Hello out there…. you are out there, aren’t you?
My son, who I love dearly, is continually reminding me I should be posting my life and thoughts here on my website. I try, really I do, but I get busy and usually only post to social media when I’m traveling and don’t have the siren call of dirty dishes or laundry or… you get the idea. As a California resident I am home for at least the next month unable to see clients and with all my teaching and speaking engagements canceled, I now have some time on my hands. Not that I’m not busy. I’d like to say I’m creating amazing new original art quilts and knocking out my UFO’s but I find I’m actually very unfocused, watching too much TV news and simply hoping we get through all this with our lives and sanity mostly in tact. Anyone else feeling this way?
What I have been doing…. making masks. A little belated, but since our Mayor has strongly recommended that if we do need to go out we wear a mask and that they don’t want us purchasing any that may take them away from health care workers or first responders, I have pulled fabric and started the process of supplying family and friends. I’ve sent out the 1st batch to my son and his girlfriend who I cannot visit even though they are only 45 minutes away. I checked out several tutorials and the one I think is best is by my friend Loralie at Loralie Designs. I have made a couple of adjustments, I use floral wire (2) 4” pieces with the ends curled, in place of the pipe-cleaner. I use a 1/2” x 4” piece of fusible web , place the wires and cover with a similar size piece of fabric to anchor the wires before turning and stitching the top like in Loralie’s video. Also I use an 8” x 8” piece of fusible interfacing on the outermost layer of the mask for extra filtration. stitching down the center of the mask to add extra anchoring for the fusible in case it releases during multiple washings. You can find her method here: Loralie’s mask making video.
The other way I have been distracting myself is thru yard work, luckily my local nursery still allows curbside pick-up, but sadly no browsing of spring plants : (
I find digging in the dirt greatly comforting I think of it as “moving meditation” but when my mind and thoughts intrude… books on tape to the rescue. I have a subscription to Audible and it’s the best money I spend each month! I am currently listening to “Middlemarch” by George Eilot ( but don’t take this as a recommendation I’m not entirely sure why I’ve kept with it,,,) We are expecting rain for the next 5 days so I’ve buttoned up my garden project with expectations I can get back to it next week and that the weeding will go that much better with the soil softened up by the rain. I feel good about rescuing the border from the weeds and looking forward to when I can shop for new plants to put into it, until then the barrier cloth and bark will keep it tidy until that day comes. Fingers crossed I can get the rest of the bark I need before they decide the nursery must shut down completely as well.
It’s not all bad news, with my husband home from work our beloved fur babies Lilo and Stitch (Lilo is the Apricot poodle and Stitch is the grumpy Terrier) are getting 2x’s the attention and many more walks, and since I’m not wearing make-up (as evidenced in the photo at the top) and I’m getting outdoors any time the sun shines my skin is very happy! So we will celebrate what’s working until life comes back to some semblance of normal.
I am getting ready to send out a new newsletter and I’m also going to pretend its January of 2020 and create blog posts of all the cool things that have happened to far this year that I haven’t had time to post about (spoiler alert - I’m going to be on TV!!!) so tune in again soon, until then stay SAFE and HEALTHY!