Practice Makes Better, Not Perfect

I recently wrote about my absence from this blog.   I had developed some infections and had heart surgery so all my energy went to getting better. 

But some of the energy and time, particularly in the hospital, went to needlework. Having a needle and thread in my hand helped calm me.  It occupied my time and mind.  It helped make some of that time away from home feel normal.

But I have to admit that with the weakness in my body, my stitches were not as pretty as they had been before I got sick.  My embroidery looked like it did when I was 9 years old and just learning to stitch even though I had been stitching for decades.

I'm not one to take out my stitches and redo them when they are not smooth and since the pieces were just for me, I just left them.  I was fairly sure that redoing them would not improve them and would just stress and frustrate me, undoing the calm the stitching had brought me in the first place.

The actual stitching was helping me in other ways.  As I mentioned it calmed me while I lived, at one point 4 months, in a place that was not mine.  It kept my mind occupied as I waited for tests to be done or results to be reported.  

It brought some normalcy to my life;  I was doing what I would have at home. Even to the point of displaying them in my hospital rooms just like I would have at home. I began to notice as I looked at my hand stitched display, that my stitches were getting tighter, straighter, and smooth looking.  My skill was coming back.

I realized it was just like with my physical therapy.  The more steps I took  or the more I worked with a hand weight, the stronger I became and the better my movement was.  I slowly became more confident in my stitching and my stepping.  

So if you find yourself in a situation where your skill has weakened from illness or injury, don't give up.  Keep stitching.  Keep painting, sculpting, making pots, doing wood work, even cooking or baking.  Keep up with your creating.  It may not be your prettiest work but it will get better and it is helping you heal inside as well.  

© 2026. Cheryl E Fillion 

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 

Laughter

 Someone once said “Laughter is the best medicine.” And they were right.  Laughter might not cure anything but it makes you feel better.  And this is needed during these recent days.

How can laughter make you feel better?  Well to start with when you are laughing you are smiling. And that is always a good thing.

Studies show that laughter lowers blood pressure and releases a chemical which reduces stress hormones which can then in turn boost your immune system.

The actually act of laughing can reduce the tension your muscles hold when you are stresed.  When I was in graduate school, I strained my back.  It hurt to move and aspirin wasn’t helping.  I went to the campus theater to see Shakespeare A Midsummers Night’s Dream, one of his funnier plays, when I left my back felt much better.  I had laughed so long and so hard that it actually released the tension in my back.

Having a good laugh also helps with depressed feelings.  If you can look at a situation from a different angle, it helps relieve depression.  Things can’t be so bad if you can find some humor in it. Studies show if you use humor you feel less lonely and more positive about yourself.

Now laughter doesn’t have to come from watching a Shakespeare comedy, it can come from being with funny people or watching the antics of a family pet.  If you live alone, check out the videos on Facebook, there are always clips of silly kids and animals.

Make sure you watch a comedy show every day, maybe numerous times a day (Blooper clips on Facebook or Youtube are the best).  Read a funny book. Listen to a comedian on TV or your Iphone.

Think of something you did as a child.  Go outside and dance in the rain or run through a sprinkler.  Finger paint.  Draw with crayons.  Make something silly.  How about a paper hat?  A necklace of daisies or dandelions?  Play in the mud.

Sit on the front porch and watch the animals.  Squirrels are hilarious sometimes. 

Do whatever you can to bring a smile to your face and laughter to your voice.   This will make you happier and which will improve your health and extend your life.  And when you are happy, think of how creative you can be.

©2021 Cheryl Fillion

Reading for My Health

I have spent the last couple of weeks mostly reading.  I have hardly done any needle work.  And it has been the best thing for me. 

It has helped me rest from a very busy summer.  It has distracted me from all the negative news.  And it has given me some wonderful ideas for new quilts and embroidery.

Research has shown that reading is great for your health.  It lowers your stress level by distraction in the form of an engaging story.  If you read before bed, you tend to sleep better (as long as the book isn’t gory or too scary.  But that could just be me.)  It also helps reduce depression and dementia. 

I find that it exposes me to different people (in the character) and different settings I normally wouldn’t have a chance to meet or go.  I particularly like mysteries.  And two mystery series I enjoy have recipes at the end of each book.  One of the series refers to different herbs and the author includes little facts and suggests on how those herbs are to be used.

The way some authors describe the settings of their stories make you feel like you are actually there.  So in my mind, it is like going on vacation.  And it gives me great ideas for a quilt or an embroidery piece.  One series of mysteries the main setting is a tea shop.  I am not much of a tea drinker but I learn so much on how to brew tea, what different types of teas that are out there.   So now tea cups and tea pots are showing up in my designs.  Last year I did a pin cushion exchange in our quilt guild and I needle felted a tea cup to be used as a pin cushion.  I am sure the idea came from those mysteries. 

Some other research on reading shows that reading increases our empathy and gives us another view of the world through the eyes of the characters.  That can be helpful with persona or professional relationships.  Occasionally I read fantasy or science fiction and that does give you another view of your world when comparing it to an alien world.

What I really like is the distraction it gives when things are stressful (if you are involved with a book, you can’t think about what is stressing you).  You just escape for a while.  And with that distraction, it will help lower your blood pressure.  Although I did find out yesterday, that if you have a really engrossing book, it can make you late for an appointment, because you don’t want to put the book down.  Fortunately I got through the discovery of the murderer before I had to leave for class.  I don’t think I would have been able to concentrate wondering Who Dun It?

So the next time you need a break or want to get away but can’t, read a book.  It doesn’t have to be a mystery or even fiction but make sure it is something you want to read, not something you have to read.  It can improve your concentration, your vocabulary and lower your stress.

 

©2019  Cheryl Fillion

 

New Years Resolutions

How many of you make New Year’s Resolutions?  Is it to stop a bad habit or lose weight or exercise more?  Getting healthy sure is a good thing to do. 

But what if your resolution was to be more creative?  What if you made a promise to yourself to do more art or sewing or learn a new craft? 

Every year I go through my unfinished quilting projects and decide which one I am going to finish for the upcoming quilt show in March.  It is amazing to me when I find I only have a little more to do on a project for it to be finished.

Other years I have promised myself to take advantage of the classes my quilt guild offers.  I have learned different ways to quilt on my home sewing machine, new ways to appliqué, new embroidery stitches (after a recent class with our guild I can now do a successful bullion stitch) and can now piece a Y-seam in a quilt block.

This coming year I want to try more sculptures in needle felting and expand my embroidery on needle felted items and I want to finish the log cabin sampler I started so many years ago. And I still want to take as many classes and try as many new crafts as I can.

Why not make sure you add some creativity to your resolutions list?  You can still break a bad habit, lose weight and exercise more but make sure you also create new art that represents who you are and what your 2018 brought to your life. 

Happy 2018 to you.

Cheryl

 

©2017  Cheryl Fillion

Love Many Things

I journal.  I usually have my journal with me everywhere.  Even sometimes to bed.  This way if I need to get down an idea or an emotion, it is right there for me to get it all out.  I try to find journals with interesting covers so I can always look at something inspiring.

My latest journal has inspirational quotes and phrases on the cover.  The one I like the best reads: “Fall in love with as many things as possible”. When I read that I immediately thought of my needlework.  I like doing so many different things and usually have one or two or twenty different projects going on at once.   

I usually get inspired to start a new pattern or design and am too impatient to finish the project I am working on before I start the new one.  I eventually finish my projects.  It might take years but they do get finished. 

 But sometimes the fact that I do so many different types of needle work bothers the people around me.  “Do you do everything?” they ask.  No.  I never got the hang of crocheting, knitting, or tatting.  But still they want me to concentrate on one thing.  Why when there are so many things out there to try?

I like doing different things.  It gives me variety.  I think I would be bored if I did just one thing all the time.  If I do my needle felting for a while and need a change of pace I try a little embroidery or appliqué.  Then after a while I can do the needle felting again.  It is like I have given myself a little vacation and now I am refreshed.

Often one form of needle work gives me a new idea for another needle work I do.  Recently the embroidery I have been doing has inspired me to try embroidery on my needle felting.  I am working on some felted hearts with little flowers embroidered on them.  (I’ll post a picture when I get them done.)

I have also noticed that if I keep switching needlework, my hands or arms don’t get sore.  With needle felting there is the repetitive motion of up and down of the needle into the wool roving or batting but if I do some hand quilting my hand is making a different motion.  So it helps flex different muscles.

And with some things I have to concentrate and with others I can just do it automatically.  So if I am with some friends or watching TV. I can spoolknit or needle felt but if I need to have some quiet, hand quilting or weaving is better for that.

It is OK to like to do different things.  And it is also OK if you like doing just one type of needlework or art.   As another quote on my journal cover says, “Do What You Love”.

 

©2017  Cheryl Fillion

 

When The Worst Happens

For the past couple of weeks, I have been watching the news reports of the damage done by Hurricane Harvey in my home state of Texas.  I never received any of the rain from Harvey but I did wonder how I could help those who did receive the wind and floods.

When Hurricanes Katrina and then Rita hit in 2005, there was a call for quilts for those who had been displaced from their homes.  Our local guild sewed and quilted for days.  No call has come for quilts yet but I started working on some charity quilts just in case.

I wondered what else I could do and have come up with a list of how to help in times of personal or community disasters.

1- Give to local trustworthy charities that are helping in the effort.  My favorite is the Red Cross.  It might mean giving up some supplies for your art but it is worth it.

2- If you can make something to donate, do so.  Quilts, scarves, hats, anything that will help keep those affected warm and wrapped in love.

3- If a local organization is collecting items to take to a disaster area, donate some items.  It is better for those affected if those items like clothes and blankets are new.  You might have a wonderfully warm blanket that is gently used but if your cat or dog or anyone who smokes has been around it, that won’t be helpful if the recipient is allergic to any of these allergens.  (and the same might also be true if you are buying soap to donate.  Try not to give any with perfumes).

If you are bringing canned goods, get some that have a top that opens without a can opener and that might not need a microwave to be cooked.  People in a disaster situation might not have can openers or microwaves.  Peanut butter (or any nut butter) is always a good thing.  It can be eaten on bread or crackers (or in a pinch with fingers), doesn’t need refrigeration or be open with a can opener and still provides a lot of protein.

4- If you and your friends have some art or crafts you can sell, set up an impromptu craft sale and donate the money.  If this seems like something that will take a long time to arrange, know that usually in a natural disaster the need is still there weeks and months after the storm has gone.

5- If the disaster is a personal one such as a house fire, see what you can do for that person.  Take up a collection of kitchen items, or craft or art supplies. Or even a monetary donations so they can get what they need or want.  

Most people want to help in situations like theses and anything you can do is helpful; even a small donation.  A small donation could buy a case of bottled water which in areas of Texas was greatly needed.  Or your small donation could be added to another small donation and help in a bigger way. 

Do what you can to help.  And while you are helping, keep creating.  You never know how what you create now, as people are healing from a disaster, can help in that healing.

©2017 – Cheryl Fillion

The Healing Effects of Creating

For most of my life I have been involved in crafts.  I learned crewel embroidery at the age of 9 and progressed to cross stitch, needlepoint, macramé, ceramics eventually moving to making bears, quilts, dolls, now weaving punchneedle and needlefelting.  I have done just about everything except knitting and crochet (just can’t get the hang of those techniques).

I do crafts for the pleasure of it.  I make crafts for gifts for those people who are important in my life.  I even opened a quilt shop so that others could enjoy making quilts.

I now sell my creations and supplies for other people’s creations in my etsy shop And even though I now sell some of what I make, I still do crafts for the pleasure of it. 

The one thing that most people don’t consider is the healing properties of crafts.  I don’t just mean being able to keep yourself active and alert with patterns and colors which is important.  I mean the solace that creating or receiving a craft can be for yourself or someone else. 

I first realized this over 20 years ago when a friend of mine lost her husband suddenly.  I wanted to wrap her in love and couldn’t figure out a way until I began to make a heart quilt for her.  That quilt showed her my love but it also gave me something to concentrate on when I felt so helpless to relieve her grief.

The next year I lost a colleague from the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization.  I had promised myself when I had time I was going to make a wall hanging of the organization’s symbol for her.  I never had that chance.  After her death it became all the more important for me to keep that promise – for myself.  So I created the wall hanging and presented it to her husband who was deeply touched and understood how much his wife contributed to the lives of others.

After September 11, 2001, all I wanted to do was make little angel dolls. For the reasons all of you can imagine, I wanted to be surrounded by angels. In recent months, I have been helping a group make Quilts of Valor for returning soldiers.  Just like a quilt gives you comfort, so do these quilts comfort our military and hopefully show them they are important to us.

I do a little healing for myself each time I create something. Each item is a reminder to enjoy the present moment.  While I love the finished product, I mostly enjoy the process of creating.  The texture of the fibers soothes me.  The color brightens my day.  Often times what I create – especially my dolls –  makes me laugh.  And I cannot stay sad or angry when I create.

So when you are having a bad day or when someone else is, use your creativity to help someone else or yourself feel better.

© 2017 – Cheryl Fillion

Nature 2 - Earth Day

This weekend one of my favorite holidays occurs.  Oh it isn't one that will be marked in red on the calendar - some calendars don't even include it.  And the banks won't close and the mail will still be delivered. But it honors a very important figure in our lives - Mother Earth.  April 22 is Earth Day.

A couple of months back I wrote about how important it was for us to get out in nature.  With the cold weather leaving, this weekend is your perfect chance.  Contact with nature increases our health, our mental well-being and our creativity.   It slows us down and focuses our awareness on something other than ourselves and other than the fast pace we are all living in.

If you get a chance, take a walk with Mother Earth.  Notice her beauty, her nurturing qualities in the flowers, trees, and animals.  Also notice what we do to her when we don't care - the pollution, the littering, and the tearing up of her form.  How we treat her is exactly how we treat ourselves.  When we don't care, we pollute ourselves with unhealthy things, we litter our minds with noise and busyness and we don't allow ourselves the rest and relaxation that would bring about calm and creativity.

Spend some time in nature this weekend and treat yourselves with love and kindness by extending that time to every day of the year.  Talk a walk, take a picnic, take care of yourself and Mother Earth

There is a patch of woods I know

where I walk

and look and feel.

It's along a road where cars

speed by on their way to

somewhere else.

Driving by you watch

the road and other traffic,

out of the corner of your eye

this wooded strip is always

green and never changing.

But if you walk it, as I do daily,

you see that nothing is the same.

That every day a new miracle appears.

One day you pass to see

tiny little branches coming

from the leaf strewn earth

Start of new trees, you think.

After all they resemble the cluster

of leaves above which shade you.

But then a day or two later this

tiny branch is home to

a yellow flower. You had

not even seen a bud the day before,

Yet here is a little cup of sunshine.

Yesterday there were berries --

deep wine colored berry clusters growing

on variegated vines along the ground.

Today they are gone. Probably

dessert last night for

a family of birds or mice.

Grass grows tall along the edge

of the road.

The grass stalks are the ones

that as children, we would place

between our fingers

and whistle.

Look closer and you will find

a thread vine twisting

the blade, hugging tightly the grass

like two long lost friends

not wanting to part.

Morning glories blooming blue in a

patch near a maple tree.

Are they wild

or did someone drop seeds out

a car window as they sped by.

What is this?

Back along the tree line

is a row of plants.

Prickly stems and leaves protecting

a cluster of buds.

I wonder what they'll look like.

Maybe tomorrow they will open

and peek at me.

As I turn and head for home

sure that I have seen

all the treasures my patch

has to give me,

I come upon a rare

stem of yellow asters,

daisy like flowers I've only

seen in white and purple.

I would have missed it had

I not turned around.

A car passes me, speeding

to an adventure unknown,

too fast to see my tiny

yellow asters.

Too bad for the driver,

for all they see is a blur of green.

poem ©  1999 Cheryl Fillion

blog © 2017– 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 complaints 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.

© 2017 – Cheryl Fillion

Community of Creatives

Quilting bees were common in colonial days.  Groups of women getting together to sew and quilt bedding for each other.  It was a time of companionship but it was also a way for them to teach and encourage theirs and each other's creativity.

These groups act as cheerleaders, pushing and encouraging the members to do what they want to do and, as with many dreams, what they need to do.  They help with brainstorming for solutions to problems such as where to get affordable supplies, how to barter work for training, where to display work, who to meet to achieve one’s goals.  They are there to cheer great successes and soothe the lesser successes (I don't like the word failure.).

You don't have to be working on the same type of creativity.  I can get just as much support from a painter or a writer as a quilter.  And you don't have to be at the same point in your creativity journey.  In fact, it is helpful if you're not.  The novice can see their future better with someone who has been creating their dreams for a longer time, and the experienced dreamer can be reminded of how far they have come.

You just need to meet once in a while and dream together.  Meet for coffee if there is just two of you or meet in a more formal setting if there is a group.  Allow each person to share their triumphs and disappointments, and allow the other members of the group to offer ideas.  Sometimes it is fun - if you can do it - to create together.  Plan a project together like a collage or just bring what you can work on and dream and create together. A recent memory I have of time with a fellow creative dreamer was the two of us finishing a baby quilt for a charity while talking through the snags in each of our very different dreams. 

 There is no reason to go at this creative journey alone.  Get together a group. You do want to make sure that the people you invite to your group are not the critics or just plain negative people.  That will just undermine what you are trying to do.  Make one rule of the group to be that even if you don't understand or enjoy another person's creative passion, it will still be treated with respect.

Don't miss the joy of a community of creatives - find or form a group.

© 2016 – Cheryl Fillion

Nature

One way to encourage your creativity is to spend time in nature.  It doesn't matter where you go or what you do, just make sure you are away from concrete and asphalt.

Talk a walk in the park.  Work in your garden.  Go on a nature hike in nearby woods.  My favorite place is the local zoo.  I love to walk the trails and watch the animals.  Its design helps me feel isolated and I forget I am in the middle of a city.  No street sounds, no city smells.  Just the animals and trees.  Just nature.

Nature heals.  There is a psychological theory that the more we move inside to buildings with central heat and air with windows which don't open and surround ourselves with all the modern conveniences and technology, the more mental illness we will suffer.

   

Nature keeps us grounded. It slows us down, focuses us.  It moves and blooms and grows in its time, not ours. If we want to watch a butterfly, we have to do it now not when our cell phone call is over.  Nature fuels our core of energy, our creativity.

Nature inspires.  I bet there isn't an artist now or in history who hasn't painted, written, danced or sung nature.  Nature shows that there are endless possibilities to everything.  In nature there isn't one bird, flower, or tree but a multitude.  There isn't one color green or purple but infinite shades of each.  One never lacks if one is in nature.

If your creativity is slow in starting or has stalled altogether, spend some time in nature this week. I know it helps me, I have a feeling it will help you.  

                                                                   Floral Coduroy Fabric

                                                          Heavenly Gardener Applique Pattern

© 2016 – Cheryl Fillion