Over the last few months, what have you been doing during this unprecedented time of Covid-19 shutdown?  For me I have been juggling Remote Learning as a teacher, managing the Needlework Boutique and getting some stitching in.  I often think back to the days before I returned to the classroom, where I would suggest to customers that they could get that 15 mins a day in of stitching, just by doing one length of thread.  How has that worked for you?  For me, it didn’t.  So I have really appreciated the lockdown time, as I was able to get 2 or 3 hours of stitching in each week.

Some of the things I have learnt during this time include:
1. Good lighting is essential.  Thank goodness I have a magnifying light.  I have both a floor model and a table model.  As my overhead lights are dreadful and I mainly stitch at night, the magnifying light has been a life saver for my stitching.

2. Even in this time of slowdown, I have still been flat out with my day job.  And teaching remotely has been just as intensive, if not more intensive as teaching in the classroom.  So it was really necessary that I spend time every week stitching.  Needle crafts are excellent activities for practicing mindfulness.

3. It is possible to have a Sit and Stitch with a friend from the other side of the world.  Umm.  I think we were a bit slow on this one!  We started our weekly Skype video Sit and Sews at the end of March or start of April.  Even though my Dutch friend and I have been conversing by Skype regularly for almost 15 years!

So what has your Covid-19 shutdown looked like?  Have you been able to get much stitching in?  And what have you been stitching on?  Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time,

Bernadette