Needed Therapy For Ukrainian Refugees

All quilters know that quilting is therapy. I can go into my sewing room and loose myself. Hours can go by without notice. I know personally, I can forget to eat...and as a foodie, that's really saying something!

In my sewing room, the outside world disappears. I get immersed in the project at hand. I am totally in my "happy place"!  Creative juices flow and magic happens. I am only focused on the project I am working on.

While we were in Poland with the #WrapUkraineWithQuilts (WUWQ) group, we set up a sewing space for the Ukrainian refugees. The idea was to teach them to sew small items that they could sell to help them get out of the refugee centers and into their own apartments. Our group pretty much went in all business. We had a mission and we aimed to accomplish it.

What we didn't realize is that the sewing space was an oasis for the refugees. Through our interpreters, we learned that the sewing projects we had created for the refugees and the space we set up was "therapy" for them. One stated that, "This place gives me some where to go where I can forget about the war for a few hours." The refugees were so focused on their projects and trying so hard to get them right, they didn't have time to worry about loved ones or the state of their communities - just for a little while! It gave them an overly needed stress relief while giving them hope for their future.

Again, the social aspect of quilting and quilters came through as a much needed, much appreciated therapy for refugees trying to manage their lives under the harsh circumstances of war.

Quilting is THERAPY!