Have Your Say

A Busy Time of Year

As we head into the final weeks of 2021, we know that this is an incredibly busy time of year for everyone. So, we just wanted to tell you all how grateful we are that you’re still reading and enjoying the newsletter and that you’re taking the time out of your busy schedules to send us your thoughts.

Firstly, you may remember that Caitlin Doyle wrote to us about her migraines and the difficulty she now has with stitching due to their severity. We just wanted to tell you that we had a few wonderfully thoughtful responses from the community, but they were very personal, so we have passed them on to Caitlin herself. We hope that some of them can offer her both assistance and reassurance.

Mary Wyn Thompson shared a story with us about her 21-year-old grandson. Recently he phoned Mary and asked if she would show him how to cross stitch. He had bought a beginner’s kit and wanted to give it a try. It seems, with Mary’s guidance, he took to it straight away and the following week came with another little cross stitch project to work on. Mary was thrilled. She says she doesn’t know how long it will last, but he had always been interested in her stitching when he was a little boy, so it seems he’s finally decided to try it himself.

Maureen shared a little bit of her own stitching journey with us. She said that when she was 4-years old, her grandmother had given her hooped handkerchiefs and threaded needles to keep her busy. She’s now in her 80s and she’s still stitching. She also loves knitting, crocheting, sewing, weaving and quilting.

‘Making the most of my gifts is what keeps me young. I love it.’

We’re so glad that stitching can bring so much joy to young and old alike.

Image courtesy of tomatotimers.com

After reading about the Pomodoro Technique, Jenni Langford told us that she went back to college well over 20 years after leaving school and she used this technique to get through her studies. She would use the 5-minute break to do a little bit of housework or to make a snack. Her advice is to not just focus on what you are doing for the 25 minutes, but also to be mindful and focus during the 5-minute break, ensuring you won’t be distracted by it when you sit down to do another ‘Pom’. She now uses the technique for crafts and highly recommends it.

Susanne Scheurwater has been considering productivity. She claims that she definitely puts the ‘PRO’ into ‘PROcrastination’ so this segment resonated with her strongly. However, she wanted to highlight the Stephen Covey quote that was shared in the newsletter, as she thought it was highly relevant:

‘The key is not to prioritise what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.’

Finally, another little saying from Bridget O’Brien. Knowing that whoever you are and however experienced you are with your stitching, everyone will have to unpick some time, the mantra she lives by is:

‘As ye sew, so shall ye rip!’

We think that is the perfect place to leave it this week. Good luck with your plans, celebrations and stitching over the coming busy weeks and months but if you get a moment, please write in as we love to hear your thoughts and ideas.