eQuilter Blog

Sewing in the time of COVID-19 – Week 22

It is Fire Season in the West, and I am just now looking at a Colorado News website that seems to say we have 4 fires burning over 100,000 acres. Huge columns of smoke are towering and streaming over Boulder this afternoon, to the South and the North. The air quality is terrible, and we are being advised to stay indoors. We never used to have fires like this when I grew up here. The fires in California are in the news also. It is hot and dry, and when the wind kicks up, all bets are off. Our warehouse is about 5 miles East of the Boulder foothills, and there are no fires nearby at the moment, so we are mostly concerned about air quality….and our fellow Colorado residents who might be in harm’s way. When the forests burn we don’t see how it affects the wildlife, but we know is a threat to the deer, elk, moose, bears and mountain lions who live in our precious forests. I hope all of our friends in the vicinity of these fires can stay safe!

If not for the pandemic, Sophie would have been moving into the freshman dorms at college in a couple days. Her classes start a week from Monday. She has chosen to take mostly online electives, plus just an orchestra rehearsal in person, and a violin lesson in person, so she’ll be home most of the time. (And will continue to work at eQuilter part time.) Honestly we expect CU Boulder to be forced to shut down a few weeks after opening. I know that most of you have either family members or friends with kids who are struggling with education decisions now. My friends who are teachers really do not want to be in the classroom and be exposed. So everybody has a story and all I can say about this school year at this point is….hang on, it is going to be a bumpy ride.

I feel like we are in a ship traveling across the ocean, and we are at the midpoint. The departure shore has disappeared long ago, and the shore upon which we will arrive is still too distant to see clearly. We are all on this journey together, and I am so glad we have each other. My friendships and business relationships in this industry are what have kept me up on deck throughout this journey, and your emails and letters are the breeze that fills our sails. Thank you for your kind notes – I am hoping to catch up on my correspondence this weekend!

You may notice we have a brand new category of Cotton Knit Jersey this week. I have had requests for cotton knits from those who want to make neck gaiters to wear instead of masks. Just make sure you are making them double-layered and if possible with a filter added, so they are still effective. I have recently updated our Face Mask Info Page with links to pages with Neck Gaiter instructions, plus a fantastic Japanese YouTube channel that will excite those of you tired of making the same old Face Mask design.

with Hope for the Future,
Luana and Paul