Embroidery Lessons For Life

​Have you ever done any embroidery? It starts with putting the material into a hoop or frame to keep it taut, making it easier to work with. A pattern provides a diagram to the various stitches that eventually create a picture or a pattern. I've done my share of pillowcase designs and a wall hanging for my mother-in-law. When I was teaching kindergarten, my students stitched their initials on some colorful canvas with supervision from me, of course. Over the years, I learned some important tips that also serve as life lessons.

• Tangles and knots happen more frequently when the string is too long. It is tempting to cut off a lot of thread in order to need to change the thread less often. In life, whenever we take on too many tasks at once, we often find we can't manage it all and end up with a jumbled mess.
• It is better to catch mistakes early before you start compounding them. Taking out stitches and redoing them is necessary for the finished piece to look its best. Unfortunately, life doesn't come with a seam ripper. Some words and deeds can't be undone. It is best to own our mistakes and apologize--the longer we wait, the harder it can get.
• It is necessary to hold the fabric taut and pay close attention to the overall pattern and design--the goal of the finished product. Similarly, it is important to make time to reflect and plan our next steps, making sure that they are taking us toward the goal that we want to achieve.
• Like the variety of personalities and opinions in our families and friends, it is the combination of the variety of thread colors and stitches that create the embroidery pattern and gives it its beauty. 
• The back side of an embroidery piece can look vastly different from the front. Keep in mind that it is the knots and crisscrossing of threads that show the process. In life, the imperfections show our effort and our humanness.

Embroidery is a great art form for adults and kids alike as it strengthens hand-eye coordination, promotes creativity, improves concentration, provides opportunities for mindfulness, and teaches essential life skills like patience, hard work, attention to detail, and a sense of accomplishment.