Obviously, life during a pandemic has not included posting on my blog(s). It has been five months since I posted here. Usually it surprises me when I let some time go by between posts, not this time. I blog primarily to share things that make people smile, be happy, or help them.

My last post was the beginning of mask making. That was not a fun thing; still isn’t. I didn’t, and don’t understand how such a simple thing can turn people into not such nice people. Don’t get me wrong, I wear a mask and still make them. To me it is a simple thing I can do in a time where we feel so helpless. I’m not getting into the politics of it here either. This is something I can do to make myself feel better. It just saddens me that there are people who have to shame and bully others like me, just trying to get through this the best way we can.

The thing I want is for people to just be nice. That’s all, BE NICE! If everyone would approach everything with the intent to be nice, we could change the world. But obviously too many people struggle with this concept. So we start with our circles around us, bit-by-bit it will spread. It won’t save the world, but it might just make our corner a bit easier to live in.

*Please note, the mask design on this page is NOT meant as a N95 substitute. It is the type of mask you would wear to prevent spreading/receiving germs and to help you not touch your face.

The biggest thing to remember is that this is not tailoring work. No one cares what pattern fabric you use, or if your stitches are not straight or pretty. It is more important that the masks be able to withstand heavy washing, and made quickly.

(Note – The “F” on the mask was for “front” as I had used the same fabric for both front and back.)

So, after a few people have asked me what I am doing regarding making masks, I decided to post something. We certainly don’t need another tutorial, but here are my thoughts.

I started out with a written tutorial someone tagged me in on Facebook. Now I have been sewing since I was a child, and I think I am pretty good at it. But this tutorial had me so confused I gave up and went to YouTube. I guess I need more visual instructions as I get older. I viewed a few, tried a few, and finally had what I wanted. But after making a couple dozen I realized a few things.

  1. I was out of elastic
  2. It had extra steps we don’t need
  3. I hate making bias tape

Here is an overview of what I am doing to make these masks. See the attached picture:

Cut 3 pieces of good cotton fabric 9”x7”, one a print and two plain (this helps differentiate between the front and back of the mask). 4 pieces of 3/8” ribbon, 16”-18” long. Use Grosgrain ribbon or other non-slippery type. Refer to photo for visual:

  1. Using a fabric marker measure ½ way up the 7” side and mark 2.5” in on either side.
  2. Stitch from edge to mark, backstitching at marks.
  3. Fold each piece on the stitch line and press. Now you will have a 3” hole in the middle. This is where you can insert a filter, so this is the back of your mask.
  4. Place print fabric on top of back right side down. Stitch all 4 sides (I used the Serger, but any machine will work).
  5. Turn right side out through the filter hole, and press.
  6. Here is the tricky part. Folding 3 pleats about ½” each, tack down. I will try to describe it better below.
  7. Fold ribbon ends over about ½”. Sew around all 4 sides ¼ inch in, attaching a ribbon piece at each corner as you go. Sew again about 1/8” in. I also sewed around the ends of the ribbons to make them more secure.

I have ordered more ribbon (there is plenty online right now). For the next one I make I think I am going to attach the ribbons to the front of the mask to give them a better seal to the face.

Now, to fold the pleats –

  1. Fold in half, press.
  2. Open up and fold each side in to the middle and press.
  3. Turn over and bring up the fold and lay down about ½” above the next fold, clip or pin down. Repeat with next two folds (refer to #6 in previous photo).

I hope this is helpful to my fellow crafters. It is streamlining the work, and making it go much faster. I do 6 at a time, chaining them as I go. It takes less material, less cutting, and pressing. But I will confess, I have a hard time not being a perfectionist and just pumping them out.

More weeks of being on one foot have gone by. As a photographer this has not been a fun time. So today I thought I would share some thoughts on that.

I am an administrator for a local photography Facebook group. I have enjoyed being a part of getting people out of their comfort zone by putting together a Gallery Show and Competition last November. The group has grown, and the people in it as well. It is a wonderful thing to see and know that I have been a part of it.

Personally, it is a different matter. Because of multiple surgeries on my foot last year, I am a bird with clipped wings. I have tried focusing on the types of photography I can do one-footed. I have enjoyed macro-photography in the past and have plenty around the house to shoot. But in the end, it really is a mindset. Where do we get our creativity from? A brief look on the internet, and this is what I found:

“Don’t go hunting for it as though it were a single entity. Creativity emerges from a variety of mental process and has no precise location.”

Arne Dietrich, Psychology Professor

This is true – in the brain, and in ourselves. Over the last year I have changed. Simple things like I was usually the driver, now I am driven. I planned and had every event at our home, now things are spread out and letting others take the lead. Just two of a number of things I have noticed.

Now, is this just the normal evolution of parents aging, children growing up? I am sure in part that is very true. But then I look at the evolution of some people I have known. My mother is a perfect example. She started as a draftswoman, opera singer, drafting engineer, and minister. My father’s list is even longer, so is it no wonder I am drawn in multiple directions? And where does the parent/child part come in?

Then I had an aha moment! For me, that long list of different things I do is my saving grace. So, due to my foot I can’t do the type of photography I enjoy the most. Instead of fixating on that, I moved onto something else. What have I focused more on?

One thing is knitting. OMG the old lady thing!!! Not anymore 😊 We have a weekly knitting group that the wild child and I go to every Saturday morning. I am learning, getting better and better all the time, and I love it! I have made some pretty cool stuff over the last year.

  • I have a 3-year-old grandson. Because of the surgery last summer, I spent a lot of time on the couch with him – reading, watching TV, having wonderful conversations, and the best part – cuddles!
  • I recently took a calligraphy class. Now finding time to practice has been hard. But it is something I have always wanted to learn to do, and I will get there.
  • Also, I didn’t stop photographing. I shot my first wedding last August with the youngest as my second shooter. In October I shot a conference in Kentucky with my son-in-law as my second shooter. And last month I photographed a venue in Chicago with the wild child’s help. The photography is still there, it has just changed in the pecking order and how I do it.
  • But even better – I am spending so much time with the people I love <3

For me it seems that if one thing hits a roadblock, then I just divert to something else. It works for genealogy, why not for life. Oh yeah, there is another interest I can do off my foot 😊

As we move into 2020 it has been a time of much contemplation for me. Mid-December I had to have a second surgery on my foot, which has kept me off the streets in 2019. I have spent much time trying to refocus what I do, and how I do it. It isn’t easy, but it is an obtainable goal.

As 2019 closed a number of people very close to me lost someone special. First my oldest BFF’s mother. She had Alzheimer’s for a number of years, so when she passed it was not her that was gone. What I mean is the person she was slowly disappeared through the years as her memory faded. It was her body that left us now. I had a realization in thinking about her. As I have written in the past, we have a Village. People who come into our lives who become family; I am the Mama of that family. When I was in my late teens/early twenties she was that to me <3

One of my dearest friends from the early days is aching from multiple losses. Her father passed Christmas 2017, her younger brother in October 2019, and then her Mother just a few weeks before this Christmas. They are a wonderful family, and we have stayed in touch over all these 40+ years. She was so very close to her mother. A relationship I strive to have with my own children. She was a wonderful example <3

We went to Florida to spend Christmas with Hubby’s parents. While we were there one of their good friends came to dinner. Her husband had recently passed, and it was a loss for all of them. They had been married for many years; I think she said 69. Such a hard loss to imagine <3

Later that day I received a text from my Big Cuz. Her older sister had passed away and “had the most peaceful look on her face and a half smile.” She had Parkinson’s and she was very ready to go <3

As I thought about these losses, I started to think about the future. They are physically gone but will be in our hearts forever. We do need to move forward and live the rest of our lives to the fullest. But that is so much easier said than done.

So, what wondrous things will 2020 bring? Hopefully, for those people grieving
their loss, to be able to find a way to move on without their loved ones.

In realizing we are reaching the close of 2019, I thought it time to catch up. In a nutshell life has been a constant blur, so much going on. I have discovered that when working from home, and for myself, it isn’t easy to hide from things. Now let’s be honest, when you have to go to work outside the home it makes it easier to say you don’t have time, you have too much to do. Why is it thought that if you work from home you can just step aside from your job and attend to other things? Well I guess in reality you can . . . which is why you end up doing so many things at one time.

Be warned, to successfully work from home you must be a multi-tasker!

We spent three months tackling the maze of Medicaid for my mother. She is now finally settled into her life in a nursing home. It wasn’t an easy road for her, or us. One of my goals had been to document the process here to help others. Well that didn’t happen. One thing that is very important is to not let it take over your life. It so easily can, especially if I had taken the time to do something here too.

I did learn that each case can be very different, and not to wait until it is time to apply to learn about it. Fortunately I had done some of the preliminary work, and it was still a horrible process. Because of what we learned with my mother, we are getting well prepared with my in-laws. But also with out own children. The years go by so fast. As we navigate life making sure our parents are ok, it won’t be long until our children will be doing the same for us.

So, my best advice, when you see an advertisement for a workshop on Medicaid, sign up! Better yet, a workshop on Senior Planning in any form. It will definitely be time well spent.