Spring break is now 2 weeks instead of 1 as our school district figures out how to shift to online education. For now that means that I have some time to sew. Preparation and work are sure to follow, but for now I have done all that I can to prepare. Teachers will all report next week to figure out what the plan is.
My kids at school last week were starting to realize how absolutely surreal all of this is. They told me that they felt like they were living in a movie and that they would wake up from the dream soon to realize that none of it is real. They are all too young to remember 9-11, but it felt a lot like this.
Because the abnormality is likely to continue, I thought that a quilt could commemorate the experience.
My plan is a block a day for the duration of the experience. If everything gets miraculously better soon it will be a very small quilt. I tried a couple of different blocks before deciding on this simple house block. All the bits come from 2 inch strips, so it is quick and easy to make with scraps that I already have on hand.
I used an easy angle and companion angle ruler to cut the roof, but there are so many ways to make flying geese. I might try a different method later.
Step 1, cut the pieces. For the roof, either use specialty rulers with 2 inch strips or any of these methods:
Here is a no triangle method on you tube
Here is a two at a time method on you tube
Here is a PDF 4 at a time method with different measurements
Here is the traditional flip and sew method
After you make a roof with sky that is 3.5 by 2 inches unfinished, it is time to cut out your house.
1 - 2 x 3.5 inch rectangle
2 - 2 x 1.5 inch rectangles
Then in a contrasting door fabric, add
1 - 2 by 1.5 inch rectangle
Today my house is sunny and bright and the sky is blue. For the first day of spring break the beach was packed! I went out for early voting in the primary and to get some bathroom remodeling supplies from the hardware store. The bathroom got torn apart before we realized that both of our college kids would be back again before summer. We are now madly trying to get it all put back together again as all Florida state colleges and universities have shifted to online learning for now. Ryan kept insisting that he didn't want to come home until they started cancelling all of the things he wanted to do at UF. Kurt went and fetched him this morning. He is a fan of asynchronous lectures for now because he can listen to them at 1.5 speed. There is a rumor that one of the Florida cases of COVID lived in his dorm. There are a lot of rumors like that going around.
Things are still changing quickly. As of Friday I still had students who thought they were going on cruises for spring break. First the school declared that anyone leaving the country for break would face a mandatory quarantine for 14 days after return. Then the cruise lines ended up closing anyway and made it all a moot point.
Most of the day was spent cancelling academic teams planned trip to Disney for the state competition next month. As Disney is closed until further notice and field trips are now prohibited, it seemed like a logical though painful decision. I tried to clean up my room as best I could knowing that custodians would be in to do "deep cleaning" over the break. I'm a little embarrassed to have them see how messy my storeroom is. I might go in though and get some general organization done. I tried to bring home things I might need to teach online, but a lot is still up in the air.
Ryan is at the comic book store and Sydney is sleeping over with a friend. I'm guessing there won't be a lot more of being out and about, so I hope they are enjoying it while it lasts. I think that the Spain and France are now having mandatory quarantines with Italy still locked down. Nothing mandatory here yet, though working from home is the new normal.
13 comments:
everyone is just going to have to get used to - I have a feeling each state will be handling things a little differently as it becomes more infected. For now have fun making houses and getting your bathroom done! and working from home with college kids in the house
Here's hoping for a VERY small House quilt!! Unrealistic,as that might be. Stay well, dear Angela!!! May you find some time to sew with ALL of the kids home for this Coronacation (as Kathy S. called her extended break.)
I don’t know how many of my online students actually have good Internet access from home, but we’ll find out. SD has closed schools for this next week too. My daughters both work in hospitals and don’t really have the option of working from home. One is a respiratory therapist. So both are a bit panicked over having child care for their elementary age kids. Wish we lived in the same communities, but if I have to go there and provide some child care, then that is what will happen.
<3 take care and stay safe. i am in new jersey and we are both working from home and staying in as much as possible. I hope your quilt is very small but I'll follow your journey!
I've considered another Quilty 365 style quilt (circles on 4.5" squares) through this - but so far I haven't started making blocks (opting instead to work on other existing projects). The colleges/universities here are all going to distance learning and the public schools are closed for 2 weeks with the future beyond that uncertain. One of the two cases here is an employee of the hospital where our older son works - he hasn't been contacted so he figures he didn't come in contact with that person. Wishing you and your family the best - our younger son has moved home from his apartment building across town as a precaution.
Things are certainly ramping up, aren't they. I live way down here in New Zealand with luckily just a small number of cases so far. Travel plans are certainly affected, no cruise ships allowed to dock here but so far schools and the like have not yet been closed. But things change so quickly. Stay safe, everyone, I know most of us quilters are at that sensible age so won't be taking unnecessary risk. ON a brighter note, aren't we lucky that we can still communicate via the internet, go to linky parties, like this one, and read wonderful blogs, all from the comfort of our homes!
So far, I’m pleasantly surprised at how well we are all coping with the changes being hurled at us. It didn’t occur to me until I read your post about how scary it must feel to the teens (I have 2 teen grandkids; the rest are younger and seem to be just rolling with it). I remember being in a daze for days (bad word choice, sorry) after 9/11. After doing some grocery shopping on Friday (which I don’t need to repeat until April), the lines and shortages reminded me of the oil embargo of 1972 (‘73?). Long gas lines and hours to fill up (studying in the car) just to be able to drive to campus. Anyway, it’s good that we adults can be a calm and reassuring presence to the teens. :-)
Times like these bring out the best and the worst in people. Other than the hoarding of those who are unprepared (which is understandable and forgivable), I’ve seen only the good so far. I hope that the good overpowers any negatives and that we can all get through this together, better for having gone through it. Stay safe. xo
News from France: we know that Italy is just one week ahead of us, so schools are closed, stores too, except food stores, and hospitals prepared. People can stay home for watching their kids (only one in the couple), and can go to work if there is no public involved. This week is going to be a little hard I guess... For myself, I have some online courses to prepare for my university students, I can do it from home, or from my office, I hope to have more informations until tomorrow.
Stay safe all of you, and take care.
Yes, like living in a movie :(
Take care!
So much uncertainty for everyone... glad you are off work for a while and such a good idea to start a new project!
Love the term Coronacation!
Hope the virus stays far away from you and those you love! Practice plenty of "sewcial" distancing and stay safe!
I love this idea. We’ve been traveling, but we’ll be home in a couple of days. I think I’ll join in then.
I hope that your quilt will be tiny, but I doubt it. We had to cancel our trip to our nephew's wedding at the end of the month. Just not safe. Now the wedding couple is having to un-invite people so that they will only have 50 people there total. I still have to work (caregiver for an elderly blind man). No where else to go now.
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