April has been a month filled with ups and downs.
During this month the number of Covid-19 cases here in Michigan climbed to third highest in the country. BUT as the month ends 7 weeks of staying-at-home/sheltering-in-place are paying off as the number of cases has begun to slowly decline, dropping us down to 7th in the country, and plans are being worked out to slowly reopen businesses.
At the start of the month our weather was filled with the beginnings of spring as daffodils bloomed and chicks hatched.
But then we were hit with repeated bouts of winter’s return = UGH!! But on the upside, the cold and snow made it easier to follow the ‘stay-at-home’ directive and gave me the chance to wear the mitts and sweater I brought home from a pre-pandemic trip to Iceland.
The rapid increase of Covid-19 cases brought shortages to our hospitals for PPEs and the call went out to the fiber and quilting groups to start making cloth masks.
A steady new routine developed as I worked my way though the cotton fabric in my stash, cannibalized the Star Wars bedsheets from when our kids were young,
and purchased fabric online with curbside pick-up.
It’s been an interesting process doing production work, especially figuring out how best to cut the yardage in order to get as many masks as possible leaving zero or little waste. At this point I’ve sewn over 100 masks that have gone to family, neighbors, friends, and donation sites.
Through all the ups and downs dealing with the virus’ effect on how we go about our daily lives, it’s been great to see creative lawn art and appreciation for medical and essential workers throughout the neighborhood.
This rollercoaster ride isn’t over yet but
together we ARE stronger
and we’ll get through it!
Barbara Schutzgruber - Storyteller & Weaver 
Leave a Reply