I've been thinking a lot about the topic of self care during the past year of lockdowns.

I’ve come to realise that I’ve always practiced self care via crafting. It provides me a point of focus away from everything else going on and as an introvert it is an activity that I can do alone to recharge my batteries. I find that if I don’t have a craft project on the go I feel a little lost.

Craft is known to have a positive impact on wellbeing and there is starting to be some scientific research to back this up. For some it is the rhythm and repetition, whereas for others it is working on something where there will be a tangible outcome (within our control).

This Craft Council blog explores some of these reasons. And this article is an interesting read on author’s reflection on the calming effects of needlecraft in their life.

But crafting projects frequently come with imposed or self-imposed ‘rules’, which for some can be a help or hinderance when using craft as self care. Are these familiar?

You must use these materials

You can only make this stitch using this technique

To achieve this look you must do 10 of these and 5 of these

Over the past few years I’ve learned that my personality type is one which thrives when there are rules or boundaries to work within (maybe that is why I’m drawn to certain crafts?). Combined with that, I lean strongly towards my head (thinking) being in control. But I am consciously trying to bring in my heart (feeling) more into my everyday life.

But even I, directed by ‘rules’ and my head, love the freedoms and choices that we can make even within those ‘rules’.

For example, with a crochet or knitting pattern, if you don’t follow the ‘rules’ closely you won’t get the right size & shape. But you don’t have to use the exact colour (or even the exact yarn) shown in the pattern.

I try to build in a combination of framework and freedom into the kits that I design. I know that sometimes I need a project that I can pick up and just be guided how to stitch something exactly like in the picture. Other times I crave total creative freedom to turn a bunch of materials into something unique. A lot of the time I need something in-between - an idea that I can broadly follow but add my own twist to.

One of my favourite ways to craft that fulfils that ‘in-between’ is intuitive embroidery. I find it a particularly mindful embroidery practice with no constraints, no fixed pattern and no plan. Each stitch starts by selecting a thread colour, seeing where that colour fits best and stitching in whatever form seems right. No stitch is a mistake. Occasionally one stitch may look out of place, but adding other stitches around it tends resolve the unease to create something beautiful.

I've been working on some kits that use this intuitive embroidery technique and the first of these that I’ve released is this heart design. It's stitched using isolated stitches. These are stitches that you can place anywhere. They don't need to be connected to any other stitches, which make them perfect for this technique.

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