Quilting and 7 months of COVID: I read an article this week about how hard COVID has been on people around the world. The “isolation”, the “aloneness”, and the “frustration”. Actually I just shook my head over the article. I get that I am an introvert, but I have looked at these last several months as an opportunity. Back in March I wrote this post about the crisis .

My advice is the same now as in March: “I want to encourage you to take care of yourself including eating properly, getting enough rest, some form of exercise, and of course quilting. If you are not sick, the most important thing is to stay well. If you are already sick, rest and allow yourself to get well.“

Yes, there has been a lot of inconveniences and frustrations. Like being a month into isolation and discovering that I had no more (as in not a single piece) Wonder Under and I was in the middle of a machine appliqued quilt block. Guess what, Walmart and JoAnne’s did not have any either. Put that project away for later…

Up to that point, I had heard the grumblings from other quilters about the lack of supplies in local stores, and for certain products even Amazon was not any help. But I had been in my own little quilting bubble while working remote from home.

It’s an opportunity for quilting

No commute, no overnights in hotels, no constant interruptions. When my work day ended, I turned off the computer and the phone and retreated into my quilt bubble.

I saw then, and still see now, COVID to be a real opportunity to get quilting projects and ideas completed that had been running around in my head and/or sewing room unchaperoned for long enough. I was determined to work out of my own stash, and scrap bins.

I am still very much enjoying the alone time when not at work. Travel is very limited right now for my job. I didn’t even whine much about personal travel plans that had to be canceled – the girl cousin trip to Baltimore, the family reunion over July 4th, the annual trip to Paducah, KY for the AQS show.

So here we are quilting and seven months into COVID…..

I have cleaned the sewing room – twice. The various piles of unwanted but good items have been sold, traded, and given away. That makes room for more fabric. I love having fewer magazines. And fewer scraps. And fewer, well just quilting stuff that is not being used. I hope all that stuff likes the new homes.

When this all started back in March, I tried to follow the news closer. I spent a lot of time reading real medical journals. That lasted about two weeks. After that I dug out fun old movies and music CDs and binged on fun stuff that was in no way related to the current situation. But if nothing else, I rediscovered a world forgotten in the hurry scurry of a time consuming, stressful career.

Life slowed down and joy returned. I got to:

Work in the garden.

Walk 1 – 2 miles a day outside.

Enjoy the frogs singing their little hearts out that spring had returned.

Sort fabrics and play with colors like I normally do not do.

Read other quilt blogs and watch YouTube quilting videos.

Talk to neighbors I rarely see because we are all working crazy schedules.

Enjoy the laughter of children who were playing outside.

Clean the house, and finish small projects.

Ate quiet meals with my husband, who continued to work his normal 12 hour shifts two days on and two days off.

And I quilted. Some quilts were UFOs that needed completed. Some were brand new quilts. I even got some hand quilting done for other folks.

Be Happy and Quilt

In no way am I criticizing anyone for not getting as much done as me. There is no race. I just have way to many quilting ideas that I want to try. And growing up with a hoarder parent, I cannot do clutter.

Clutter makes me sick to my stomach. It distracts me from what needs done. Clutter cannot live at my home.

I just want to encourage you to not get caught up in things you cannot change (COVID, the rising prices, or the lack of fabric in some stores, etc.) and concentrate on what you can change in your life.

It is super easy to let outside things discourage us. Pretty soon we are laying on the couch eating 5 pound boxes of chocolate thinking that our world is ending.

Instead find something to do. Not for the sake of doing something. But for the sake of having a finished item to make you feel good.

So you aren’t happy with the size of the quilt, or the colors. You now hate that pattern. There are plenty of people out there who would love to have the item if you do not want it. Make your corner of the world a better place.

My discovery about quilting and 7 months of COVID

1. I love my home and my family more each day.
2. It is ok to slow down and enjoy the world around me.
3. God is so good, and I need to thank him more for His goodness.
4. I have no end of quilting ideas.
5. Saving money is fun.
6. I need to pay more attention to my own health.
7. While I hate to cook (always have), I am a good cook.
8. Giving household items of all sorts to Goodwill is a guilt-free way to clean out unneeded/unwanted clutter.
9. I hate poison ivy and am completely sure that I can identify it now before I start weeding flower beds.
10. My neighbors are actually pretty nice people.
11. I love spending time right here at home, alone or not. This is my happy place.

PLEASE NOTE:  ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.