![FlossTube #97 - A Big [Stitching] Catch-Up Was Necessary](http://twolittlekits.com/cdn/shop/articles/250407-banner-flosstube_b48399ff-c283-4a4b-9e57-bc02ca0ea2ff.jpg?v=1745268230&width=360)
The past few months I've been busy stitching and designing. It's been a great way to relax, stretch my achey, unused design muscles both in a ridged way (customer work) and in a freeing way (designing my own patterns).
I feel very fortunate to have taken the leap into doing this in my spare time and to have people wanting their own piece of art made by me.
Here is a small sampling of some of the stitch people portraits I have had the pleasure to create.
So far, since I started Two Little Kits, I have created 18 portraits and currently have 2 in the works. They range from 1 to 9 characters and each one is so different from any of the others.
Making something with my hands, working on something that's portable & not digital, being creative; it's great.
Creating stitch people has been exactly what I needed at this moment in my life.
I have "met" new people through online communities who also do their own stitch people and it's wonderful to see others' ideas and finished results. I like to think I inspire others as well 😁
Some background
I am not terribly quiet about it, but it's not widely known. I have suffered from depression and anxiety for a long time and since I had my youngest daughter (now almost 2.5yo) it became worse. She was a rather tough baby for the first 7 months of her life and trudging through it day after day took me to a dark place, mentally.
It's been a long journey to get to where I am today and it's no where near finished. But cross-stitching -both making stitch people portraits and designing patterns- has been a welcome distraction and healing process.
What do you do to relax? If you also cross-stitch, do you find it helps to improve your mental health? Let me know in the comment section below ❤️
