Keep Calm and Craft

The only way I’m keeping my sanity seven weeks into our Stay at Home and Stay Safe, new normal, is to craft. Using my hands takes me out of my own head and brings me some peace of mind. So does getting outside – I am lucky to live in a rural area where I can walk in the woods and listen to the birds sing every day. I’ve also done all sorts of cooking and baking, I’ve cleaned out cupboards and closets, and like most people, I’ve binge watched a lot (ok, a whole lot) of my favorite shows – Star Trek in all its many glorious iterations is particularly good escapism for me!

I am choosing to look on the bright side of this situation as much as I can. I once read that Mr. Rogers said as a child, when he would become upset after seeing some kind of disaster or tragedy on TV, his mother would tell him to “always look for the helpers” they are always present unselfishly working to help others. I’ve always remembered that, and I take that advice to heart daily as I watch the news at night. I need look no further than my own daughter for inspiration. She is a nurse and is putting herself out on the front lines taking care of sick people every day and I couldn’t be more proud of her. She has a servant’s heart and it’s obvious in all she does. I also look to a dear friend who is charge of making sure the school children of our county are fed while schools are closed. She, too, puts herself out there while working with the public, and I greatly admire her as well. My son is in law school doing all his course work online, yet is still studying hard so this semester isn’t just lost in the credit/no credit grading system the university has had to adopt. I’ve talked or texted with many friends and relatives much more than I normally would, neighbors have checked in, cards have been sent – so there are positives to hold on to. For me personally, I’m very sad I don’t get to see my family, including my little grandson. We all live in different states, so it really just isn’t possible, or safe, to see each other right now.

Like many of you, I’ve been making cloth face masks – over 200 for me so far. I received an email from C&T Publishing (they publish craft books among others) and after a survey of sewists (including me!) C&T reported that as of April 28th, over 300,000 masks have been donated – and of course that’s just from their survey so you know the number is actually higher. Still, it makes me happy to be part of that effort, and to help in some small way. Maybe this is how our grandmothers felt when they rolled bandages for the Red Cross for WWII? One selfish plus for using up so much of my stash to make masks is… yep! Going on a shopping spree for new fabric!

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I have been doing mostly hand work since our quarantine started, which is unusual for me, but “slow stitching” seemed to be calling my name. A class I saw online caught my eye, and that’s what got me interested in stitching by hand – it’s by Betz White, called Lil’ Felt Village (see BetzWhite.com). I’ve got 9 of the 12 buildings done – they are meant to a craft-a-long project where you could do one a month. They have vellum paper in the windows, so if you put a battery operated tea light in the bottom it looks like the lights on are inside – so dang cute.

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I took her concept and ran with it to make one little building of my own – I made a bird house for my mother’s birthday. Might be fun to try to make a little building of your own house, or as a wedding gift for a couple who just bought a house – a future project perhaps!

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I’ve started the 100 Day Project again this year – more on that next time. Thanks for reading – I hope you and your families and friends are safe and healthy.

Ann