Comments on: Sick Chicks, Chaps and Children Who Craft — Represent!

By: Rose

Rose — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:32:36 +0000

I use embroidery and paper crafts as a way to minimize the constant hum of my paranoia from my depressive disorder with psychosis. In combo with medicine it usually works like a charm!

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:48:14 +0000

I raise alpacas, knit, felt, aspire to card and spin my fiber. Occasionally I make stained glass items.
I have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, also called RSD. It doesn’t have me. After a long period of struggling to stay alive and avoid losing use of my left arm, I am slowly improving. With CRPS you have to keep using your most painful places to avoid atrophy.
I find alpacas to be good therapy because caring for them makes me move. Crafts are wonderful for keeping my arm mobile. I have stellate ganglion pain blocks as needed but haven’t had one for six months–down from twice a week.
Even people who know you have CRPS and are in terrible pain look at you and say how good you look and that it must be something you can control by getting out and doing things and to the uneducated it looks as though that is true since when you are feeling OK you get out and do things.
Crafting, determination, and a couple of good doctors who figured out what was wrong have saved my life.

By: SherrysPaperie

SherrysPaperie — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:37:56 +0000

I make handmade paper, do paper-castings, make greeting cards and do some scrapbooking while living with lupus.
http://sherryspaperie.etsy.com

By: Ammer

Ammer — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 02:56:39 +0000

I have FM, Endometriosis, Hashimoto's, dysthymia, cervical herniated & bulging discs, osteoarthritis, etc.

My crafting so far is mostly my writing on The ICI Experience, but in my life before illness I loved to sew; anything with textiles. Now I'm trying to get into doing some collage work, some digital scrapbooking and some healing dolls.

I have anothef blog that I'm trying to get off the ground, My3FBlog: Form Follows Function, The ICI Art & Fashion Blog. I'm going to pu5 an invitation out to anyone who would like to show their work on My3FBlog, drop me a line at sgerril@theiciexperience.org

Happy crafting!;

By: Clair Coult

Clair Coult — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:57:41 +0000

I have ME/CFS, limited mobility and a young family. I have always enjoyed crafts but being able to knit, sew, embroider and crochet has kept me sane when being hosebound would have driven me crazy.

By: Elmsley Rose

Elmsley Rose — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:51:31 +0000

Hi,
I have IBS/FMS/M.E. and a bunch of other stuff.
I used to do calligraphy until the pain got too much, and now I’m doing Elizabethan embroidery.(ie 1600-1700ish historical style).
I’ve found heaps of other FMS/ME and Lupus sufferers out there doing the same thing
My blog is at http://elmsleyrose.blogspot.com/

By: lvbride

lvbride — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:22:24 +0000

I have chronic back pain/spine problems, depression, social anxiety, and panic attacks. I make my own greeting cards as a way of venting, as well as to feel productive.

And I too am also loving Invisible Illness Week and the conference as well! I even got a question answered on air yesterday. The topics, guest speakers, and their answers and knowledge are a huge blessing, in my opinion.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:44:17 +0000

IBS and depression. Mother to 21 yo with cerebral palsy, ulcerative colitis, developmental disabilities, and seizures.

Yarn and beads keep me sane – mostly.

Twitter – http://twitter.com/KnittingMuse
Blog – http://knittingmuse.blogspot.com/

By: Ricky Buchanan

Ricky Buchanan — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:47:18 +0000

I craft when I have the energy and strength – all sorts of arty and crafty pursuits, whatever I can do while lying in bed and with weak arms. Actually, a surprising amount!

You can find me on twitter as @rickybuchanan or on the web lots of places. Crafty pursuits are journalled, when I have the time, at my dreamwidth journal Journalling/Journeying.

By: Novel Patient

Novel Patient — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:51:25 +0000

I have Sjogren’s Syndrome with neurological involvement, Autoimmune Pancreatitis, Autoimmune Hepatitis, Arthritis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Fibromyalgia, etc

I am obsessed with scrabooking. I also paint, knit, and decoupage. I recently wrote a blog entry on my blog Novel Patient (http://novelpatient.com) about all the types of “Art Therapy” I do: http://novelpatient.com/2009/09/06/art-therapy/

I also run a blog community for people with chronic illness called Novel Patient Community (http://community.novelpatient.com) in which I maintain a blog where anyone can post anything creative (writing, art, photos, etc) related to chronic illness: http://community.novelpatient.com/creativecorner/

Finally you can find me on Twitter @novelpatient (http://twitter.com/novelpatient).