Crafting club provides haven for relaxation

Crafting club members thread elastic string through beads to make friendship bracelets on Oct. 26.

Members participate in various crafting activities such as origami and crocheting during weekly club meetings.

Starting at the end of a thin strip of canary yellow paper, senior Ella O’Reilly folded a loop and threaded the short end through to form a flat, pentagonal shape. She then pushed gently on each side to inflate the paper into a cute and puffy star. This detailed process unfolded during a crafting club meeting on Dec. 14, where Ella and other club members learned how to make thin strips of paper into an origami constellation.

The school’s crafting club — led by president Ella, junior vice president Hannah Bui, senior treasurer Emily O’Reilly and junior secretary Lin Jenson — meets every Blue Day Thursday in room 408, advised by French teacher Elaine Haggarty. During meetings, officers lead around 20 members in a handful of crafting activities, which include making leaf dream catchers, lanyards and paper angels.

“We bring supplies for the craft and present slides with the instructions for members to follow along,” Bui said. “It’s very relaxing and members can talk to each other and bond over it.”

Unlike many academic clubs, the crafting club is a stress-free obligation, according to Jenson The crafts they organize are not large projects nor are they very practical. Instead, they are small, fun charms such as friendship bracelets and origami. The crafts largely depend on the season.

“During fall we made Halloween-themed art, and in the winter we organized many Christmas crafts such as ornaments and snowflakes,” Jensen said.

Many officers and members have enjoyed crafting since childhood. To them, crafting provides an escape from external pressures like school and extracurriculars. Each craft — whether it is crocheting, origami or painting by numbers — requires a different technical skill.

For Ella, the start of quarantine was when she started crocheting as a hobby to overcome the boredom of being isolated in her house.

“I started crocheting and crafting and I realized that doing things with my hands was a good de-stresser,” Ella said.

Now, Ella finds the club to be a haven for crafting enthusiasts like her to take a break and relax during lunch. In the future, the officers also look forward to expanding their skill set by setting up more long-term projects.

“Crafting club teaches you how to be hands-on and take pride in the little things that can make a big difference whether it’s reducing stress, enhancing fine motor skills, or improving self-expression and self-esteem,” Bui said.