Sewing in the time of COVID-19 – Week 28
Fall is one of my favorite times of year. Here in Colorado it means the Aspen in the High Country are turning gold, the Elk are bugling and the Black Bears are foraging pre-hibernation. We still have fires and smoky haze, but some milder weather arrives tomorrow, and there’s a cool breeze that is whispering through the trees in my back yard. Hallelujah!
The pre-election news cycle is ramping up, so I suggest that we all VOTE as early as possible, and then get back to our sewing and quilting projects to maintain our sanity. I’ve been delighting in my global Zoom sessions with fellow quilters, including my old friend in South Africa who makes our custom African sun stencils, linocut stamp panels, and hand-dyes. She keeps a group of women employed from the local village, and now that their Winter is ending, the warming Spring days mean that they can start production again for us. We’ll let you know when that next shipment arrives in the future!
The last 2 days I’ve spent happily connecting with fellow quilters on the ‘Quilters Take a Moment’ online event. This was a very successful move from ‘in person’ to virtual conference. We used to meet in New York City every September for ‘Quilters Take Manhattan’ but the Quilters Alliance has brilliantly moved the whole thing online as a fundraiser. eQuilter is proud to sponsor this, and other events with the Quilt Alliance. Their S.O.S. project (Save Our Stories) invites all of us to record 3 minute videos to tell, share and save stories about quilts we’ve made, or quilts we’ve inherited or otherwise acquired. A quilt is even more special when it comes with a story, wouldn’t you agree? This is why we encourage you to put detailed labels on the back of every quilt that you make, so your story will be passed on with the quilt.
2020 will be considered a historic year, for better or worse, and I know many of you are making quilts about the things that have happened and the challenges we have faced this year. The Silver Lining is that we can channel all of that into our art and craft, and have a historic quilt that can tell the story of 2020 as it is passed down to the next generation. Your 2020 Story Quilt could end up in a museum some day!
with Hope for the Future,
Luana and Paul
