Crafting through the crisis

Hello, friends. I've been holding back on commenting publicly about COVID-19 because we’re all already drinking from a firehose of emails and news updates and schedule upheaval. It’s overwhelming, and we don’t know how long it will go on, and that makes it all heavier. I’m conscious of not wanting to add to the weight we’re all bearing.

I've also been waylaid by anticipatory grieving around my original vision for Handiwork, which was to be a gathering place for the neighborhood. As I write today, it's very unclear how long it will be before it's safe for us to get together in groups again. I'm so sad about this on so many human levels, but also for this labor of love I've been working on for more than a year. 

I’m down, but I’m also a tenacious motherfucker and this is not the first time life has thrown a catastrophic wrench in my gears. I’m recalibrating and I will keep moving forward. You will too. We will get through this.

Classes at Handiwork

For now, I'm waiting to see how the pandemic response evolves before I make any decisions about canceling our existing classes in May and June. I'm thinking very hard about ways that Handiwork can still provide you with an engaging, supportive crafting experience while keeping us all safe. If you’ve already registered for a class at Handiwork, you will hear from me when we know more.

Crafting at home

What are you working on? Is it keeping you grounded? I’m looking at what my heroines are doing at Badass Cross Stitch and Fancy Tiger Crafts and Lady Dye Yarns for inspiration. I tried my hand at sewing a mask, and I’m plugging away at an Arctic Circle cowl I started last fall because I am the sloth of the knitting world.

I'm putting on my librarian hat and curating a list of resources for crafting in the pandemic which I will post here. 

In the meantime, I’m also pondering what gaps my little shop can fill while the world is still shifting so profoundly. If there are specific tools, products, or experiences that you're really missing right now that you wish Handiwork would supply, please drop me a line. Likewise, share your WIPs on Instagram or Facebook by tagging us at #yourHandiwork. I’d love to hear from you all.

New in the shop

In the meantime, renovation at the shop is still happening (?!?) and the bills, they need a-paying. So, I’ve put the Jet Video awning bags up for sale on my website. When they’re gone, they’re gone, so if one is really speaking to you, jump on it!

Immense gratitude to my friend and logo designer Tracy, who originally suggested how the awning could continue to have a useful life elsewhere, and to my new friend Jasmine at Kurier, who made it happen. 

I'm still planning a sweet collection of locally made goods for you to browse, so if you know any Maine makers -- or if the pandemic has given you more time to practice your craft -- tell me more!