Great Tools are key!

In March 2020 just before the Covid pandemic changed the world as we know it I bought myself a brand new sewing machine and a new pair of Fiskars classic scissors -the long ones that cut fabric like a dream. It was an expensive purchase but one I thought would provide me a sorely needed creative outlet. I learned how to sew as a teen in home economics and from my grandmother who was a seamstress and had worked in a curtain factory to support her immigrant family.

So I dusted off my sewing skills that had sat idle for the better part of 20 years, and I began to sew garments, quilts, and things for my home. Every night after dinner time, I sat myself down and worked on a project. It was a form of personal meditation – a moment for me to be alone and to execute something that had rules and boundaries in a world where the rules no longer applied. It was something that I could control all by myself and I didn’t need to hope and pray for the success of others.

Six months into the pandemic I sold my home with the goal of spending more time at my vacation home in Canada. Never could I have imagined that I would spend the next eight months as a nomad with all of my things stuck in Canadian customs and no way to get through the Canadian border. As I write this tale that situation persists! With an amazing amount of fortune and preparation pre-move, I packed my new sewing machine, my scissors and all of my sewing supplies into my truck. The first thing I did when I got to my first temporary home was unpack my sewing machine and of course my Fiskar scissors-the ones that are marked “for paper only” with permanent black magic marker and a skull face.

The sewing machine and those scissors were the keys to a whole new world, a virtual world filled with real people and real experiences that I could never have imagined. From downloading PDF sewing patterns to taking online classes to participating in virtual QuiltCon, and zoom private lessons, I’ve done it all. I’ve learned so much and met so many nice people who are all going through their own personal challenges related to the pandemic. So here’s to creative outlets and doing things with our hands. And here’s to all of the companies that make all of the fine tools we use to turn our ideas into realities.