52 Quilters: Week 27: Fiona Forsyth - Quilting provides the therapy that I need to cope with Chronic Illness.

In 2010 I was diagnosed with ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and later Fibromyalgia.  At my worst I can be totally bedridden for days (or weeks) and unable to care for myself.  I live on my own & I have no carer. 

I suffer severely from brain fog – inability to concentrate or to focus on what I am reading - so I cannot handle computer work or reading for very long.  I often get dysphasia where I jumble up what I process.  I tend to jumble my words (especially when I am really tired or distracted) often without realising it so it’s not ideal when socialising and I rarely use the telephone anymore.   I suffer severely from sensory overload – mainly sounds and lights (and certain odours) – and now from anxiety – so I cannot handle being in noisy environments or being around groups of people.  I also have a compromised immune system so I pick up viruses and infections very easily.  Due to these issues I have virtually become a bit of a recluse.  I am mostly housebound now and venture out of the house possibly once or twice a week for only a few hours at a time.  

Apart from severe fatigue & insomnia – my body clock is totally messed up (I can sleep for days on end or go for days and days without sleeping).  I feel like I am in a constant state of jetlag.  I’m not a fan of sleeping pills so try to restrict them to once or twice a week just to try to regulate, or catch up on my missing sleep when I get caught in an insomnia cycle. I refuse to drive when I am like this because I don’t want to put myself or anyone else at risk.  

Chronic Pain – unfortunately I am on very high doses of pain killers just to be able to function.  Without them I cannot walk. I had an accident many years ago which has left me with nerve damage to my neck, shoulder & spine.  When my fibro flares up it likes to target these weak areas and magnify the pain a zillionfold.

Energy – I never have enough of it!  I suffer from a severe lack of energy and extreme post exercise malaise.  My body cannot generate the energy that it needs to function.  Small amounts of exercise - for example just walking to and from the letterbox - can leave me exhausted sometimes so I have to plan my outings very carefully.  For example, driving to & walking around the supermarket, and then unpacking my groceries when I get home is the equivalent of running a marathon for me and will require recovery time.  

I have had to severely simplify my life and cut back on doing a lot of things that I formerly enjoyed, just so that I can cope with my changed circumstances.  I have so much “down time” and spend the majority of my time at home.  The positive is that at least now I have time to spend on hobbies. As I am socially isolated, my primary source for contact with the outside world is online (mainly Instagram and Facebook).

Sewing has brought much happiness back into my life.  It helps me to escape from my reality and to surround myself with colourful, happy things.  Some days I can manage to sew for hours, and some days just for a few minutes. Some days I know that if I try to sew I will just end up having to unpick it all! 

I spend a lot of “down time” which is where I am literally confined to bed or the couch. I do not sew in bed but I always have something within access of the couch to work on.  It might be appliqué (I prefer needle turn appliqué); embroidery; cross stitch; hand sewing binding on to a quilted project; English Paper Piecing (EPP); or hand quilting.  I tend to hand sew a lot at night when I’m watching TV but some days I just cannot manage to sit at the sewing machine so I settle for a hand sewing project instead.

I have to be careful when I cut out a project.  I NEED to make sure that I am fully functioning so I often cut out a few projects at a time and let them sit and wait until I am able to sew them.  Cutting when suffering from brain fog or dysphasia can be VERY EXPENSIVE!!!!!  I have learnt this the hard way.  Also I cannot stand for long periods of time so I need plenty of rest breaks (I sometimes refer to them as “Instagram breaks”).

I don’t talk much about my health but I do mention that I have “ME/CFS & FM” on my Instagram profile & on my blog.  I have had many people approach and introduce them self to me who either suffer from or know of someone who suffers from one or both of these conditions and I have developed some extremely close bonds with many of these people.  Their comments are often extremely encouraging and uplifting.  

http://emerge.org.au/

Facts and information for family and friends who want to understand what it means to have ME/CFS.

Tomorrow I look forward to showing you some of my work.

52 Quilters: Week 27: Fiona Forsyth - Introduction

Hello friends, I am afraid I went a bit MIA in July.  I had big plans for the month and lots of articles typed up ready to share with you but I never got the chance to post any of them.  The last few weeks I have been battling with a spinal injury & two dislocated shoulders (don't ask), and I am only just starting to catch up despite still being in tremendous pain.  

At the beginning of July I guest hosted 52 Quilters for a week (4-10 July 2016). Many of you saw my posts on their Instagram account but I know many had issues reading the blog posts that I wrote due to the colour settings on their blog. Over the next few weeks I am going to re publish some of these articles for you (they will be clearly identifiable as 52 Quilters posts), as well as some other posts that I have ready to publish.

Fiona Forsyth
@BendigoLioness

Miss Amity

Hi there, my name is Fiona and I will be your 52 Quilters host this week.  Many know me as @BendigoLioness or as Miss Amity’s “Hooman”.  I live in Bendigo – the “Golden Heart of Victoria” (Australia) with my purr-child Amity.  

In my former life I worked for over 20-years in the Australian Travel Industry. I owned & managed my own Travel Agency until I was forced to medically retire in 2010 following my diagnosis with ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and later Fibromyalgia.  It took me 3-years to find my niche after “retiring” from the work force.  I experimented with many different hobbies until I started quilting in June/July 2013 after my mother gave me a vintage Elna Supermatic. I took to it like a fish to water. I have since upgraded to a modern Elna and a Janome.

I guess you could say that I am self taught. When I got my first sewing machine, I googled information on sewing and quilting and enrolled in a free online Craftsy class and slowly plodded, bungled and muddled my way through as I learnt to sew. In the early days I joined a number of quilting bees via “Quilt Club Australia” on Facebook which helped me connect with some other quilters and to gain more experience.   Over time I started to meet various quilters on Instagram and have been totally embraced within the Instagram community.  There is a massive sense of community especially on Instagram within the quilting community.  Whatever hour of the day or night there is ALWAYS someone online SOMEWHERE around the world so even if at 3am in the morning you feel like a chat or need advice on a sewing matter SOMEONE is out there.

Last year I also participated in a number of Quilt Swaps via Instagram which was a great way to experiment with different colour schemes and to work out of my comfort zone. This has also helped me to learn many new techniques and my skills have developed and improved.  

I'm looking forward to sharing my week with you and showing you some of my work.  I am usually quite active on Instagram and I am hoping to share quite a few short blog articles with you.

During the week I will discuss how my health affects me, and how quilting provides the therapy that I need to cope with living with Chronic Illness.  I will introduce you to some of the wonderful local Australian designers who inspire me.  I'm looking forward to showing you Bendigo and telling you about my visit to this year’s “Craft Alive” Expo; as well as showing you some of my favourite quilty hang-outs.  

And of course we can spend some time together sewing!

Make Modern Magazine

What a start to the New Year!  The latest edition of "Make Modern" magazine was released yesterday and guess who appears in an article on pages 87-90!

 

The article is called "Chronic Quilting - quilters with chronic illness" and I am privileged to feature in this article together with my best friend & chronically awesome sister Cassie Madge.

 

I don't often talk about my health conditions or the numerous limitations that they impose on my daily life; but when I was approached to share my story I leapt at the chance to bring some positive publicity to my quilting and to my illnesses.

 

"Make Modern is a digital magazine, published six times a year (every two months). Each issue features a range of quilts and sewing projects in the modern vein, for quilters of all skill levels. We will also bring you news from the modern quiltosphere and introduce you to some of the coolest quilters and businesses in the modern quilting world." 

 

You can purchase an individual issue for only AUD6.95 or subscribe & save . 

 

Issue #3 of Make Modern magazine. 
Please click on the photo to access their shop. 

 

Never give up!

 

A friend posted this on Instagram last night and I couldn't not share it with you.

 

Never let your disability hold you back from doing what you want to do! 



 

We love you Leonard!!!