Can Handwork Be Therapeutic?

July 27, 2026

For many, many years I only made quilts entirely by hand. I hand pieced the patchwork and hand quilted in a large floor frame or a smaller lap hoop if it was a small project. It wasn't until Covid hit that I decided to tackle my first machine pieced quilt and have never looked back. Binding is the main hand work I've done in the last few years (which I love) as well as the project I have affectionately dubbed "my 10 year project". This is a hexie quilt that I only work on when I need something to occupy myself while sitting in a hospital room, or waiting room........or even in the car. I never work on it at home but have it packed and ready to go at all times in a little bag I can easily grab on the run and know I have everything in it to work on my project for a couple of hours if I have time to kill.

Just this past weekend, I grabbed this and worked on it while sitting in the car watching an event my husband wanted to go to.

A couple weeks ago, I decided to try something on my bucket list, hand applique. I had never tackled it before and definitely have a lot to learn but it was so enjoyable!!! I had forgotten the joy I used to feel when peacefully stitching by hand, and even though it was new and it sure isn't perfect I'll definitely be doing more.

I started thinking about what there was with handwork that makes it feel therapeutic to me:

-when I'm doing handwork, that is all I'm focused on. I'm watching the placement of each stitch, trying to make them even and tidy. It allows me to shut out everything else that is going on around me. Even though I often hand bind a quilt while a movie is playing, I have to admit that more often than not, I forget to even watch.

-the repetitive motion is calming. When I'm sewing on the machine, I'm often getting up and down to press, cut or trim something. But when I'm stitching away by hand, I have everything I need beside me and I just stitch away, which allows me to relax into it and just enjoy the process.

-and as much as I hate to say this....I think I have more of a sense of accomplishment when something is totally created by hand. Don't get me wrong, I love machine piecing and machine quilted projects. But knowing that every step of the project was done by hand feels like a different level of accomplishment. Even the imperfections seem more acceptable, crazy right???

-I also think the hand movement is beneficial to keep your hand and finger dexterity as you get older.

It's also helpful and encouraging when you look back over some of your earlier attempts and see how far you have come. Messy or uneven stitches become more consistent and tiny the more you do it. It's kind of neat to look back over older projects and remind yourself how far you have come.

An older hand quilted throw that is still going strong after many years of use and washing.

If you haven't done much handwork, think small, don't tackle a huge project that is going to bog you down. That kind of defeats the purpose. Try hand binding a small scrappy mug rug, or a little table topper.

Or add a few decorative embroidery stitches to a quilt. If it isn't perfect, it's only a small part of the quilt and you'll be braver on the next one.

Embroidered smoke from my tractor stack on one of my grandsons quilts. And cute little carrot noses on a snowman quilt. They aren't perfect, but yet they are, lol.

And if you do decide to try a handwork project, remember it isn't about quickly rushing through it to get it done.......enjoy it, allow it to slow you down a little so you enjoy the process. My 10 year project has no pressure, and because I don't have a deadline in my head I find it fun when I do take it out to work on. And slowly I'm making progress, and it's so fun when I take the time to pull out the finished parts and see just how much I have accomplished.

It also holds a lot of memories. Working on it in ICU while sitting by my husband, then later as we were moved from hospital to hospital as he continued to improve. And now I'm working on it in the car while he sits outside at an event with his friends. It tells a story....

And just recently I attempted my first big stitch project. My stitches are uneven, but I think with practice it will get better.

Plus I was so excited when I discovered a new tool to help me with the next one. Needles that are marked to you can make your stitches even.

It's an assorted pack that has different length markings so you can pick the look you want.

So if you haven't done much handwork, I encourage you to try a few different things. You will never know if it's something you will enjoy until you try it. But also remember, there might be some frustration and a learning curve at first, which is really no different than most new quilting techniques.

Twila

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