Is Quilting Good Therapy?

In a world full of turmoil and stress, it is great to know that you can find some peace of mind taking up a new hobby or enjoying an old one. Quilting can be excellent therapy for anyone who wants to try it. Here 16 ways quilting can help you feel better about yourself and your life.

1. Quilting encourages and inspires you to be creative which is a great gift.
2. Helps you get into a “flow” stage which helps to lower stress.
3. Challenges your brain as you learn new ways of sewing quilt blocks.
4. It is like putting a puzzle together which is also good for your brain.
5. Helps you gain confidence.
6. It is like an adventurous journey (without leaving home) and you complete it when you finish your quilt.
7. Quilting is good for hand eye coordination.
8. Helps you to relax.
9. Gives you permission to make mistakes and be yourself.
10. As you sew quilt blocks, you can enjoy your favorite tunes or movies.
11. Health benefit may lower blood pressure as you do what you enjoy.
12. Gives you structure in your day.
13. Teaches you to be patient with your self.
14. A sense of accomplishment which is really rewarding.
15. Something you can bless someone else’s life with.
16. A talent you can share with others which can bring a feeling of satisfaction.

Quilting can bring joy, satisfaction, and a feeling of calm and peace to your life. I have found all of these things as I quilt. Whether you are beginner or a seasoned quilter, quilting brings with it many positive benefits. Here are sixteen.

1. Quilting Inspires Your Creativity

Creativity makes you act upon your thoughts. It helps you put into action something you design and make. A quilt can be a simple patchwork. It can be a crazy quilt without pattern rhyme or reason. Creativity is purposeful. It challenges your mind and can help comfort you when you go through difficult things. It relieves your mind of things you are going through or can uplift you and help you think through your problems while doing something you enjoy.

I was reminded one day while shopping for fabric and trying to figure out a quilt I wanted to make. The cashier owned the store and her words were kind and wise to me as I questioned whether I could make my quilt. She offered a smile and assured me there are no mistakes when quilting because you are in charge of creating your quilt. You can design it any way you want to. Feel inspired and brave and go for it! Give your quilt a try no matter how easy or how hard. Believe in you! Believe in your ability to create!

2. Get In The Flow

Flow is a modern term for a condition where you are so focused on an enjoyable task that you forget about everything around you. You are completely focused on what you are doing. A couple of years ago, I came across a doctor Rangun Chatterjee. He believes in flow and the positive affects of flow as it helps to lower stress and can be very rejuvenating to your mind, heart, and soul. (His book by the way, I highly recommend and it is called “Feel better in Five.”) When you are in the state of “flow”, it can last beyond the activity you are doing and affect your over all attitude about yourself and your life.

Everyone should spend a few minutes a day doing something they love doing. That is all it takes is just a few minutes. Quilting can fill this bill. Even just working on a quilting project for 5 minutes a day. (Although I dare you! Bet you can’t do it just for 5 minutes. Quilting is addicting…in the best possible use of this word!) Watch your self feel refreshed and less stressed when you focus on your quilting especially on a regular basis. It can be very emotionally up lifting.

3. Challenge Your Brain

Challenging your brain is such a good practice. Why not do that while you quilt. When you try to figure out a new pattern, if you design your own quilt pattern, choosing fabric colors, etc…These activities all challenge your brain and are really good for it! Stress takes its toll on our brains. Instead of worrying and stressing try challenging yourself instead! Even if you aren’t sure what to make. Take some time to choose a pattern you feel like you can do. Practice makes perfect. Start simple and work into something more advanced. Even the easiest of patterns can be a beautiful project if you really put yourself into it. If you are more advanced in your quilting projects, that is ok. Challenge yourself with something even harder next time or try designing your own pattern.

4. Quilting Is Like Putting A Puzzle Together

I just mentioned how quilting can challenge your brain. I find a lot of fun in creating my own pattern designs. It takes me some time to figure out how I will create my quilt but to me it is really rewarding. I am all about fun and easy when it comes to quilting. When I see a quilt pattern, I often try to figure out how to simplify and create my quilt block. Whether you choose to make your own quilt block or choose an already made quilt pattern it is much like putting a puzzle together. As you choose your fabric and where you will put each piece and color you have chosen it makes your mind work together with your hands to create your work of art. (No matter how hard or how easy your quilt pattern is, if it is made by you, it is your work of art.)

5. Gain Confidence

I know who thought right? You can gain confidence in yourself and your abilities by quilting. This is how it works for me. Each quilt I tackle and see it through to the end which means quilting it and binding it, my confidence grows in what I can do. This can work for you too. The more experience you gain by quilting the greater your confidence grows because your ability to quilt gets better. That’s not to say you have to be perfect each time you make a quilt block. Quilting is learned a block at at time and can help you gain confidence a step at a time.

6. Enjoy The Journey

Do you have an adventurous spirit? Do you like to see where a journey takes you? So many times when I start designing a quilt to make, I end up with a different outcome than I first intended. Sometimes I get to the fabric store and the colors I wanted to create with I throw out the window because I find a piece of fabric that really inspires or “speaks to me”. My creative journey just took an unexpected turn. However I am ok with that because I know where it takes me will still be a good place.

Perhaps the quilt block you are making doesn’t quite work out the way you originally want it to. Still it’s ok. This journey is your journey. Each time you pick out fabric and start designing a quilt block, it is fun to see what you will create in the end. What problems you will need to figure out in completing your quilt.

Now if you are someone that would rather take a more sure quilting journey where you know what the quilt will look like in the end by following an existing pattern that is perfect too. This is still an adventurous journey as you start the quilting journey to complete a project that you choose to do.

7. Improve Hand Eye Coordination

When you sew, you are not only using your brain, your eyes, but also your hands. All of these work together to make your quilting project come together. The more you quilt, the more you improve your hand eye coordination. Think about it! Not only do you guide the squares through your sewing machine when making a quilt block, you sometimes have to unpick, redesign, touch the fabric, choose fabrics, decide on a pattern for your quilt, cut out fabric for your quilt and then put it altogether. This involves a coming together of your senses. Your eyes send a message to your brain. Your brain tells your hands what to do. When you think about it our bodies are truly a miracle and the way it all works together! It is worth quilting on a regular basis to help us improve our hand and eye coordination.

8. Quilting Helps You Relax

Don’t you love it when you are doing something you enjoy. It helps you to relax. That is what quilting can do for you. I mentioned flow already and this relates to that. If you look forward to quilting, already you are headed for relaxation. When you dive into your quilting project whether you are sewing quilt blocks or hand quilting your quilt, both can be very relaxing if you enjoy doing it. I love hand quilting quilt blocks. I love the way hand quilting defines the lines and shapes of a block. I can’t explain why I enjoy it so much but it makes me feel like I am progressing and getting something worthwhile done.

Quilting distracts your mind from the cares or worries of your day. It helps you to focus on something you are excited to create. (At least I get excited about each new quilting project I take on.) Try picking up a piece of quilting and hand quilt while you are watching tv. Just look at what you can accomplish doing two things you enjoy at the same time. Plus it gives you a sense of accomplishment because you aren’t just mindlessly watching a tv program. You are progressing on a quilting project. You are in the process of doing something worthwhile which can help you enjoy and relax as you do it.

9. Permission To Make Mistakes

Ok stop right here and take note. When you quilt, be yourself and you can make mistakes. Sometimes mistakes lead to something better or you learn from them so it helps you become a better quilter. Whatever it can do for you, don’t be afraid to make mistakes! I make a lot of mistakes quilting believe me! What it helps me do is to not repeat that mistake again.(Sounds a little like life doesn’t it? Wink Wink!) If you commit to taking on a more advanced quilting project, just have confidence in your ability to work through any mistakes and make it all right. If you need to, get some help. Nothing wrong with that. Ask a local quilter for a little of their know how. I have faith in you that you can fix the problem.

10. Make It Enjoyable

Clear your sewing place so it is clutter free and comfortable in that space. Perhaps have some of our favorite snacks you can enjoy while you quilt. Turn on favorite tunes or put in a fun movie, listen to a podcast to improve yourself while you are quilting. If you need to make a phone call, turn your speaker on, call and then talk while you cut out your quilt. There are all kinds of ways to make quilting enjoyable. As you may know, quilting takes a lot of time to do, so plan your time in a way that you can enjoy it!

11. May Lower Blood Pressure

I am not a medical expert but from my research, quilting may benefit you by lowering your blood pressure. This would make sense if you are truly enjoying what you do. Quilting could help lower stress which could lower blood pressure as well. Try an experiment. Take your blood pressure before, during, and after a quilting session. You might really surprise yourself!

12. Structure Feels Good

You know when you have things you do every day at a specific time each day and you get it done? It gives purpose to your day. The night before decide when and what you will work on the next time you quilt. I try to do a little each day except for weekends. Weekends are reserved for time with my hubby. When you structure your day, even if you don’t have everything planned out that you need to get done it gives you a sense of accomplishment. Like you got something done in your day and you will make progress towards finishing your quilt.

13. Patience Is The Name Of The Game

When you make a mistake and you decide to unpick your sewing, this gives you the. opportunity to be patient with yourself. I don’t like unpicking anymore than the next quilter, but it teaches me to do the job right. If you are going to spend the time and (time is precious!) it is an investment quilting something you want to be proud of and you put your stamp of approval on, then take the time to make it the best it can be. The best you an make it. At times, you can take a few shortcuts and skip the unpicking but for the most part when I want to surrender, I just tell myself, “You got this! Take the time to improve your mistake.” It just makes your quilt mean more to you because you were patient enough to make your very best!

14. Good Sense Of Accomplishment

It is the best feeling in the world to feel like you have finished or accomplished something you were working on achieving. I feel this each time I make a quilt. It isn’t just when I finish a project either. This feeling comes at each step of the process that I complete. I look at my quilt blocks and think how nice it is I finished that part of my quilt. Then when I add other blocks or sashing it is equally as satisfying to know I worked hard and completed those. Once I bind my quilt and quilt it, again that sense of purpose and accomplishment makes me feel glad that I took the time to quilt. Totally worth it!

15. You Can Bless Others With Your Quilting

There are several ways you can bless the lives of other with your quilting. Here are some ideas you can use:

1. If you give your quilt away, you bless the life of the receiver. I give most of my quilts away. So when I quilt, I am usually quilting with a purpose. It is very rewarding to hand over something you have created to make someone else happy.
2. You can start a quilting group. Group therapy! Get together with a few friends and invite them to work on a quilt block with you. Enjoy sharing snacks, conversation, and some crafting. It can bless not only their lives but yours.
3. Look on the website “Just Serve” on your computer in your local area. You could help make blankets for refugees, maybe for local hospitals, or perhaps there is a need in your church for people to make blankets for those in need.

16. Share Your Quilting Know How

I just shared how you could start a quilting group in the paragraphs above but think about this idea. Maybe you have a grand daughter, a niece, a cousin, or a sister that might like to learn how to quilt. You could reach out and share your knowledge with family members. Perhaps your local high school or middle school could use some extra help in Home Economics when they do their sewing segment. You could offer to teach a quilt block to the class or basic hand quilting stitches.What about teaching young girls in rehab how to take up a new hobby that might help teach them to sew and quilt to help build confidence in themselves When you start thinking about it, there are many ways you could share your love of quilting with others. This gives you a great sense of satisfaction when you are able to share your talents or knowledge with others. This will bless your life.

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