Sitting in her chair, embroidery hoop clamped to the table at a comfortable height, she stitches on her latest labor of love, a crewel work piece for a small bag. While working on the detailed work of a snail crawling under a large overhanging leaf, she looks up and takes a moment to gaze out the nearby window.
Enjoying the view in front of her apartment building and the street traffic beyond, Stephanie Brand’s mind turns back to decades ago when she first came to Canada. Back then she was a busy mother and wife, with little time for embroidery. In the years since, her passion for needle and thread has expanded to encompass many different embroidery techniques.
While working as a clerk for The City of Edmonton, Stephanie found the Edmonton Needlecraft Guild (ENG) in the late 1970s, while they held a show of their members’ work in the building she was working in. “I was blown away that there was so much variety [in embroidery],” said Stephanie of the show. After learning that the guild met at that same building she became a devout member.
Staying at the same job till she retired in her early 60s, “I rented a room for a studio, and I had this set up so that I could go there every day so that once I retired … I had somewhere to go [during the day],” she said, having started this transition a few years prior and several years after retirement.
Stephanie’s key to keeping active and socially vibrant has been to do more of what she already had been doing most of her life; knitting, quilting, and meeting with ENG, learning more about the techniques that other members shared. She has always had an active interest to learn something new, having tried sketching, and painting. She has also taught workshops at various times and locations over the decades, as well as volunteered for various groups when opportunities came up.
“I’ve realized that when you’re on your own, you can’t expect people to come knocking on the door. You have to go out and do something,” Stephanie said. One of the reasons that ENG has kept her coming back for over 40 years is that it allows her to see her friends, and make new ones. She realizes that friends need to be multigenerational because as you age, your circle shrinks, due to life situations, and more often by people passing on.
While retirement is different for everyone, Stephanie urges everyone considering it to take the time to transition. Don’t go cold turkey with the change, because it can leave a big hole in your life. Start with the hobbies and social network you already have and branch out from there. Always keep an open mind and try out things that you hear about, or that your friends suggest. Talk to a mix of people to keep your social circle from becoming stagnant. Make the first move and join a common interest group. It will make your adaptation to retirement smoother and more enjoyable.
