Sewing in The Time Of... Corona Virus

There's a book called Love in the Time of Cholera that I read a few years ago.  Good thing I purchased it at a used book store, that's all I can say.  It was set in the time when the cholera epidemic was happening in Europe.  It had to do with a man in love with a woman who marries someone else, I don't remember, but I do remember that I didn't enjoy the store much.

But that phrase "in the time of cholera" is kind of a mind worm... it occurs to me whenever anyone says "in the time of" anything, like corona virus or social distancing.

Sewists always want to help.  We make quilts and gifts for any and all occasions.  We can make scrubs for nurses and face masks and lap robes and wheelchair bags and on and on and on.  We can and we will help whenever someone asks, and sometimes when they don't ask.

But does it help?  The big thing these days is sewing masks for medical workers.  Everyone has a video or a pdf about how to make a mask.  There's been a run on elastic almost as drastic as the one on toilet paper!

I'm skeptical about the masks.  Several respected authorities have said that home made masks offer little or no protection against this virus.  Most fabrics, even quilt shop fabrics, are not finely woven enough to stop tiny particles from going through. 

Fabric manufacturers have said that their fabric is less than 200 threads per inch which is the minimum that is recommended.  Some authorities have said that natural fibers such as 100% cotton can actually encourage the growth of bacterial after being breathed on for a while.  Things grow in cellulose that won't grow in polyester or nylon or other man-made materials.

I am not jumping on the 'let's all sew medical masks' bandwagon.  Now, before you judge, check out what the CDC is saying about home made masks.  Better than nothing is the phrase I've seen.  Not medically useful.  The larger hospitals in my area are not allowing their use for their medical staff.

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/UnderstandDifferenceInfographic-508.pdf

You can use one to keep yourself from touching your face, or from sneezing or coughing on those around you.  But you can use a tissue too.  As for protection, not so much.  Pat Sloan talked about making masks in her Monday night Fireside Chat.  She had good advice for any home sewn projects, masks or otherwise.  She said do the research first.  Find out what places want, get the specs, quantities and deadlines.  If you don't your items will be tossed and all your materials and efforts will be for nothing.

I'll keep sewing quilts for donation and leave the mask stitching to other people unless I hear otherwise.  Or maybe for Halloween??

Sew on...

Social Distancing... or The New Normal

Today I had a short visit from my oldest granddaughter, Miss E.  She stayed about 12 1/2 minutes... just long enough to drop off a package of toilet paper.  My son-in-law was waiting in the truck, probably on his phone with work.  He's working from 'home' these days.

Isn't everyone?

No, not really!  My daughter is the facilities manager for a hospital chain.  She told me she's been deemed 'essential'.  Yes, you are!  In more ways than one...

Wherever she shops was better supplied than where we shop.  Either that or the people who shop where I shop are hoarding more than the people where she shops.  Who knew it would be TP that would be in such demand??!!  Or ground beef!  I could buy filet mignon or sirloin roast, but no hamburger at my local market.  Not to worry, we found it at our second favorite place, the gas station!!  Way to go, Kwik Trip!

It's been a whole week since I've been to work at the quilt shop.  We're still doing on-line sales, but the Governor has asked non-essential business to close for now.  Our customers kept coming in anyway, and I was concerned about contact with people who would NOT stay home regardless of the risk, especially since DH and I are in that 'age group'.  You know the one... over 65,  politely called the elderly.  Huh!  They said 'but you ARE essential - to us'!

Church services were also cancelled, although our staff has made it possible to keep in touch.  The Pastor is doing services from his home on YouTube.  It was kind of strange on Sunday, sitting with DH in the living room watching church on TV.  There were still hymns and music.  I sang, even though DH did not.  He told me later he was singing on the inside.  :-)

You'd think I'd be getting some sewing done.  Somehow I lack focus.  I start something and then I get distracted by the shiny stuff and poof!  All concentration is lost and I've suddenly gotten three more piles of potential things to do on my sewing table!

One thing I am doing is trying to develop some kind of morning ritual to keep me on track.  I have to get up at 6:30 with Miss Kitty.

If I don't, she sits outside the bedroom and whines, and at some point even rattles and scratches on the door to make her point.  Feed Me.  Now.

I also printed out Martin Luther's morning and evening prayers and taped them to the bathroom mirror, just to focus my brain a bit.  They're easily accessed while I'm brushing my teeth morning and night.  That puts me in a frame of mind to continue praying for my family, my friends, the world, and myself.

As a social butterfly, I'm not used to sitting at home this many days, with only DH for company.  In a phone conversation with a friend this week, when she asked how we were doing I said 'we're still married! And thank goodness you can go into the bathroom and close the door without being accused of being antisocial!'

DH actually practices social distancing as a regular thing.  We realize that he's not very talkative, and he's really not!  I can tell when he's 'socialed out' at gatherings or parties.  It's a private joke that at anybody's wedding reception, if he lasts until 8:30 p.m. that's about all we can expect.

I on the other hand, will probably be among the last to leave anywhere.  LOL!  Opposites attract for sure...

Time to go see what distractions await in the sewing room today.  Maybe I'll actually finish something.

Sew on...

Stay-Cation

The trend for some people in the recent past (and I'll admit, for me) has been to have a Stay-cation, or to take your vacation by staying at home.  For me, there's nothing I like better than to spend a day in my sewing/craft room, making. 

The current Coronavirus pandemic has made many of us 'older folk' rethink our running around, and cancellations have forced us to forego some of our activities.  For me, that's OK.

I have plenty of books, fabric, patterns, yarn... I can stay busy for quite a while.  Then there's Amazon and shopping on line for deliveries of everything from soup to nuts.

Except maybe toilet paper!

My DH said "Maybe you can knit some..."

Ha ha.

He actually tried to buy some during our normal shopping trip at the beginning of last week and couldn't find any at our local store.  Evidently the shortage escaped our notice until it was too late.

Good thing we buy ahead, so we're OK for a while.  I hope!

My SIL fell on Sunday evening and we had to run over there and call 911.  She ended up in the emergency room, then admitted and had surgery to repair a broken hip.  Now she's waiting to be transferred to a rehab facility, as soon as they have a bed available. 

We were not allowed into the hospital the night she fell.  The EMTs dropped her off, but we were stopped at the door by a formidable-looking nurse in full 'combat' garb, wrapped almost completely in plastic!  We left our phone number and had to go home.  I'm all for caution but I felt horrible having to leave her there alone!

The next day DH tried to call and get information, but they refused to tell him anything since he does not have medical power of attorney.  Eventually she called us.

Lesson:  if you live alone, have someone designated who can get information, just in case. 

Luckily she's doing better now, and calling on a regular basis.  We're babysitting home and bird.  I have to ask her what his name is... I'm just calling him 'the bird'.  Not too personal!  Miss Kitty is probably hoping she could get up close and personal.  Which is why he's living alone at her place for now!

Hmmm, is that lunch?

I'm off to the sewing studio... I have pants to hem, and a quilt top to unassemble and reassemble in the RIGHT order.  But that's another post.

Sew on...

Almost Spring!

The only trouble with not blogging for a while is knowing where to pick up...

I'll start with a random picture of three of my favorite girls... Miss A, Miss E and Miss Kitty.

Things have been crazy around the place recently.  Christmas in the condo was fun... DH decided that he'd decorate every blessed inch of the place, and put up not one but two new trees.  We had to buy new ornament storage boxes due to a water incident at the old house, which the cardboard ornament boxes didn't survive.  There were some discussions around where to store the two trees once they were taken down.  Happy to report that there was space in the garage on a very high shelf, which should minimize water damage!

My local quilt shop where I work part time has been busy recently too.  There was a blowout internet sale and I worked my butt off (although looking at my backside in the mirror this morning doesn't give a hint of that!)  

I've been working on making bags and totes for classes at the shop.  The Diamond Gem bag is popular, and some of the students have brought in their completed bags to show them off.  They've all been so beautiful.

--- AND almost two weeks after I wrote that first part, here I am, back at having missed posting this in a timely manner.

The L key on my keyboard has been sticking.  I wanted to take the computer in to the service nerds to get it looked at.  I put the computer in the bag... and let it sit there for a week.  Dang!  Missed the opportunity.  So I'm back to pounding on the L key again.  And typing itte ambs instead of Little Lambs in my church reports.  Ugh.

Yesterday we had a slight emergency.  My 73 year old sister-in-law fell in her condo and broke her left leg.  She's having surgery today to fix it.  Too bad the hospital is under quarantine and there can only be one family member visiting her.  DH hates hospitals.  Ugh again.  We'll see what they say about when or if she can go home, or whether she'll need aftercare. 

Here's the lesson from that:  Have a Medical Power of Attorney and designate your care-giver if you live alone!  And for goodness sake, have (and charge) a cell phone too!  She fell in the garage, then dragged herself into the condo to call us on the house phone.  No one else has a house key and she didn't want the EMTs breaking doors to get in, so she waited 45 minutes for US to get there and call 911.  Imagine the agony!

Then we were unable to enter the hospital to find out what was going on, and DH could not get information from the nurses on the phone because -- no POA!  We had to wait for her to call us.

But luckily she's able to call us, and DH is now on the list of approved visitors on her chart.  God is good, and hopefully the surgery is going (or has by now) gone well.

Peace, friends.  If God is for me, who can be against me?  And I have plenty of books, fabric and yarn if things shut down any further.  DH and I decided since there appears to be a shortage of toilet paper (yeah, I know, right??) I can always knit some!

Sew on...

Christmas 2019

This has been one of the hardest years for me for buying or making Christmas gifts.

I don't know why, maybe it's because the grands are teens now and the buying of toys is kind of a thing of the past.  NOT that I'm wishing there were more small kids, or that the ones we have should not get older... but teens are harder.

You cannot buy the girls clothing unless they approve.  You. Can. Not.  Or the thing you buy will most likely never again see the light of day, unless they toss it in the donation bag and someone else's kid wears it.

Ask me how I know this...  no, never mind. 

So, sadly, there is no further need for making clothing for their dolls either.  I have really enjoyed the knitting and sewing for these small beauties.  Maybe I can find another outlet for that.

I found out a few years ago that most of THOSE handmade items got donated too, instead of being brought back to me for my own version of recycling.  :-(

Through a number of snafus with a local department store delivery department, an order I placed was delivered at my old address.  It was something I seriously needed, so I hopped into the car and drove there, surprising the new tenants and picking up the package.  Much to their relief, I may add.  The poor woman was describing how she chased after the UPS truck when she realized it wasn't her item!  To judge by all the porch piracy on TV, not many would do that!

To return the favor of keeping my package safe, I brought her a box of doll items for her small daughter on my next trip through town.  I hope she enjoys them when she opens the box in a few days!

This year's baking still remains to be done.  Not sure when that will be happening.  I don't need the sugar, but DH has such a sweet tooth!

I hope your holidays are merry and bright.  Don't forget the Reason for the Season.

Bless you all...

Happy 18th, Erica!!

Today is my oldest grandchild's 18th birthday.

How did she get so old and I stayed the same??

Wow.  Just.  Wow.

I was looking for some baby pictures and there's nothing on this computer, because she's already lived longer than two of my laptops.  Not that THAT is a proper comparison or anything.

I remember the day my daughter told me she was pregnant.  We were in a Baker's Square restaurant having lunch.  She told me she had probably conceived while DH and I were in Hawaii, celebrating our 30th anniversary.  Our one and only big vacation as a couple.  I was still on jet lag.  I think she took me to lunch so that I wouldn't have any distractions when she told me the news.

I cried.

Well, that's not news exactly.  I cry at weddings and baby showers and all highly emotional occasions, like my son's band playing at the local tavern.  Ha ha...

So the day she was born I was rudely awakened at 1:15 a.m. by the phone.

"Hi Mom, it's me, my water broke."

"Did you call your doctor?"

"Not yet.  My first impulse is always 'call my mom'..."

"OK, call your doctor and then call me later and let me know when you're at the hospital."

I tried to go back to sleep.  Ha ha.  I had to go to Madison for work.  People were expecting me for a training class I was teaching.  That was a 90 minute trip at the time.

At 8:00 when I arrived I got a call from DH.  "She's in the hospital and things are going fine."

OK, let's get that class going so I can get back to the family.  About 10:30 he called again.  "The baby's backwards and they're doing a G-section."

"You mean C-section."

"Whatever.  They're going into the operating room now."

"OK, call me when you have more news."

I finished the class and they were just setting up lunch when he called again.  "We have a baby girl."

OK, I knew that, from the ultrasound a few months prior.  So I asked "How big was she, what did she weigh?"

"Oh, I don't know.  I forgot to ask."

LOL!!!  Husbands, men, whatever!

Anyway, I drove back to where we lived, dropped my stuff off and went to the hospital to meet my first grandchild.  She was so tiny then, although she was an average size for a baby.  And so sweet and lovely even then.

 I have dozens of photos of her cute little face and beautiful brown eyes... This is the only one I could find on this computer, it's of her as a small child.

But here she is now, a stunning beauty, with brains and talent to boot.

Happy birthday, baby girl!

Rock the day!

November Thankfulness

My dear sister-in-law Bobbie, who lives on the west coast, loves to post to Facebook and posts the most fun things, especially photos of my baby brother and his long beard and his red flannel shirts!

On November 1, she posted 30 Days of Thankfulness, and I thing there was a hashtag there somewhere.

I decided that I would post along with her daily.

So far, so good.  I've posted something every day, I think.

Nov 1 I must have started late, because I can't find a post for the first...

But:

Nov 2 I'm thankful for the gift of my life and the freedom to life in God's service
Nov 3 I'm thankful for a church home and family
Nov 4 I'm thankful for clouds
Nov 5 I'm thankful for sunshine
Nov 6 I'm thankful for warm water and good smelling shampoo
Nov 7 I'm thankful for a husband who supports my fiber addictions!
Nov 8 I'm thankful that I can read, and for used books
Nov 9 I'm thankful for breakfasts, especially tea.
Nov 10 I'm thankful that football on TV gives me guilt-free sewing time
Nov 11 I'm thankful for a family of veterans.  Five of my seven siblings have served.

And today, I'm thankful for doctors and nurses and medical professionals.

My friend Julia and I were discussing our various parents and their medical issues, past and present.  I'm so thankful that my mom had good care after her strokes, and that she remained happy after she started her slide into dementia.  She was able to stay at home until the end, over 20 years ago.  I still miss her and think about her often.

Julia is going through things with her mom that remind me of our journey, and I can be a sympathetic listener and a willing ear.  Sometimes that's all you can do.  But  it IS a thing that you CAN do.

Anyway, to those good souls who care for the sick and injured, the old and infirm, and the young and newly born, thank you so much, and bless your talents and your work!

Be happy, and be thankful!

I Had A Thought...

I read some of my favorite blogs yesterday, November 1.  Some of them were a little discouraging to me.

Does everyone have monthly goals or lists except me??  Wow!

Sometimes it's days between the times I get to actually spend time in the sewing studio.  And often when I do get in there, I have to spend an hour straightening up and deciding what to work on next.  Sometimes I just can't get focused.

Well, at least it doesn't look like this anymore!

I did manage to get my machine set up about a month after my knee surgery in April, so I really had no excuse.  Then my favorite sewing machine, Valkyrie the Viking, had a complete breakdown and went belly-up in the pool.  

I fixed that by buying two machines and tossing the Valkyrie into the nearest dumpster (after being told by the Expert that it could not be fixed for any amount, reasonable or un).

My first purchase was a Babylock Aria.  It was a little pricier than I was hoping to spend, but after I pulled out the last of the gift cards I received on my retirement in 2018, and dug into my purse for loose change, it was manageable.  I have to say I have no regrets.  None.  It was a very, very good and wise decision.

Here she is, on a new-to-me table, next to my serger.  The perfect combination!

The next purchase I made was totally serendipitous, but it's something I've had on my Bucket List for a long time.  I blogged about it several years ago, whining a little about the fact that finding a Singer Featherweight in good working condition for less than a small fortune can be challenging, what with some people buying six or seven and all that.

I have had elbow and shoulder issues in my left arm for a while, and some portable machines are so heavy in their cases that it makes dragging them to classes a chore.  So one day in conversation about machines a lady told me she had one to sell and the person who had been interested in it decided to pass on it.  The price was within my budget, and although there were virtually NO accessories or parts other than the foot pedal, it was in good working order so I grabbed it.

She is beautiful.

I signed up for Featherweight University at a local quilt shop, and learned how to lubricate and oil her up.  The instructor tuned up her tension, and she sews the most beautiful straight stitch I have ever seen.  I am in love... twice over.

So you see, I ought to be able to think of something to sew each and every day.

Maybe I need to make some lists of the projects in my bin to start or finish, and the projects rolling around in my brain.

Think about it... and sew on!

Thank Goodness for YouTube!

Today I needed to finish the toe of one of a pair of cuff-down socks I have been knitting for months... don't ask.  It was actually the second sock of the pair, so I don't feel too terrible.  I could not for the life of me remember how to start doing the Kitchener stitch to do the finish.  I did it on the first sock.  Months ago.

Did I tell you I have a good memory, but it's short?

Oh well!  Now that I can watch YouTube on my TV (as opposed to my Kindle with the tiny screen), I can see what's being knit in glorious detail, big as or bigger than life.  I know that there's a video of the Kitchener in slow motion, so I watched it, and finished up the toe lickety-split.

Thank goodness for YouTube!

As long as I was sitting there knitting, I picked up another project and kept watching other videos.

Most of the teenaged girls I know have long hair.  Some have REALLY long hair, others are 'growing their hair out'.

My grands have what I consider to be long-ish hair, long enough for buns and pony tails and the like, but not so long that they're sitting on it.

I used to have long hair, because my dad thought girls SHOULD have long hair.  Not because I like it, because I have a sensitive scalp and I HATED having my hair brushed from the youngest age.  Long before the days of No More Tangles shampoo and cream rinses to de-tangle, my mom would go at my wet hair with a comb and I would cry the whole time.  I remember crying through half an episode of the Perry Como show because that's how long it took to get all the tangles out.

If we are ever invaded, I do not have to be tortured to give up any secret they want...all they have to do is pull my hair and I'll tell everything.  I will make things up.

I digress.

Last Sunday, Grand Number three, Miss A, asked me if I knew how to make scrunchies.  You know those bands of fabric and elastic that girls put in their hair to either a)hold their hair in a pony tail or b)make a fashion statement by matching their outfit.  Or c)both...

I said "of course I do"... so she asked if I could teach her how to do it, now that she has her own sewing machine and her own stash.   Uh, sure.


Therefore I did what every dedicated grandmother does, and turned to YouTube, since I was already watching, to find out what size fabrics I should be cutting, and to see if there were any good tutorials for making scrunchies.



And there are THOUSANDS.  Since it's so easy to upload videos to YT, and literally anyone with a computer can have a channel, I sat and watched an hour's worth of videos on how to make these little donuts of fabric.

Some used regular elastic.  Some used the pony tail bands.  Sometimes they used the pony tail bands whole, and sometimes they cut the pony tail band and used it like someone else used elastic.

Whew!  Who knew this could be so complicated!!

Suffice it to say that I did eventually make it down to my sewing studio and made two, yes count 'em, two scrunchies.

It turns out that the hardest part of this operation is deciding what color fabric Miss A might like.

Sew on...

Followed Closely be Winter?

It was bad enough Tuesday, when we got a light layer of snow on top of the green grass and the piles of leaves.

But today -- oh boy this day takes the cake!!

SO FAR we've gotten 5 inches of snow.  On October 31.  It's the snowiest Halloween since like forever.  The weatherman on channel 12 says it's officially the snowiest Halloween on record.

Oh well, at least this year I don't have to shovel it!

Sew on...

Autumn: Yes, It's Finally Here...

With cooler weather, I'm working on finishing more projects.  I guess now that it's cooler outside I'm not so anxious to be anywhere outside if I can help it.  I'm trying to coordinate my errand days better, so I don't have to drive anywhere a couple of days each week.

I do wish I'd remember to take more photos of projects I'm working on.  And I wish I'd finish more of the things I've started.

Like the Kaffe Mystery quilt.  I do have all of the blocks put together.  I just have to assemble the quilt top.

These blocks were finished before I started packing to move here -- so in 2018.

What's the matter with me that I can't just sew these puppies together??  Ack!

But let me start a new project; I'm all gung ho about that!!

Next month I'm teaching a new bag pattern.  I think I'm done with the cycle of wire framed totes.

This is the new bag, sort of finished... I was having some trouble with attaching the grommets that hold the handles in, so this is the side without the grommets.  The fun part is making the outside fabric and quilting it.  I jumped right on that, even though I still have one Wire Framed Tote to complete, and one more class of that scheduled before the Diamond Gem bag starts.

This is the old class... the Wire Framed Tote Bag.  Kind of like a 31 bag, but you can customize it so you don't confuse your bag with anyone else's bag of the same fabric!  I loved making them but I'm kind of over them too, if you know what I mean.

There's a casserole carrier from the same pattern maker.  Maybe I'll do a picture of that one when it's done.  I guess I shouldn't plan to start that until I finish up a couple of other projects.

But that might be a post for tomorrow.

Sew on...