Gifts and Gratitude 2020

Gift sewing this year was making masks. Some holiday ones as well. 

I did not color sample my custom Spoonflower print on the right from the left one by Kelly Gilleran, but I would have if I'd thought about it (I matched from his little mittens, and then decided to buy the cocoa print to make more masks with). It wasn't until I got them back from Spoonflower that I realized how perfect they were together, and that I could make that cocoa print last through all six masks for the recipient family.

https://www.spoonflower.com/en/fabric/5675022-hot-cocoa-by-kellygilleran

Cotton poly lining from sheets.
I won't run out of sheets any time soon

Slicing knit jersey for more mask straps

Me modeling mask. One I made for me.

Cutting a box template and covering it with velveteen to line a wooden jewelry box for my niece.

Made a variation on the McCalls raglan hoody pattern, which really is a men's sized pattern despite the newly redone cover artwork. We'll call it the boyfriend hoody.

This pink stretch velvet shed little sparkles all over the sewing room, the cutting table, me, my clothes, my lungs....this is why I was vacuuming the room and started the Serger Tragedy.

Pink stretch velvet top much less of a hit. I'm batting about .000 with sewing for the niece these days.

And a scrap of the flannel jams for the boy. He doesn't need them, but I loved the print, the flannel washed up nice and fluffy, and they made him smile. 

 

This has been a rough year at Ernie K Labs, even before the pandemic. Enormous family upheavals: got new job, got furloughed, spouse left. Enormous local upheavals (my city is not a riot zone and please stop killing black people and tear gassing small children) got  back 5/8s of job (that seam allowance joke is lost on my boss).

I don't know what's going to happen next in my life.

I bet most of you don't either.

HOWEVER, I have a place to live and I have 5/8s of a job. I have 8/8s of my health insurance, courtesy of my company

I am grateful to my sewing family. You got me through this, with toddler videos, pants theory, engagements, babies, cosplay even when there wasn't a place to play. 

 I loved reading all your posts and seeing your photos.

Please know you are loved.