Crafting for the Soul with LoveCrafts

*AD – This is a collaborative post

Well I’ve made it through my first 2 weeks of social isolation and my first full week of attempting to be a Mum, a teacher, a housewife, a nurse, a chef, a children’s entertainer, an employee and a self employed blogger all at the same time. I am exhausted. My partner unfortunately started showing symptoms on Monday and has pretty much been in bed since; meaning any support I may have had during the working week was gone.

I have been working my normal office hours across the 5 days instead of three and like many others across the globe, attempting to balance childcare and work commitments and feeling like neither have had the level of attention they deserve.

Despite having been mentally exhausted by the time I crawl into my makeshift bed in my daughters bedroom, I have struggled to switch off and settle down to sleep, and even blogging which is normally my release and way to offload has failed to remove the sickening knot in my stomach.

Over the weekend I have been trying to release some of that stress and anxiety I’ve been feeling during this period of unknown through the process of craft – in particular embroidery. LoveCrafts, the home for all things crafting, from knitting to stitching, recently sent me one of their Hawthorne Embroidery kits which are ideal for beginners. Now felt like as good a time as any to give it a go!

Embroidery & Mental Health

Not only did I find sitting with a needle and thread incredibly calming, but it’s a great way to practice mindfulness – “the practice of being aware of your body, mind and feelings in the present moment, thought to create a feeling of calm”.

Embroidery has been proven to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, with its repetitive creative motions keeping the mind engaged, and making them less likely to wonder off to negative thoughts.

Given the current global pandemic and the never ending stream of breaking news, I also found it a great way to incorporate some much need screen free time – no social media rabbit holes, no breaking news, no scare mongering, no negativity – just me and a needle and thread, focusing on the here and now.

Embroidery also offers a sense of achievement and progress, so that even on the days where you feel like everything has gone wrong, you still have something to show for your time.

Hawthorne Handmade Embroidery Kits

I was recently gifted a Hawthorne Handmade Embroidery kit from LoveCrafts, of which there are a huge number of different (and beautiful!) designs. I chose the wildflower meadow, which reminded me of the Spring flowers you might expect to see during a woodland walk – perhaps something to compensate for the lack of National Trust visits I will be taking this season!

Ideal for an embroidery novice, each kit comes with a 7″ embroidery ring and all the materials needed for the project including pre printed cotton fabric, DMC stranded cotton in 5 colours, and an embroidery needle.

The set comes in a beautiful gift box, with an illustrated stitch guide and instructions so you can get started straight away. The colour choices on the box are recommendations, but you of course have the freedom to add your own artistic flair if you wish.

I found the instructions easy to follow, and after a particularly bad day, I have to admit that even 10 minutes sat with my fabric stitching away, worked wonders in bringing a sense of calm and perspective. I put the phone away, turned it onto silent, and just enjoyed watching my creation come to life.

The set has taken me about 4 sessions so far, and I still have a way to go before its complete, but I LOVE watching the finished effect come to life. If you are struggling to adapt to the change of routine, or switch off from some of the barrage of scary headlines, then I would definitely recommend leaning towards your creative side. From adult colouring in books to knitting, cross stitch to embroidery, deco-patch to sitting at your sewing machine, find the activity that works best for you!

Want to win a Hawthorne Handmade Embroidery kit of your own?

Thanks to the team at Love Crafts we have a Hawthorne Handmade wildflower meadow kit to giveaway to one lucky winner. To enter, please use the Gleam app below.

Love Crafts Embroidery Kit Giveaway

PLEASE NOTE – With the current unprecedented situation across the globe at the point of writing, things are changing rapidly from one day to the next. For that reason I have updated my Terms and Conditions to include longer lead times. You can read the full terms of entry here. By entering this give-away you are deemed to have accepted these revised terms.

Giveaway opens on 30th March 2020 and closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 12th April 2020, UK entries only. GOOD LUCK!