I have about a million different thoughts about the COVID-19 Pandemic we are living in. I know you know, because I am sure you are thinking all the same ones. As a parent the worries never end, I'm with you mamas! My world as a mostly stay at home mom, hasn't changed very much. I never left my home before we were instructed not to. My husband has been home for longer than he really ever has since he had paternity leave after our boys joined this terrifying world. What up military bennies! He is killin' the daddy game and making my life so much easier! I am not at all looking forward to him going back to work for two weeks, meh. While he has been here to watch my heathens, I have decided to put a lot of my unchained anxious energy to better use than staring at my phone.
The past two days, I volunteered myself to make and donate a ton of cloth masks. I have the sewing machine, I have all the supplies, I have the time, why the hell not?! Oh, yeah. The only experience sewing I have is a shitty little pillow I made for my cat, Frank. Even that started out as a little kitty quilt, and I had abandoned about half the way through. So you could say I bit off a little more than I could chew, but girl was I full of myself when I got behind my keyboard safety blanket and told a chick on Facebook I could make her family masks. Que obsessive sewing, ironing, tearing apart, stabbing myself, and sewing some more.
I am not the type of person to half ass things. I jump in, head first, eyes shut- all in. And it has to be perfect, or I will give up. I'm working on that. I chose a template to follow. You'll find that here. (I have since decided to go with this pattern. It is much easier on me and my machine while warranting many less expletives.) I put my damn head down, and I worked. It only took a literal 15 masks before I had everything put together in a manner that I found acceptable. Those fifteen masks took me literally ALL DAY two days in a row. I stopped mostly just to breastfeed Tommy and get Allen foods. Their dad was a stinking trooper through it all. He hung out, changed butts, let them interfere with his daily binge-moding of Junkyard Empire, and didn't so much as give me a side eye. The saint knows how damn stubborn I am.
Don't look too closely, you'll see my insecurities.
So instead of facing my fear of the collapse of our economy I sewed for two days. Two whole days of a ton of profanity and a little blood. I have like three beautiful masks, and twelve uh...masks. It feels great to make things and be creative. I haven't done hair in about a month and I was about to get the shakes, I needed to do something with these hands! It also felt great to utilize my sewing machine! The poor thing has sat neglected for his whole life with me, and about three seconds into trying to get my masks a-rollin' I was read to smash the damn thing. I put up a hell of a fight and all that resulted in was opening a door that I do not plan shutting. If you have fabric sitting around that needs to be used up- send it my way! We are now required to wear masks in all public areas on base, which I believe is military wide. If you are able and willing, reach out to a base near you to donate. Most ambulances and health care providers are accepting masks as well. The template linked above has a slit for a filter to be inserted into them to make them virus proof.
Give yourself something to do other than freak the f out, and it's cool if they look terrible (see above.) I'm sure in about 15 more masks I'll be alright at it, you can be too.
Until next time.
XOJO