I have come to see much of my crafting as self-care. When I am feeling overwhelmed by the world around me I can retreat into the therapy of making things. My hands are engaged, as well as my creative brain, which leaves my subconscious free to work through all the things that are bothering me.
This week was especially hard. The writing came slowly and it was like pulling teeth to get the words on the page. And even when I finally finished the chapter I will need to leave it alone for a while before I can come back to it and see if there is anything I wrote that I like. This happens all the time when it comes to my writing. I am never satisfied with what I wrote until much, much later.
But the topic of the chapter–kindness–was so hard for me to articulate. I think of myself as a kind person, but putting into words why I feel it is important to witchcraft and magic tested my limits. It doesn’t help that the world right now is in such short supply, and I didn’t feel especially kind, myself.
I got through this week by making fabric flowers using the pattern from my upcoming book, The Witch’s Wardrobe. The fabric was left over from my fall bunting project. The color palette is one that I especially like, so it was soothing work, even if I pricked my fingers over and over again as I worked the needle. With each flower, I could feel my heart easing just a little bit. My back brain worked through all the ways that I could find the magic in kindness. And my body kept reminding me that what I was feeling now was fleeting and I would feel differently later.
I remade my little goddess/fairy doll from the winter wreath. I had to as I had made the mistake of gluing her to that project and so her hair and body weren’t salvageable. It was an exercise in remembering that I should be more deliberate in my planning, rather than taking shortcuts, so that I can be more flexible in the future. I gave her a makeover, with brown and red colors to suit the season.
But the best part of the project, I think, was using the buttons I bought last year from a sewing sale. There is something about using materials that have been sitting in your stash for a while that just feels right. Overall, I feel like I managed to put together something beautiful that will grace the door of our home throughout the rest of fall. I did sew the flowers on this time, instead of relying on hot glue. I want to be able to reuse the flowers if I so wish.
Next week I work on the patience chapter of this fifth book. I’m less patient than I am kind so I’m going to be working extra hard to get that writing done. I’ve already decided that I need to sew some new clothes, as well, to reduce the amount of fabric I have lying around. First up will be a skirt made from a bunch of butterfly print fabric. It should be a great piece to wear come the spring.