Title: Pillows
Source: Valerie Milholland, ATR
Materials: Paper, pencil, pre-cut rectangles of polyester fabric, needles, thread, batting (stuffing), crayola fabric crayons, iron
Procedure: 1. Ask the participant to draw his/her name in big letters onto a piece of piece of paper using a pencil. 2. Flip the paper over and decorate the name (that now appears to be backwards) using fabric crayons. 3. Place the crayoned sided of the paper on top of the fabric and run a hot iron over the back of the page, thus transferring the name onto the fabric. 4. Once the fabric is cool, pair with another rectangle of fabric, with the design facing inward. 5.Work with the participant to stitch 3 3/4 sides of the pillow. (Leave enough space unstitched to fit a hand inside.) 6.Put hand into the unstitched gap and grab hold of the fabric, pulling it out through the hole and turning the pillow inside out. (The design should now be on the outside.) 7. Insert stuffing through the gap that is unstitched. 8. Sew the gap closed.
Rationale: Valerie has several years experience of working with children in residential settings. She often uses this directive as an opening activity for a number of reasons: The close proximity required during the stitching provides an opportunity to build rapport and demonstrate that she is a safe and trustworthy person. Pillow-making is a functional art-making intervention that reaches the participant on a survival level, as well as on a creative level. The resulting product is something comfortable and personalized. Pillow-making would be categorized as an "art as therapy" intervention, focusing on the process and potential for creative flow.
