Fiber Harmony (Stitch 'n Dish)

Category: Self-Care

  • Old school crafting

    Old school crafting

    I won’t pretend to know the perfect balance between using what we have and buying new, but I think it’s always a WIN when we at least consider some stash options in our creative projects. Here’s to BALANCE in our crafting, shopping and lives overall.

  • Stash-busting as therapy

    Stash-busting as therapy

    A brief look at the issue of craft supply (textile) hoarding, de-stashing, and the related psychological impulses that keep us well-supplied with more fabric and yarn than we’ll use in 3 lifetimes!

  • Fighting the Winter doldrums

    Fighting the Winter doldrums

    January and February in the American Northeast/Mid-Atlantic can be challenging in terms of our emotional health. It’s COLD, with snow – which is lovely when it first falls but then gets DIRTY from all the salt and traffic, and the dirty snow hangs around for weeks, making the cold, gray, days even MORE depressing. In…

  • January’s creative work

    January’s creative work

    Celebrating even the tiniest of our accomplishments isn’t self‑indulgence; it’s a psychological power move. The recognition strengthens our mind in ways that build over time, especially when we are juggling jobs/work, caregiving, or leadership roles – areas where progress is often difficult to see.

  • Tuesday evening

    Tuesday evening

    Lately, I have found myself browsing the patterns posted in a Facebook group dedicated to sewing pattern destashing. It’s amazing to me the sheer volume of patterns that exist out there, not in stores, but in sewing rooms and storage areas of people across the country . Last week, a woman I have purchased from…

  • A quick gift

    A quick gift

    Whether we are making a gift to give, or making one for ourselves, these are fun, quick, and for those who sew – the materials are usually readily available in our stash. Here’s to a Winter season of stitching fun!

  • The hermit response

    The hermit response

    I will continue to engage with my fiber arts groups and remain connected with fiber friends. These are the connections that become so vital in times of national stress. But I will also allow myself to be comforted with the impulse to hibernate, focused on fabric and yarn; like my grandma before me. And like…

  • A post-holiday project

    A post-holiday project

    After the stress and frenzy of the holiday season, there’s no better activity than “yarn therapy”. Here’s to the cost savings that come with stashbusting; to relaxing with yarn, and to making things for ourselves as we settle into the New Year.

  • Gifts from the heart

    Gifts from the heart

    [We] know from research in Psychology that gift giving is beneficial to us, in and of itself. Multiple studies have documented that “gift-giving, particularly when the giftee is someone with whom we have a close relationship, activates key reward pathways in our brain” (APA.org).

  • The true cost of hand-made gifts

    The true cost of hand-made gifts

    It’s another New Year, and the time when we all think about making resolutions, implementing changes, and improving our lives. I can think of NO BETTER GOAL than for fiber artists everywhere to start valuing ourselves more fully.