Good day to all.
Back from vacation with my younger grandchildren. We are all missing each other right now.
I learned many things on vacation:
1) I need to see family more!
2) They need to see me more!
3) It’s easy to get sunburned when playing with the grands at the beach (Even in Maine). You forget to re-apply sunscreen when you are in and out of the water and doing sand things on the beach.
4) The history and geography of Maine, Portland, Old Orchard Beach, Saco and the area, and
5) many different ways to drive to and from Maine to Richmond. Most involve trying to avoid traffic unsuccessfully!
I also learned that many of us are tired of sewing, especially masks and other items for the medical and first responder fields. It’s not that we don’t care about what is happening. I think it’s because we care so much. Many of us went into helper and fix-it mode very quickly. We made masks, surgical caps, and more masks. Then we made some more masks. Many of you made thousands of masks for family, friends, community organizations, and the medical field. We dove deep into our stashes, shared the fabric with anyone who needed it. Many people who hadn’t sewn for years or had never sewn started sewing, just to make masks.
Next - fabric, sewing supplies, and sewing machines were hard to get. The supply chain and delivery systems were and still are in disarray. We’ve sewn all kinds of things besides masks from our stash. Quilts and pillowcases for Children’s Hospital, VA Medical Center, and other hospitals were sewn and donated. Family presents for birthdays, graduation, new babies, and holidays were/are being made. Stashes are dwindling and some of it needs new fabric friends for a new project.
Many of us are just not sewing at all. We’re tired of starting new projects with old fabric, just can’t make ourselves go in the sewing room, and/or don’t know what to sew next. We’re just tired. Tired of masks – making and wearing them, tired of hearing about getting vaccinated and why some won’t get vaccinated, tired of numbers and more numbers showing that the C Virus is making another surge.
So why am I going on about this?
First, I had a doctor’s appointment today. Yes, I’m healthy and my blood work is nearly normal. But, even with me being almost 20 years from being diagnosed with breast cancer, the doctor said I need to go get a booster shot, now. My husband needs to get his booster now too. I didn’t think of myself as immunocompromised, but apparently the doctor does.
Second, I took all kinds of sewing projects to do on vacation. I took things to do with the grandchildren, two sewing machines, tools, etc. We didn’t sew once and I don’t feel guilty for not getting any sewing done. I started teaching them to crochet, their request. We will do more over Zoom soon. We watched movies, ate popcorn and ice cream, just enjoyed our time together. We watched fireworks near the Old Orchard Beach pier, we ate many, many meals together, and we just hung out. I got up to see the sunrise, no one else did. They made breakfast for us and we made other meals for them.
So now we’re home for a bit before seeing different family. I’ll sew, watch movies, and talk to the grands. I’ll enjoy the precious time with family, be fully present with them and let other things go when it’s the right thing to do. I hope you will too.
And when you sew, let it make you HAPPY!
Phyllis and the QA staff
