Week 2 of Semester 5 - Introduction to Mental Health

Well, I'm back to school and the second week is over.  The first week was such a rush that I didn't even have time and energy to write a post.

How has it gone so far?

CRAAAAAZY!  Lol...

Poggles, My Coping Mechanism

I posted a picture of Poggy's fat bum because he's one of the main things keeping me sane lately.  Fortunate for me, he has been especially friendly.  He seems to be slowly warming up to gentle touches under his chin and occasionally letting me pet his back.  These little successes give me joy.

Falling Behind, Feeling Inept

Meanwhile, in school I feel overwhelmed.

There is so much to read that I'm already behind, and I feel completely inept in dealing with this semester's focus which is on mental health.  I feel like I don't know anything about how to care for people with mental health issues, and I'm scared that I'll do something wrong or say something wrong and hurt someone.  Also, I'm filled with media and movie portrayals of crazy people killing other people so I'm actually scared of being in danger while I'm in clinical.

Am I in Danger?

I have been reassured that the patients are more in danger of being hurt by us than of harming us, but all the precautions seem to say otherwise.  For instance, we are given personal protective alarms so that we can call for help and be easily located in case of an emergency on the ward, I was encouraged to spend time with the patient in the common areas instead of in the patient room because it is safer, and we have to make sure not to wear anything that could possibly be used as a weapon against us (ex. strings on a hoodie could be used to choke us).

Surprises

Despite my anxiety at being in such a "scary" place with "scary" people, I actually enjoyed my first day on the psych ward.  I met many patients and I got to listen to their stories, or spend time with them chatting and joking about normal things.  It really surprised me.  I expected to see something like out of the movies with people behaving erratically or dancing around in tutus (I'm exaggerating, but they did portray that in Ace Ventura), but I met real people instead that were just like me.

I don't want to sound pretentious or anything, but they told me stories that would make one's heart ache.  Just when I thought their present life situation sounded pretty bad, I would read about their history and discover a lifetime of loss, loneliness, and traumatic events.  I felt like there was so much heaviness in their stories.  If I had to go through what they went through I don't know if I could have handled it either.

New Territory

I have a lot to learn this semester.  This is new territory for me and I know that I have a lot of misconceptions and naivety to push through.  I wish and hope to do good, but at very least I wish to do no harm.  I want so very much to help these people, but this seems very different from giving someone medication for high blood pressure or pain.

Have you ever cared for someone with mental illness?  Do you have any tips for me?

I hope you have a good week!
 

How To Make a Hedgehog Carrying Pouch With a Flat Bottom

 If you would like your hedgehog carrying bag to have a flat bottom, then follow these instructions to add an additional flat base to your carrying pouch.

***Please note that these tutorials are for you to make things for your own personal use, not to sell.***

First, finish sewing up the flannel to the fleece fabric on the hedgehog carrying pouch tutorial.

Then measure out fleece fabric approximately 8.75 x 2.5 inches.  The goal is to have a piece of fleece 4 cm too short on each side.  Cut out 4 of these.

Place one fleece rectangle on the bottom of the flannel section good side down (wrong side up).  Center it carefully and pin in place.

Sew the bottom edge.  Make sure to backstitch both ends.

Tip:  Use a ruler to measure both sides.

Do the same for the fleece side of the fabric.  Then do the same for the other fleece and flannel piece.

Place the two finished pieces together.  Line up all the sides carefully and pin in place.

Note:  The joint that you particularly want to line up is the one in the middle between the fleece and flannel.  It will be the most noticeable if it is not perfectly lined up.

Sew the four main sides.  Ignore the indented corners for now.  Make sure to back stitch.

Now you want to create the flat base.  Make your base look like the above picture.  This will line up the fleece bottom with the flannel side (on the fleece and flannel side).

Sew the new fleece and flannel edge.  Make sure to backstitch.

Do the same thing for the other corners, but leave one of the fleece + fleece (inside of pouch) corners.

For the last fleece + fleece corner, only sew the outermost edges.  Don't sew the middle.  Leave a 2 inch gap.  Make sure to backstitch.

Turn the pouch inside out through this gap.

Your base should look like this.

For the remaining gap, tuck in the edges of the fabric and pull the fabric edge together taut.  Pin in place.   Close the gap with a hidden (ladder) stitch.  Make sure to overlap some of the existing stitching to create a secure joining.

Tuck the fleece side into the pouch.  Match up all the corners neatly.

Your flat bottomed pouch is done!

Optional resealable opening/firm base:

Idea #1

Don't sew the last gap shut.  Instead, sew thin strips of velcro to both sides of the remaining gap so that it can be opened and closed anytime.  This creates an opening where you can insert a sheet of plastic to make the base firm.  The plastic needs to be slightly smaller than the base so that it will fit inside well.

Remember to remove the plastic before washing the bag!

Idea #2

Cut a piece of plastic to fit slightly smaller than the base.  Sew a thin pillow case/envelope for it out of flannel.  Place on bottom of pouch to create a firm base.

Potential problem:  There is risk for little toes to get caught on the side of the bag and the hard base. 

Idea #3

Measure the base of the bag and use it as a template to create a removable base with 4 sides (an inner bag).  Sandwich your hard base between the base of your carrying bag and the removable bag.  Make sure to finish your edges so there are no loose threads for toes to get caught on.

Idea #4
Create an envelope for a plastic insert on the outside of the base.  Close the enclosure with velcro.

Let me know if you think of anything else!

Ideas For Plastic Types to Insert
Plastic canvas, thin plastic cutting boards (the kind that's just a sheet of plastic), plastic sheets for rolling dough on, chloroplast, dollar store placemats, report covers

You can also use cardboard, just discard it when it's soiled. Remember to remove it before washing!!! (or you'll be very sad...and your pouch will be shreddy-coated)

Optional Bigger Pouch:

The finished base in this tutorial is approximately 3 inches wide and 7.75 inches long (7.5 cm x19.5 cm).

Wider Front to Back

If you would like a wider base front to back, add an inch to the width of your fabric on both sides.  Also add an inch to the width (shorter side, not length) of the fleece fabric strips for the base.  This will make your base about 1 inch wider (so 4 inches wide) if you have 1/2 inch seams.

Wider Side to Side

If you would like a wider pouch horizontally, add an inch to the width of your fabric on both sides.  Also add an inch to the length of the fleece fabric strips for the base.  This will make your pouch wider by about 1 inch (so 8.75 inches) wide on the bottom.

Move on to the carrying straps tutorial to make the straps for your carrying pouch!

Don't forget to post your finished pictures in the Flickr group here. I'd love to see what you make!

Don't want to make your own? Email me at bluepandemonium (at) hotmail.com and maybe I can make one for you! I also have some fleece pouches listed in my Etsy shop.
Happy Sewing!

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Read other hedgehog tutorials

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More Hedgie Dolls

I sold two sets of hedgie dolls, and that almost wiped out the remaining of my brown polar fleece fabric.  I had just enough to make one last one.

 So I made her extra pretty  :)  She has a lovely cluster of three pink flowers in her quills, with two tiny green leaves.  Each flower has three little pale yellow french knots in the middle.

 I gave her a touch of blush on the cheeks too.

Then I came across some grey flannel fabric in my stash with yellow dots.  So made a little hedgie with black eyes, a pink nose, and teensy ears.

 I made him a girl hedgie friend too!  She has an orange flower above her ear.

 They look very sweet together  :)

They are available as a set in my shop!

Have a happy day!