Thanks Covid!

When the pandemic hit and there were no masks, I cursed myself for not wanting to learn to use my Mom’s sewing machine when I was young. My family needed masks and there were none to be had here in NYC. I bought a starter machine and, with my husband’s help, learned how to wind a bobbin, insert a needle and sew a (kind of straight) line of stitches.

I started playing around with mask patterns, testing them out one by one until I found the perfect type. I modified it to add a neck strap so that it could be taken down to eat and drink without having to put it down on a dirty surface or stuff it in a bag or lose it!

Fast forward a few months and I made thousands of masks for every friend, neighbor, co-worker and family member, first responders, essential workers… heck, I was passing them out to people that had on those horrible paper masks. I made baby masks and adult masks, extra large masks for those that needed them… beard masks, eyeglass masks… It felt good to do something positive during that horrible time but that became so boring. I started dipping my toe into the world of sewing tutorials, blogs and FB groups and before you know it, I had my Masters Degree in Crafting from YouTube University… Hell, I was the Valedictorian 😆

I love sewing - it’s my happy place and one of the few things that brings me any peace at all. It’s the most satisfying OCD fix when you need one (and I always need one). So yeah, thanks Covid and sorry Mom, I shoulda listened!