Sewing in the time of COVID-19 – Week 17
Sophie is supposed to move into the dorms here at CU Boulder in a little over a month. I have not been able to hug my mom for 4 months now. I did have our 3rd ‘window visit’ today which was so much better than the Zoom visits. As we read the news, things seem to change from week to week. For many of us it is hard to think about the future in any way.
However I’ve had some of my most meaningful interactions with fellow quilters and artists in the last week or two. That thing that binds us together – our passion for creativity – is so precious right now. Those friendships and connections are so nurturing at times like this. I’ve been watching the Textile Talks presented by Quilt Alliance. (We are a sponsor for this organization.) I’ve delighted in seeing friends on Facebook Live presentations. I am appreciating the renewed interest in African-American Quilters and African fabrics. eQuilter is sponsoring online events like Quilters Take a Moment (was Quilters Take Manhattan) and QuiltCon.
One of the things that has come up in many conversations with friends, and even at the 2 Color Marketing Group online conferences I attended, was the importance of paying attention to mental health…not only in the midst of this pandemic, but also for a long time afterwards. I call it Pandemic PTSD. Mental health experts are saying that many people will have a hard time returning to normal life when this is finally over. But what will ‘normal’ be then? Nobody knows.
I know that being creative and staying connected to the quilting and art community is going to be a foundation for my mental health for the next year or two! But then, it always has been. That’s why I’m here. We want to be a part of making that available to the quilting community, which is why we are transferring our sponsorship to online events where possible. I hope you can stay connected to your quilting tribes, both small and large, as we travel through this storm together.
with Hope for the Future,
Luana and Paul
