A well overdue update on my big project of last year, my Covid hankies. A random selection of blog posts from last year can be found here here here and here. But searching by hankies will find you most of them.
However, here we are one month into 2022, and the hankies are not done.
I need to rewind to August last year when I began to suffer some very weird hand symptoms. Excruciating pain as I tried to turn door knobs, dropping things as sharp pain burst through my hand. I went to see my physio and we had a great yarn about what might be happening and both decided I should go see a hand therapist.
I did that and she was quite clear that I needed to slow down on the stitching; use some anti-inflammatories, wear a pressure glove and really reduce my stitching. I think I said that twice, because she certainly did!
Which left me a bit betwixt and between. I couldn't really stitch but I knew I wanted to finish the project. So I chose to stop stitching until I was symptom-free and then do a slow but graduated return with a few modifications to my style.
What happened of course is that I kept on collecting the information, recording it, writing it down, planning for the next months and so on. But I didn't pick up the needle.
I was fearful I guess; as a maker I really really use my hands. As a former physio I know that rest is vital to repair and recovery. I was really concerned about setting up a chronic situation of flares ups, settling, flares up and so on; ending up in the need for surgery (which was discussed as a real possibility). So I behaved. But psychologically I also stayed away from even doing small bits, and then other work took precedence and here we are in the new year without having picked up the hankies in nearly 6 months.
Where I left off stitching July.
So I gave myself the task of trying again and seeing how much I could do. It turns out that baby steps are still needed, but I think I have made some progress.
A half hour here; a half-hour there. An hour one day, another half hour here.
My mouse mat acts a reminder of the cottage...
Today in the studio I was determined. I did the second last line in half an hour, took a break for an hour or two then finished the last line in about 45 minutes.
The coffee mug in the background is a gift from a friend - a reminder of our former Prime Minister Julia Gillard's famous misogny speech. Go Girl this video is powerful.
The fierce symptoms haven't returned; yet there is swelling and strain up my arm; and a few weird pins and needles things on occasions. The glove helps a lot and I have tried to remember to take arnica beforehand and afterwards. I think I will be able to finish them, but ever so slowly.
They remain a really important piece of work for me, and a remarkable reminder of all the ups and downs last year with the virus.
I am not repeating them this year but have another small Covid recording project up my sleeve.
would you consider using fabric paint and printing on the hankies. Irene in N Ireland
ReplyDeleteThanks Irene for your thoughts - I am trying to think of all sorts of notions that might get me across the line! I may end up stitching very slowly, or I may find other options that acknowledge the shift, but which don't somehow lessen the beauty of it. Quite tricky! Go well.
Deletefirst and foremost, I'm so sorry to hear your hand is in pain ... hard to imagine, but it's certainly right up there as a worst nightmare scenario for a maker of words, in all their many forms ... I'm intrigued by the glove, though and wondering if it could be a preventive measure
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the links and took a stroll back through the earlier hankies ... your measured hand in lettering on the cloth is a wonder, as are the tiny stitches needed to follow the curves on such fine cloth ... one thing does come to mind though, have you tried stitching without the hoop? I wonder if it might be less of a strain
Thank you Liz - I am trying to behave, and am now wondering if things might be less stressed without the hoop. It would no doubt shift how I hold the fabric and the needle so might accommodate things better - shall give it a go. And yes, the cloth is oftentimes VERy fine! Go well.
Deletethis is such a beautiful project (((Fiona)), just give it lots of respect for your beautiful hands. The Covid thing has mutated making variants & so has this project, random thoughts on variations...ink, paint,tears, charcoal, delicate burning with a fine pyrography tool,wax resist & dyes, extremely slow stitching ie one word per day, machine stitching if you have one of those fancy machines that can do embroidery, or even pins or tiny nails onto foam board to form the words.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mo! At first I was worried that the monthly sequence would not continue in the same manner; but then I thought that changing direction was a true reflection of the times; every time we think we now and understand, it becomes clear that change is what happens. So I have come to terms with maybe changing what I do to keep the record going, but haven't landed on what the best direction might be - but your thoughts are really helpful and will get me going again. Thanks, and go well, and go gently x.
Deletewow - really enjoyed the reflections of Lia and Mo before me Fiona so find it hard to write anything quite as suggestive/explorative ..... Love Mo's ideas of all those variants.
ReplyDeleteI popped in to say ouch - such fine work giving hands such pain. Am glad in the main that you have found a step by BABY step forward and hope you are able to bring this project to its conclusion.
Thanks Susan - all the suggestions have energised me to think about alternative approaches. I might be able to stitch them really slowly, or I might mutate like the virus (as Mo said). Going slowly and behaving and doing as I know is good for me is helping so far... thanks! Go well.
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