the embroidery which was a simple outline embroidery (similar to Redwork) faded away.  There just was not enough of color to go with the bright pieced blocks.

I didn’t want to do the blocks over in appliqué or do another design so I got out my trusty pencils. Just like with coloring in a book, I colored within the embroidery lines.

After all the coloring is done, you then add the textile medium.  Painting the medium over the embroidery will make it stiff but with some use (like cuddling under the quilt) the embroidery will soften up. 

You might be able to do the coloring first and then add the embroidery but I am not sure what the textile medium will do to the embroidery transfer lines if you use the medium on it.  It is likely to make the transfer lines permanent just as it does the coloring.

 

Think about using your colored pencils the next time you want a little more color to your embroidery.

 

©2017, 2024  Cheryl Fillion

Colored Pencils on Fabric

 There is a lot of information out about using crayons on fabric. You color a picture on fabric with crayons.  Then you take that picture place it face down on paper and iron away the wax.  And you keep ironing until there is no more transfer of color to the paper (always use clean paper each time you iron).

But did you know you can also color on fabric with colored pencils and there is no ironing involved?  I do it often.  To me it is fun and relaxing and you can do all the things you did with crayon fabric pictures.  I will admit here that you do have to use a textile medium to make the color permanent on the fabric.  I’ll talk about that later in this blog.

You might be thinking what kind of colored pencils.  Any type you would find in the art area of a craft store or paper supply section of a discount store.  I have some I use that I got at a Dollar store.  Any brand will do.  The more expensive brands might have a darker pigment.  Watercolor pencils can also be used.  You use these the same way you use watercolor paints.

What fabric can you use? Cotton fabric works the best but a polyester cotton blend might work as well.  This is where you can play and see what fabrics are the best for what you want to do.  I do recommend using white or a light cream color.  If you use any other colored fabric, the color of the fabric will show through the pencil marks. 

Now what about this textile medium?  A textile medium is a liquid put on a painting that makes the painting permanent so if you wash it, the pigment will not come off or fade.  Often times it was put on oil or acrylic paintings so they would not fade if exposed to sunlight.  It is a little thicker than water and you brush it on the coloring and let it dry. This is more likely found in an art supply store or a craft store near the art supplies or glues.

The textile medium does make the fabric a little stiff but I found that once it is washed or the more you handle the picture (I did embroidery over one colored pencil picture), the fabric softens up.  If you don’t add the medium and the picture becomes wet or it needs to be washed, the picture will fade or disappear altogether.

Here is a sample I did for a class I taught.  The top heart is how it looks colored with just the pencil.  The bottom heart is how it looks after I submerged it in water but with no detergent.  My guess is with the detergent; all the color would be gone.

 

This picture is with the textile medium added.  Same colored pencil and the same fabric was used.  Again the top heart is just with the textile medium; the bottom after submerged in water.  There was just a slight change in color.

Some textile mediums say to heat set the picture after medium is put on.  That can be done with an iron. Ironing when using crayons removes the wax but also heat sets the pigment from the crayon. I was curious if that would have the same affect with colored pencil.  So I did another heart, ironed it and then submerged it in water.  Just ironing without the textile medium did not set the color. 

When I added the textile medium and also ironed I didn’t find that it changed the color at all after being in water.  So I wonder if the ironing is really necessary.  But then again as the old saying goes, “Better to be safe than sorry.”  Remember I haven’t used any detergent with these so maybe that might make a difference.

This is a technique you can use with children.  I would stabilize the fabric a bit with either iron on interfacing or stabilizer that you can remove (if you want) or iron freezer paper to the back of the fabric.  Freezer paper can be found in some groceries in the wax paper/aluminum foil aisle. Freezer paper has a shiny/waxy coating to one side so when wrapped around meat would protect the food from freezer burn while in the freezer.

For this purpose you want the shiny side of the paper down on the fabric, move a hot iron over the paper side and it will temporarily bond to the fabric.  It helps the fabric from moving around when you color on it.

Once you have colored your picture, added the medium and let it dry, you can use that picture in anything.  I have seen entire quilts done with this technique.  From a few feet away, the quilt looked appliquéd; it wasn’t until you got up close to see if was actually colored. 

If you have some colored pencils and fabric, give it a try.  Who knows what you will create.

 

©2017. 2024 Cheryl Fillion

 

Embroidery sampler – Part 3

I finished the embroidery sampler.  I changed my original plan a bit.  Originally I was going to do all the stitching in the color of my logo.  So with the big heart, all the stitching would be done in the dark pink, and the lighter pink in the medium heart.  But I realized that all the stitching would just blend together so you couldn’t tell what stitches were what.  So having done the line or border stitches in one color, I did the individual stitches in between the lines in the color of the other heart shape.  I like it much better this way. 

I went through my embroidery books to look for some stitch ideas.  I found some I like using like the French knot and the fly stitch.  Then some I like but are challenging for me like the lazy daisy.  And then some new stitches I wanted to try. 

If you remember the little heart, I just did the seed stitch.  It wasn’t really big enough to do multiple stitches and the seed stitch is another stitch I like to use.

 

For the medium heart, I actually started with the French knot.  I like using the French knot.  It is one a lot of people have trouble with but it is just one of those stitches that you have to practice, practice, practice. 

   

One of those stitches I found in my embroidery book and thought would be fun to try.

It was the woven cross.  It starts off like a cross stitch but you repeat the same stitches weaving the last stitch in and out of the other stitches.

 

Another stitch I am seeing a lot lately in embroidery books but never tried is the sheaf stitch.    It is basically three straight stitches parallel to each other with a fourth stitch gathering the three stitches in the middle.  The do look like a sheaf of wheat.  This was a fun stitch to do.  I have seen it used a a filler but also used at the bottom of a flower right above the stem.

 

Now for the big heart I had a lot of room to fills so I did some combinations of stitches.  The fly stitch is one of my favorite.  It is a stitch like the start of feather stitch but instead of making another what I call ‘U’ stitch next to the first one, You just make a little straight stitch at the bottom to hold it in place.  So in one section I started with the fly stitch.

 

 

 But then one book had a variation I had to fill the rest of that section with.  You do the fly stitch but then add two more straight stitches on either side of the first one.  It gives it the appearance of a crown which is what this stitch is called.

 

 

 

I did something similar in another section.  Started one end with a lazy daisy stitch which is really just one link of the chain stitch (and this stitch is also know as the link stitch). 

 

 

Then on the other side I did a picot stitch (or lazy daisy with  a long tail stitch).

 

 

But then one book had a variation of the picot stitch called the tulip stitch.  You do the picot stitch but on one side of the ‘chain’ you take a stitch and bring it under the anchor stitch to the other side of the ‘chain’.  It gives it the appearance of leaves.  It was a fun stitch to try.

 

 

 

I did a simple star stitch around the little heart.  I thought it helped frame the little heart in the very light pink.

 

 

 

 

At the bottom of the big heart I did the pistil stitch which is really just a French knot with a long tail.  It is great to add to a flower design in any embroidery.  I thought it was a good match to the French knots that are at the bottom of the medium heart.

 

 

 

And then finally I did the one stitch I always wanted to try.  It is called the woven spider web.  You take any odd number of straight stitches embroidered like the spokes of a bicycle wheel and with an alternating color you weave the second thread in and out of the spokes.  You don’t want to pull the weaving too tight or the stitches tend to hide under each other.  I liked how it turned out but I think it is better with a thicker embroidery thread than the floss I used. It looks a bit like a flower so I am going to have to try that one again.

 

 

This was fun, trying new stitches and deciding where and how to display them.  Now I just have to figure out what to do with my little Heartfully Cheryl logo.  Do I frame it or make it into a quilt wall hanging (which is usually what happens with my embroidery.

  

© 2019, 2024- Cheryl E. Fillion.

 

 

  

Embroidery Samplers

 

I have been doing embroidery since I was about 9 years old.  It is always my go-to needlework when I am traveling or just want to relax.  But the one thing I have never done is an embroidery sampler.

Embroidery samplers were a type of needlework young girls did back in the 1700 and 1800s to show off the needlework skills.  Remember there were no machines back then, so girls and women had to know how to sew to provide clothes and bedding for their family.

The samplers usually had the alphabet, occasionally a bible verse, some flowers, people or animals stitched on it. Often times different stitches were used to create the design but much of the time it was just cross stitched.  If you ever find a finished sampler, you have a prize, especially if the creator put their name and date it was made on it.

Samplers seemed boring to me which is why I never did any.  But lately I have wanted to make a sampler of sorts.  Not the kind I just described but some picture to show off different stitches.  You can still find sampler designs that are printed on fabric in shops or on line (that was another thing, the designs of samplers from long ago were not printed on fabric, the young girls and women created the design from scratch).  But I wanted to create one uniquely my own.

So I started looking for ideas.  I found one sampler set up to look like a color wheel with different stitches in different colors in concentric circles.  I found another one as a quilt with 4 inch blocks each holding a different stitch.   I liked the color wheel idea but it just wasn’t what I was looking for.  And I certainly didn’t need another quilt.

So looking around the room to get some ideas, I then saw my logo at the top of this page.  I would make a sampler with the Heartfully Cheryl 3 heart logo.  I even decided to do the stitching just in the pink colors of the logo (well, except for the tiny heart which is white in the logo.  If I put this on white fabric I didn’t think I would be able to see any stitching with white thread so I am using a very light pink).

I first enlarged the logo and traced it on a piece of white cotton.

 And then I did the outline of each heart in a stem stitch.  That was my first challenge since the stem stitch is one stitch I always have trouble with.  It never looked very stem-y but almost like a lopsided one sided cross stitch.  But this time the embroidery fairies were with me and I think the stitch turned out pretty nice.

 

I decided to do just one stitch in the little heart.  Even on this enlarged version of the logo it is only 1 ¼ inches wide.  So I used a wonderful filler stitch called the seed stitch.  It is just little straight stitches randomly put all over the design in various directions.  It is easy to do and does fill up an area rather quickly and nicely.  If you haven’t tried it, do so sometime.

 

I am still in the process of stitching it so I will post some more next week.  

 

©  2019, 2024- Cheryl E. Fillion

 

The Bucket List – Plan it

  So you have decided to do one item off your Bucket List.  Great, this is when the fun begins.

A great way to plan it is to imagine your perfect Bucket List item.  What do you need for your item to be perfect?  Where would it be? Who would be with you?  When would you do it? If it is appropriate, what would the food be?  Imagine every detail about your Bucket List item.

In another blog post I mentioned wanting to go to Door County, Wisconsin.  For it to be perfect for me; I wanted to rent a cottage by the water and in a town with a quilt shop I could visit.  At that time, this was the village of Sister Bay, Wisconsin. 

Now when do you want to do your item?  People work better if they have a deadline.  Deadlines help with plans.  You need deadlines to make any arrangements, secure any reservations, etc.. Remember none of these plans are set in stone.  You can change anything and everything.  

The next step is to get support.  This was most important to me. Tell people about your Bucket List item.  They may be able to help with ideas, with contacts, with finances and most important, enthusiasm.  People want others to succeed and you will be surprised how excited they will be for your Bucket List.

For me my support group helped me with raising money for my trip.  At the time I was working at a quilt shop that did machine quilting.  Many people brought me quilts to do and asked that the money go to my trip. When I could, I honored their request.  Two friends in Wisconsin were my chauffer and tour guide since they had both lived in Door County.  And many friends gave me ideas.  Since I was renting a cottage, I had to bring my own sheets.  The bed in the cottage was king size.  Since I only had a full size bed, friends lent me sheets to take.

No matter what your Bucket item is, you will probably need money for it.  So how much do you need.  Is travel and lodging involved?  Do you need lessons for your item?  Do you need ingredients or supplies?  Remember to think outside the box.  What else are you going to need? 

For me, I would be traveling during a time I usually taught a summer session at the college. So I not only needed money for travel, lodging, food, and souvenirs but I needed money to pay the bills since I was losing the teaching income while taking this trip.  Will that be a similar situation for you? 

What else do you need to complete your bucket item?  If you are going to skydive, do you need lessons?  If your item is running a marathon, how do you start your training?

If you want to try a new recipe, where do you get your ingredients?  Make sure you set this in motion.  The earlier you prepare for your item, the better your item will be.

All these things will help your bucket item become the perfect one you imagine.  And as you plan out your Bucket List adventure, you are actually making the item become a reality.  Part of the fun is in the planning.

Now get on with your Bucketing.

 

©2017, 2024 – Cheryl Fillion    

The Bucket List - Don't Wait

 How many of you have a bucket list?  If you have a list, have you done any of them?  You hear of people who when they find they have a terminal disease start to do some of the seemingly crazy things they have always wanted to do.

But why wait until you have been diagnosed with a disease or after you have retired. Why not start doing some of your bucket list now.

Now you may think that a bucket list is for the end of your life.  Oh really, who says so?  You van enjoy the items off your list at any time.   Yeah like right now. 

Let’s say you want to travel somewhere but you know it will be years before you can do it.  Why wait?  One item on my list was to spend time in a resort area of my home state of Wisconsin called Door County.  It was going to take me a while to save the money to take the trip but I didn’t want to wait to enjoy it.  

So I got on the internet and looked up things to do in Door County.  Of course I had to make sure there was a quilt shop there.  I found a webcam in a couple of the towns and watched them for months on end.  I learned about events and the weather and the busy times.  Doing this helped me keep my enthusiasm up while I saved up the money. 

You can do the same thing for whatever you want to do.  Find websites about your bucket list item.  Read books about it.  Find people who might have gone or done what you are planning.  They may have great tips on what to and not to do.

You can actually start enjoying your Bucket list item before you actually do your bucket list item. Don’t wait until the end of your life.

 

© 2016,  2024  Cheryl Fillion

 

 

The Bucket List

 How many of you have a bucket list?  You know that list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket. If you have a list, that’s great. Start doing some of the things on your list.  If you don’t have a list, what is it you want to do in your life before you die?

You hear of many people who go sky diving or bungee jumping.  But what if that is not your style, what do you want to do?  Do you want to travel?  See the Grand Canyon? The Eiffel Tower?  Do you want to learn something new?  Not all of your bucket list needs to be WILD adventures; some can be MILD adventures like learning to bake bread.

I didn’t call my list a bucket list.  It was known more as a “Some day I’d like to” list.  And not everything on my list is an adventure or even expensive.  I want to learn to bake bread.  I’d really like to finish all the quilts I have started (and maybe some quilts I am thinking of starting).  I would love to read all the books I presently own. And yeah, I would love to travel.

Maybe as a New Year’s Resolution, you could start planning your bucket list. Think of the things you would like to do in your life.  One might be going to New York City for New Year’s Eve.   What is it you would like to learn?  A new language, a new art style, a new craft?  What is it you want  to do?

As I mentioned before, where would you like to travel?  It doesn’t have to be to another country.  Have you seen everything to see in your city?  Have you participated in some local event you have always been interested in?  The college where I work does the Nutcracker Ballet every December.  I love that ballet but in the 28 years I have worked there, I had only gone once until this year.  I had so much fun I think now it will be an annual event. 

If you can’t think of anything for your list, ask family and friends what you might have mentioned to them about wanting to do.  You might not remember but they will.  Or think back to what you liked to do as a child.  Did you sing into a hairbrush?  How about taking singing lessons or join a choir?  Did you wear out box after box of crayons but never took art lessons?  Take some art lessons.  Your local college might offer continuing education classes or a craft store might have a class or two.  Do you like the symphony; buy a ticket.

Your bucket list doesn’t have to be a stable list.  You can change the items as you go through life.  You can add or subtract things as your interests change.   But do make a list.  It is a great way to make sure your life is enjoyable and has meaning. And if you are like me, you will be able to make a great loaf of bread.

 

© 2016, 2024  Cheryl Fillion

 

 

Celebrate Christmas All Month Long

 I really love Christmas.  I tend to go all out.  I start playing my Christmas music before Thanksgiving.  I get out the books I have on Christmas customs and traditions and reread why we do the things we do.  I try to make my yearly ornaments to give out in early December.  I try to make the holiday last as long as I can.  And one friend described my decorated house as sensory overload.

While looking for a celebration to write about this month besides Christmas, I found there are all kinds of days in December set aside to get you ready for the big holiday itself.

December 6^th is St. Nicholas Day.  In some parts of Europe and even here in the States, this is the day when St Nicholas (Santa Claus) comes for an early visit.  There actually was a St. Nicholas who was an Archbishop in Turkey back in the 5^th century.  He became the patron saint of boys and December 6^th is his birthday and on this day he is known for bringing little gifts for the good children, and sticks for the bad.  

If you are Christmas Card sender, December 9^th is Christmas Card Day.  If you haven’t gotten your cards yet, this might be a good day.  Or maybe this is the day to make cards.  Wouldn’t Grandma prefer a hand made card from the little ones than a store bought one?

Poinsettias, considered the flower of Christmas, have their own day on December 12^th.  So make sure you get out to your favorite garden store to pick out your festive plant.  December 14^th is Roast Chestnuts Day.  If you are not much of a chestnut person, how about picking up those other nuts you might eat.  A favorite part of Christmas growing up was going to the local grocers to get our bag of mixed nuts (only available this time of year).  They would have bins of unshelled nuts.  My favorite then and now were the walnuts.

 And what is Christmas without the cookies.  Well, December 18^th is set aside just to get those holiday sweets completed for Santa’s visit with Bake Cookies Day.  And so you don’t forget that tree, Look for an Evergreen Day is December 19^th.  And while you are getting ready, why not take a break on December 20^th and celebrate Go Caroling Day. 

If by now in the month you are bogged down with shopping and decorating and feeling a bit overwhelmed, there is a day for you to go ahead and just feel a little like Scrooge.  December 21^st is Humbug Day.  Just don’t let it last more than a day. 

And finally on December 24^th, hopefully all the preparations are done and you can sit back and enjoy a little eggnog for it is not just Christmas Eve but also Nation Egg Nog Day. 

If you are one who likes to have Christmas last as long as you can, go ahead and celebrate it all month long.  And Merry Christmas to you.

 

©2018, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

 

 

 

 

Creativity iu your Holiday Shopping

 I am sure many of you have started your holiday shopping or are at least are planning your lists.   If you read this before you start your shopping adventure, don’t forget to add a little creativity to your shopping list.

What do I mean by Creativity?  I mean make sure you buy someone you love some art supplies, craft supplies, or a craft kit or two.  You never know what life long love you will start in a young child or help someone older continue to enjoy a lifelong love. 

There are all kinds of activities out there from model airplanes and cars to assemble to adult coloring books.  The other day I saw a kit to paint a set of nesting dolls (I almost bought it for myself).  There are looms of every kind and step by step books to do all kinds of needlework.  And of course you could provide the supplies for one of the crafts I have done a tutorial on and show them this blog.

And also consider a gift of music or dance.  Either provide some future performer with lessons or an instrument or take them to a holiday concert or ballet.  I bet there is a Nutcracker Ballet going on somewhere near your hometown this time of year. Going to a performance is a memory both of you can share.  I still remember going to a simple children’s Christmas concert at a local junior high with my mother when I was visiting her one holiday.

So add a little creativity to your holiday shopping by giving a gift of creativity in whatever form your heart desires. You can never give too much. Happy Shopping!!

 

©2017, 2023 - Cheryl Fillion

Cook Something Bold Day

Cook something Bold Day?  Sound’s interesting, doesn’t it?  This year Cook Something Bold Day is November 8^th. 

Now cooking something bold is really in the eye of the beholder or should I say the tastebuds of the beholder.  What is bold to one person might not be bold to another.  And what one would consider bold might be bland to someone else. 

So what would you cook if you wanted to be bold?   Something spicy?  Something pungent?   Now it doesn’t necessary mean that you create something with disgusting ingredients intended to make people sick to their stomach.  Actually one description of the holiday suggested an original dish with new uses of herbs and garlic and maybe some hot pepper.

You want to make something that is edible but with a taste you have never tried before.  How about some Indian food or Mexican with lots of jalapenos?  If you are not one to do spicy food, how about using some vegetables you have never tried before like asparagus or an artichoke?  Or maybe trying cooking some fish, if you have never done that before.  Or just trying a new twist with an old recipe.

The fun part of this day is to use your creativity to determine what you consider bold.  So get out your cookbooks and look for something bold and tasty.

 

©2018, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

Wear Something Gaudy Day

On October 17, don’t wear your usual colors or style.  Instead go gaudy. After all it is Wear Something Gaudy Day.

Gaudy usually means bright and flashy and maybe tasteless and tacky.  Now gaudy is also one of those terms that is in the eye of the beholder.  I have a flamingo blouse that I love to wear.  I think it is wonderful and makes me smile.  My mother might have thought it was gaudy.

 So on this day; get a bit more colorful in your dress.  Wear a neon color (even if it is just a handkerchief in your breast pocket).  Or maybe buy yourself some wild socks.  It is OK to gaudy in secret if it could cause problems at work. 

Wear something that sparkles and glitters.  Add some bling to your clothes like some rhinestones.   Or try one of those pins that have fake diamonds in it or are just big and bright.

Whatever you and those around you might thing is outrageous, wear it.  Maybe make a pact with those you work with to all dress gaudy so no one will stand out and everyone will have a good laugh about it.

Whatever you do, do it gaudily. But most of all have fun.

 

©2018, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

Silence

Society today is built to allow for communication with others or from others.  We have phones (cell and land lines), e-mail  not to mention television, radios, and voice mail.  The only communication that society doesn't allow or even sometimes encourage is communicating with yourself.  To do that you need, not all those electronic gadgets, but the antiquated idea of silence.

Silence is how we hear ourselves think.  As creative beings, we need silence.   We begin to see our lives, and the world around us in silence.  To some it is the only way to communicate with the Spirit. 

For many years I lived in a dormitory as the hall director (what many might think of as a Dorm Mom).  Outside my front door was usually a lobby with a TV and dozens of college students at any time of the day or night.  I realize now, being away from that atmosphere, that I kept my stereo and TV on more as a sound wall than for any enjoyment or even company.  As long as I had something on in the apartment, I couldn't hear what was going on in the lobby (and there were times I didn't want to hear what was going on in the lobby J. 

Now the TV is rarely on.  I don't have to fall asleep with either music or something creating 'white noise'.  When I do listen to music, I am able to enjoy and relax to it. And to my great enjoyment I can hear the little birds at my feeder, the breeze through the trees and a thunderstorm.  But mostly I can hear my own thoughts.  

I don't have to set aside time very late at night to create an atmosphere of quiet (usually with ear plugs).  Silence isn't that far away.  Without all the noise, my stress level is down, decisions are made easier and my creative ideas just flow.

Now this might not be possible with a house full of family.  You might also have to create some time late at night with ear plugs, as I did.  If you need to, do so.  Without silence, your life and your creativity will reflect the chaos of the noise around you. 

Catch bits of silence whenever you can.  If you are consciously looking for the quiet, try not to use the phone - even let voice mail pick up.  Don't have the TV or stereo on.  While driving, turn the radio off.  Silence can be found quite nicely in the newly insulated cars on the market these days.  And even in the mist of traffic, with the radio off, you will be able to hear yourself (pay attention to the road though, OK?)  Take a nap in the afternoon when you can so you can stay awake after the rest of the household is off with the Sandman.

You don't have to do anything during these times of silence (unless you are driving the car).  Just sit.  Maybe start out by breathing deeply.  And relax - the blood can't get to the brain with those tight shoulders and neck muscles.  As you spend more time in silence, your mind will take over.   Just follow it to see where it leads.

Even with tiny bits of silence here and there, your stress level will decrease (noise of any kind raises the blood pressure), your concentration will increase and your creativity will blossom.  It may take a while but you will see a difference in your life.

Silence is golden.  Shhhhh.

© 2017, 2023– Cheryl Fillion

 

Positive Thinking Day

With all the negativity on the news these days, September 13 is definitely needed.  No, not as in Friday the 13^th but as in Positive Thinking Day. This is a day set aside to think of positive things.

Now how do you celebrate Positive Thinking Day?  You can wake up thinking about all the good things that will happen that day like maybe what you are going to eat that day, who you are going to see, and how the weather will be (even if it is raining, the rain is a good thing for the grass and the flowers), 

Every hour think of 3 things in which you are grateful.  Maybe it is the people in your life or your health or the job or school you attend.  How about being grateful for your 5 senses?  Or even grateful that it is Positive Thinking Day and it gives you an opportunity to practice positivity. 

Give compliments to everyone you meet. Everyone likes a compliment.  Or maybe extend some random acts of kindness.  This could be as simple as letting some go ahead of you in the check out line to paying for the meal of the car in the drive thru behind you. 

In the evening, turn off the news (and don’t read the paper).  Watch a funny show or read an inspirational book instead.  What is usually on the news is the entire negative events that has gone on in the world during the day.

And of course, the best way to keep yourself positive and spread positive vibes is to smile.  It is amazing how smiling can change your mood.  And smiling is contagious.  Have you ever noticed when you smile at someone, they will smile back (unless of course they are a Scrooge).

So while one day might be set aside to be positive, why not spread it to the next day and then the next week and then every day after that.  Happy Positive Thinking Day.

 

©2018, 2023 – Cheryl Fillion

Beginnings

 

It was seven years ago this month that I started this blog.  I thought I would celebrate by reposting the blog post that started it all.  It was a nice reminder of how I got started. 

    I have come across two philosophers in my life who have the best advice ever for people exploring their creativity.  The first was a German poet and scientist by the name of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe who wrote "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." (That quote gives me goosebumps.)

    The second philosopher was my nephew, Alex, at the age of five who, when I asked him how we were to make a housecleaning robot he wanted to give his father for Christmas, very blunted told me that "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl." 

    Both wise men had a point.  If there is something you want to do, you will never know whether you can do it until you begin it.  Is there some creative technique you want to try but are afraid to?  Just dive in.

    Now it is okay to start at the shallow end (sorry, it is hot outside and water metaphors seem cooling to me somehow right now.).  Dip your toes in.  Paint a page of just one color. One color can express any emotion. Write one line to start a poem.  One line can say a lot (Alex had a lot to say with his one line and it has stuck with me for 30 years.)  Sing one note.  A continuous note can be very relaxing to the diaphragm.

    Just begin it. Don't jump from the high dive. Don't plan a gallery show yet.  Don't figure out your office at the Library of Congress for when you are considered the next Poet Laureate.  And the Grammy nominations are already made for this year.  So relax.  All you are doing is beginning.

    And beginnings are wonderful.  There is mystery in them - you aren't quite sure what will happen next.   And there is an adventure in them - traveling to a new area of your heart.   And the excitement of them - you actually did whatever it is you were wanting to begin.

 You have had beginnings all of your life.  You survived all of those  - school, college, work, marriage, family.  You can survive this one.  But you have to just begin. As Alex said, "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl."  Who can argue with that?

 

© 2016, 2023 – Cheryl Fillion

Reading is Good for You…. and Your Creativity

 

I come from a long line of readers. My favorite memories as a child are getting books for birthday or Christmas and going to the library.  In fact right now an image popped in my head of me standing at the New Books section of the Green Bay, Wisconsin library as a teenager while at the library with my mother. 

I spend much of last summer reading.  I did so much reading, that I began to wonder if something was wrong with me.  So I got on the internet and found that actually the opposite was true.  Reading is good for you.

Studies have shown, for children, reading not only increases their vocabulary but also increases their grades in school.  The more a child reads the higher their grades will be.  I have a set of books my mother bought me when I was a child called the “Best in Children’s Books”.  Each book contained an abridged novel such as Black Beauty or Alice in Wonderland.  There were usually a number of poems or short stories, some activity of some sort, a little bit of science or nature, a short biography and my favorite “Let’s visit” where some area of the world was highlighted. It included a map, local vegetation and animals, and activities of the people who lived there. I think that is where my love of other cultures came from. 

For adults, research shows that reading helps delay memory decline and those who keep their mind active are less likely to suffer from dementia.  It also helps reduce stress.  When you are reading whether it is fiction or nonfiction, you are not thinking about the stresses of the day.  Your reading is taking you away, at least mentally, to a place far from where your body actually is.  If you are not thinking about stressful events, your body is not reacting to stressful events.

I also read that reading before bedtime helps relax you enough that you sleep better.  Now I recommend (and this is not based on any research) that you don’t read a very violently graphic book before bed. The violence might seep into your dreams.  But then that could just be me.

What I noticed last summer with all my reading was that I came up with more ideas for quilts and punchneedle and embroidery.  I was reading books, mostly mysteries, which took place in different areas of the country from where I lived and involved characters that had different interests than mine.  One series of mysteries took place in a tea shop.  I am not a drinker of tea but I began an interest in different teas, and teapots and tea cups and those images became part of what I created.

And whether it was the reduced stress or better sleeping that came from reading, I seemed to have more energy to create even with so much time spent on reading.  The reading also pulled me to the library again (I hadn’t been to my local library in a couple of years) and there I found all kinds of activities going on like yoga and meditation, quilt classes, coloring for adults and book clubs.  And this doesn’t even include what they have for children which would keep an child active.  Libraries these days are more than a place to check out books. 

Much of the research I read was done on fiction reading but I would think nonfiction would have the same affect (of lessening stress and dementia).  I love biographies and books about other people also pull me into another time and place.

So get yourself a book and start reading. Or go to the library and see what adventures they have for you in the pages of the books or the activities they sponsor (either for you or your kids or grandkids).  It will help with your stress, your mind, and can help with your creativity.   So go read.

 

©2017, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

 

 

August Celebration: Just Because Day

I have been having a lot of fun this year looking for unusual and creative ways to celebrate.  I have found some quirky holidays.  But as unusual as some holidays are, and there is probably a holiday for everything, this month has a holiday for anything you want.  On August 27^th, you have to celebrate Just Because Day.

The idea is that since we spend much of our days doing things we HAVE to do, why not have a day to do something for no reason than Just Because.  I like it.  Doesn’t everyone want to do something or like to do something for no particular reason. 

Maybe you see a new outfit at a store.  You don’t need it for an event.  You might have plenty of clothes.  You just want it so buy it, just because.

 aybe you want to go on a picnic but it is not a weekend day or a holiday.  So take the day off and have a picnic, just because.

Figure out something you want to do on this day and just do it.  Or better yet wake up that morning and do the first fun thing that comes to your head.  And make sure to let everyone know you are doing it Just Because.  Who knows if enough people do something just because it might become a national holiday marked in red on the calendar for no reason than just because. 

©2018 Cheryl Fillion

The 8 to 1 Rule

 

Business studies show that there is an average of 8 negative complaints to every 1 compliment.  This is known as "the 8 to 1 Rule". 

    It tends to be human nature to complain. Sometimes complaints are constructive.  You want to let a restaurant know if you have gotten sick eating there.  You want a store to know if they have a rude employee.   But complaining just to complain is never helpful.  Negativity has a lot of power. 

    If you criticize a young artist, even in the area of "helping", you might just stop that young one's art forever.  Without intending to you have silenced that artist's voice.  Where's the benefit in that. 

    I once hear a story of a young artist who painted the mountains in his art class a maroon color.  His art teacher, of course, told him that mountains were not maroon.  They were green or brown or snow capped.  That "help" from the teacher stopped his painting.  Years later in New Mexico, he was sitting with a friend watching a sunset reflect along the mountain range.  Guess what color they turned out to be at one point.  That's right - maroon.

 When you are trying something new creatively, you will find that you are sensitive to other's comments.  You may have created a wonderful arrangement of things and with one well intended statement from a friend or family member; you now doubt your creation and your ability.

 These well intended statements are real sneaky in form.  They may start out with words such as "Don't you think it would be better if...." or "Maybe you should do this or that" or "Have you thought about...”   Often times you have not asked for a critique, or advice, or suggestions.  You have just shown what you have created.

Sometimes you may even find someone who takes the complaint into action and may add some color here or there or rearrange this piece and that piece or rewrites your essay or poem.  Now these folks do not see what they have said or done as criticism or a complaint or even negative.  They are just trying to help.  They want you to succeed and for your creation to look wonderful. 

They just don't see that their help has undermined what you have done.  They can't see your creation from your eyes.  They just see how they would do it.  They didn't see how much you worked on it with possibly sweat and tears.  They may not understand how much your creation is part of you.  To them, it is just an arrangement of things, be they words, colors, or knickknacks.

As you explore your creativity, be sensitive to the creativity and creations of others.  Change your "8 to 1 rule" to be 8 compliments to every 1 complaint.  Don't offer suggestions.  Find something positive to say about it:  "Oh, that is so you." or "I like this or that." or "I would love to see maroon mountains." (you might get an offer of a trip to New Mexico for that one). 

And for goodness sake, don't break one of my mother's rules: "If it is not yours, leave it where it is."  Don't add paint or correct grammar or move one piece of anything.  It is not your creation; so show it the respect you would want your art to receive.

 

© 2016, 2023 – Cheryl Fillion

 

Clutter

My house is cluttered.  Not really dirty but just cluttered.  I have piles or boxes or bags with projects in them everywhere. A friend once came to my house and while looking around my living room, I said “Welcome to the Heartfully Cheryl Manufacturing Center”.  I wanted her to know there was a reason for all the clutter (and why she couldn’t sit on my couch) and it wasn’t that I wasn’t a good housekeeper. 

I am one of those people who have several different projects going on at once.  In fact behind me right now. laying across my sewing machine. is a pair of slacks I am about to finish but I also need to get this blog written.  Usually I don’t mind the clutter and I am able to move from project to project.  But once in a while, I just have to straighten up.

I read all these articles and blogs about how cleaning up the clutter helps calm the nerves and helps focus the mind.  I can see how that would be.  There are times when I am looking for a particular tool and can’t find it where it usually is because it is stored with a project where it is being used.  And I do spend (or maybe waste) time hunting for it.

I read in these articles that cleaning the clutter helps allow in new things.  Not sure I need anything new but I get the point.  So once in a while I go through my projects and supplies and see if there is anything I need to discard.

One of the things I do with my fabric is sort out the scraps.  To me that is anything smaller than a fat quarter(an 18 x 22 inch of fabric).  These scraps I cut into various sized squares; anything from 2” to 6”.  I then put them in boxes dedicated to the individual size square.  This has become useful when doing a project that requires a certain size. I have the squares cut and ready to use.  Or if I just need a scrap of some green for an appliquéd leaf I go to my box of squares and usually find what I need.  I don’t have to sort through yards of fabric.

Another thing I have started to do is dedicated a certain amount of time cleaning one area of my work room.  I can do anything for 15 or 30 minutes and it usually takes a big chunk out of my clutter. 

So you might be asking what I do with the clutter I am eliminating.  I usually see if someone else wants it.  At our Fiber Artist group we have a monthly raffle.  Bring something you are no longer going to use and put it on the table.  If someone wants it they will buy a raffle ticket and maybe win it.  The money goes into our general fund.  The one problem with that is while you are getting rid of your clutter, you might end up winning someone else’s clutter. 

Another thing I do is donate it.  Our guild has a section of our quilt show set aside for basically a garage sale.  You as a member donate fabric, books, tools, even some handmade items to the guild and they sell it during the show bringing in money to get the type of programs the members want.

Now if you don’t have a fiber artist raffle or quilt show garage sale, why not donate your clutter to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.  The money from their thrift stores help run their programs.  Or if it is general crafts items, donate it to a school or day care for the children to use.  It helps their budget. 

See if a friend just starting out in crafts like quilting could use your scraps.  I gave some of my 6” squares to a friend who just wanted to make a scrap quilt but didn’t have a lot of money to buy yards of fabric.  Or maybe give it to a mother with young children who need some crafts to keep them busy during the summer.  When I started to do the kid’s crafts at the farmers market, I asked my quilt guild for empty thread spools for a project and the guild members not only gave me spools but any other craft supplies they had but didn’t want to help out with the crafts I was planning.  I didn’t have to buy anything that first year of crafts.

So whether you are cleaning out your clutter for peace of mind, to bring in new things or to keep your house off one of those hoarding television shows you see on cable TV, there are places to send your items other than the city dump.  And who knows maybe in cleaning out your work room (or your Manufacturing Center), you may find a special treasure you forgot you had under all that clutter (like a couch. haha). 

 

©2019,2023 - Cheryl Fillion

 

July’s Quirky Holidays

July has a lot of holidays.  Of course in the US, there is July 4^th, Independence Day when it was decided to separate from Britain and form our own nation.  That is a big summer celebration with picnics, parades and fireworks.  But there are a lot more reasons to celebrate in July, especially if a picnic on July 4^th isn’t enough.

There are all kinds of food “Days”.  July 1^st is Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day and International Chicken Wing Day. July 3^rd is Eat Beans Day.  Sidewalk Egg Frying Day is also on July 4^th (not sure I would want to eat that egg).  Do you like apple turnovers?  Well, have one on July 5^th, that is National Apple Turnover Day.  July 6^th is National Fried Chicken Day.  July 7^th is Chocolate Day, International Cherry Pit Spitting Day (got to eat the cherry to get the pit) and National Strawberry Sundae Day.  My favorite summer fruit – blueberries is honored on July 8^th.(and then Pick Blueberries Day is on the 10^th and National Blueberry Muffins Day is the 11^th)

July 10^th is National Sugar Cookie Day (and you could revisit the Chocolate Day and Strawberry Sundae Day by having aother sundae with a little chocolate syrup and a cookie).  Just to make sure we get in another dessert, Pecan Pie Day is July 12^th.  French Fries are honored on July 13^th (appropriate since French Bastille Day is the 14^th).  We go back to ice cream with National Ice Cream Day (different from July 1^st which is Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day, remember). Have some pudding on Tapioca Pudding Day on the 15^th.  And with all these sweets, eat some spinach on the 16^th for Fresh Spinach Day.

We do another flavor of ice cream on the 17^th for Peach Ice Cream Day.  And to get a little fancy, try some caviar on National Caviar Day on the 18^th but I wouldn’t combined it with the other food honored on that day, Hot Dogs.  And with all this food you do need a drink now and then, so for the adults try a Daiquiri on its day the 19^th. Cakes are also back on the 19^th with National Raspberry Cake Day.  The 20^th brings another ice cream day with National Ice Cream Soda day.  Don’t want anymore ice cream but you do want something sweet?  Switch the ice cream for a lollipop on the 20^th – it’s that sweet sucker’s national day. 

And so we don’t forget a favorite ‘unofficial’ food group, July 21^st is National Junk Food Day.  Remember with chips, you can’t eat just one.  July still hasn’t had enough of ice cream.  We have to honor the basic, vanilla on July 23rd. You don’t have to live south of the border to get some tequila on the 24^th.  That day is National Tequila Day.  The 28^th is a favorite of children of every age: National Milk Chocolate Day.

July 1^st was International Chicken Wing Day.  We also need to bring it home with National Chicken Wing Day on July 29^th.  If you want more of a meal, the 29^th is also National Lasagna Day.  And we finish off the food month with a sweetie on the 30^th, National Cheesecake Day. 

Now if you can’t find something to celebrate with food during the month of July, you are just too picky of an eater.  To the rest of us, I say “LET’S EAT!”

©2018, 2023 Cheryl Fillion