Comforts of Home

Today marks day 56 of social distancing, quarantining and staying safe at home. I’m thankful for so many things right now, but this time hasn’t been easy. I’ve been finding comfort in little things that I have control over: delicious food, a cozy space and making all the things.

Are you even in quarantine if you haven’t made banana bread? I’ve been baking a lot more than I should. There’s definitely a limit to the amount of cookies and bread that one can eat while sitting on the couch all day. I’m pushing that limit a little more every day, but this is a time to cocoon yourself in whatever makes you happy. If that just so happens to be butter and gluten, well, embrace it.

Yeast is a hot commodity these days. This Irish soda bread recipe is a godsend! The banana bread is from this recipe (which was lovely), and the cookies are from this post on A Beautiful Mess. If you see me post anything related to sour dough bread in the upcoming weeks, please send help.

When I reached phase two of quarantine, I decided to do something productive. A local hospital put out a call for masks so I delivered. If you enjoy sewing and have some supplies on hand, see if a local hospital/care facility is accepting homemade masks. The hospital that I made masks for had a specific pattern to follow, but I much prefer this pattern from Mimi G. It’s the one I used for my family.

I fell back in love with making clothes during phase three of quarantine. I even made my first “formal-ish” dress using Vogue 9252. I had stocked up on (read: hoarded) quite a bit of fabric before COVID-19 hit, so I experimented with a few more patterns. The shirts are drafted from this Sarah Kirsten freebie that I will be forever thankful for. Even though t-shirts should be simple, I struggled to find one that fit the way I wanted it to. Since this one is based on my own measurements, it’s absolutely perfect. This skirt tutorial was also a lot of fun. I tried it in a lightweight cotton and heavyweight wool-like material. The wool worked out a lot better!

I’m pulling out all the stops for phase four. Let’s just say I’m hand quilting. It deserves a post all its own, so stay tuned.

Everyone has their own way of dealing with what’s going on. Whether that’s staying ultra-productive to keep your mind busy, taking time to truly digest what’s going on, binging amazing TV shows, or a mix of all three, this is a difficult time. Do what you need to do to be comfortable!

Jackie