It is well-known that hobbies are very important to relieve stress, add joy to our lives and so on. Those of us who enjoy embroidery know that our lives would be much less richer without it. All of us have gone through or will go through serious medical issues and knowing that our hobby “waits” for us brings us hope and helps us through the hard times. We may not be able to actively work at our projects while ill, but just thinking about what we’d like to do in the future can pull us through.

Today we are getting to know Christine Hollingsworth. She knows firsthand just how important our hobby can be. Christine moved to a new house 3 weeks after coming home from the hospital after surgery for Ovarian Cancer – and having this hobby made all the difference for her.

Christine, you have recently gone through a difficult medical situation. How did embroidery and sewing help you get through it?

With my recent diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer and the treatments, I have been limited to what I feel like doing. Right now I am stitching angel cancer pins. I plan to take them with me when I go for treatment and leave them for the other ladies to have one.

As I finish up the last of the treatments, I think a lot about future projects. I don't know what I would do if I thought I could never sew/embroidery/quilt or do something with my hands. I love to cook as well. I had ambitions of writing a cookbook one day. I collected some of my recipes from all of my class mates, and had them on my computer. Guess what, it crashed. But I still have the recipes and one day that is another project I hope to finish. So as you can see, I have enough projects to think about, and that keeps me motivated to keep moving on.

Sewing and embroidery are among what might be called a hobby “comfort food.” Those of us who take comfort in it have been at it since we were young.

Yes, I have been sewing since I was about 10 years old. I was raised in a rural area of Alabama, came from a large family and sewing was a necessity. I made all of my clothes and shirts for three brothers. I majored in Home EC and loved it. I have done all kind of sewing embroidery, quilting - you name it.

I learned to embroider by hand in the sixties when it was very popular. I could do it so well that you could not tell it was not done professionally. I am a perfectionist and I was driven to get it perfect, since that was the way I was taught to sew.

Is there anyone else in your family who enjoyed sewing and what kinds of projects did you have?

My mother quilted all the time. Only one of my sisters sewed and still does. Most of our sewing back then was making clothes for wearing when we were growing up.

Did you join any clubs and/or work in any sewing shops?

I belonged to the 4-H club and did projects. I worked in two different sewing factories when I first got out of school. I worked serging men's pants at Palm Beach Pants Factory in Talladega, Al. I managed to serge through my finger one day and passed out. Needless to say my career at that plant did not last.