Isolation Days

Each morning as I awake I give thanks for the day.

I drink a glass of water and get out of bed.   Matilda, the cat, is always ready for her breakfast, so I feed her, then check for any overnight text messages on the phone and have my coffee.

I have a day job, but I am on a reduced schedule for a bit. It is on odd time. I feel that a regular routine helps me stay focused.

Most days I eat a granola-type cereal or nuts, dates and berry combination that I assemble myself.

I limit the amount of news I listen to. More than once a day can cause me to have anxiety.

I try to get regular exercise each day, by walking or doing yoga.

Matilda thinks she might also keep a journal one day.

I keep a written journal and I make art each day.

The largest project I am tackling this month is sorting my mother's personal papers and photos.  In the 1940's she taught physical education at the University of Akron. She saved everything from the list of academic course offerings to Goodyear Rubber Company memorabilia.

Last week I contacted the archives department at UAkron to ask if they were interested in a donation, and to my delight they said yes!  I am thrilled because these items need a new home.

Play in a Time of Isolation

I took a short break from sewing masks this week to play.  What would you do if a friend of yours asked you if you could use this little pile of gorgeous cotton strips?

I said I would take them, having absolutely no idea how I would use them. Still to the scrap lover in me, they were irresistible---all perfect and coordinated, each measuring about 1x14 inch.  

When I got home I laid them on a table in the studio and there they sat for 3 months. 

This week when I decided to play. This is what I came up with. 

 I lined several up side by side atop a piece of batting. 
Then I wove additional strips in perpendicular to the first strips.

I stitched around the edge of the entire piece, and then stitched each line down going back and forth from top to bottom. 

Then I squared the piece up, adding backing and put a border on.  To complete a small quilt that could be used as a mug rug or a hot pad for my teapot.

Of course Matilda is always supervising.

Traveling to the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach in July 2020

My quilt “Meditation Light” is traveling to International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA July 9-11, 2020...or at least that is what I am hoping given the current coronavirus pandemic.

This piece was inspired by summer vacations on Kelley’s Island in Lake Erie.  

Lake Erie is one of the five Great Lakes. It shares an international border with Canada. 

Kelley’s Island is the largest island in the U.S. waters of Lake Erie. 

As a child, I learned to swim, fish, and canoe there.  My brother and I would hop on our bicycles in the morning and not return until sunset.

It was a carefree time. 

Nowadays I still go there, but much less often. 

When I sit on the shore I am one with the Universe marking the passage of time by the position of the sun setting on the horizon.

Self-Quarantining - Staying Busy

What are you up to these days?  I have painted, moved shrubs, sewed masks (lots given away and still more to make), and just read and listened to inspirational podcasts. (If you need some podcast suggestions look for Fresh Air with Krista Tippett and Super Soul Conversations with Oprah Winfery.

Here are a few things I worked on. 

Flowers by Mary Lachman, acrylic on paper

Vintage Orphan Block Quilt by Mary Lachman

Matilda adds her approval