I only made one for myself.
As is usually the case, I saw someone in the street wearing a disposable mask and thought to myself, 'That would look MUCH better in colour... I wonder if I could make one from my Ankara fabric?'.
I'd read that touching your face was how the virus spread easily. I'm a face toucher like many but anyone who sews will know that, with threading needles and handling fabric, its a constant action.
I got some funny looks in Catford when I first wore my Wear Your Happy® Face Cover* around. And posting my photo online garnered a few giggles.
And then a DM arrived via Twitter: 'Are you selling these?'.
That same week I received notifications informing me and that every AirBnB guest for the next five months had cancelled their booking in my spare room.
One week before lockdown.
My stomach churned.
I started building my bespoke fashion business two years after I left my, almost three decades long, teaching career. After spending a long time fighting with my poor mental health, floundering with a perceived lack of purpose and finally choosing to care for my self. It's been a struggle mentally and financially but I felt I was getting somewhere.
A week before lockdown was announced I was still going into my lovely new studio to sew. I avoided the, then still crowded, buses preferring to walk the half hour or so there and back. I'd see maybe one other creative colleagues and steadfastly avoid the communal kitchen. But it was so lonely. And something didn't quite sit right. And the news...
Oh the news.
So I resolved to move my sewing machine, mannequin and some of my colourful fabric stash to my kitchen. Back to where I started sewing over 20 years ago. Self isolation imposed with my youngest daughter a mere few days before lockdown was announced
And I began to sew.
My lovely patient clients are on hold. My business as I know it is in flux. And now tenure at the studio I love may be in jeopardy due to circumstances waaaaay beyond my control.
As the world spins wildly on its axis, and our grip on everything we know and hold dear loosens, I sew.
It quietens me. It calms me. Creativity heals me.
I didn't come this far to come this far.
So I will send my version of happy out into the world and hope it helps in some small, big way to curb the spread of this virus. And I will let go of that which I cannot control and focus on what I’m good at. Creativity heals.
You can find out more and purchase one of my handmade pieces of JOY here.
*Wear Your Happy® Face Covers stop wandering germy fingers by serving as a barrier between digits and face.
· A reminder to stop touching that area.
· They signify that the wearer cares about humanity .
· A sustainable and stylish salve for anxious minds.
· Wear Your Happy ® Face covers are NOT medically proven to prevent covid-19 transmission.
Washing hands thoroughly, avoiding crowded areas and cleaning commonly touched surfaces is still the most effective protection.
Clean hands, open heart.♥