One Little Word 2021: Create

I’ve been participating in Ali Edward’s annual workshop, One Little Word for several years now. I’ve had various degrees of success in actually completing the workshop each year, but I usually keep the word at the forefront of my thinking, whether I complete all of the monthly prompts or not. I always set my intentions in January, and usually visit the classroom most months and watch the videos Ali shares. I don’t always document in an album.

Last year, my word was BECOME. It was such a strange, crazy year – as we all know. And I actually did several more months of documentation than I have in years past. I think it’s because the pace of 2020 was slower and I did so much less traveling for work than what I had been doing. I’m grateful to Covid for that, for sure! I spent quite a bit of time thinking about who and what I wanted to be when I grew up (although, truth be told, I’m not sure I have any intention of ever growing up.)

2021 is likely to be a pretty momentous year for me. I turn 50 this month! Emily turns 18, graduates and moves off to college. Mike and I become empty nesters. I’m back to leading a small team at work. Lots of change. And I really am ready for all of it. I think.

As I thought about my One Little Word, I considered celebrate – knowing that I wanted to soak in all the good things and celebrate each little moment of this year. I considered change – knowing that there was so much change and needing to intentionally navigate my way through it and hopefully embrace it. In the end, I chose CREATE. My reason for this is simple: I want to intentionally create this next chapter for myself. And it builds so nicely on last year’s word. I haven’t usually shared my journey very publicly, other than to announce my word at the beginning of the year. And I don’t know that I’ll share the results of my prompt each month.

But I did make one small change on my business insta on January 1. I changed my account to Kelly Waterman Creates. It probably seems a little simple and inconsequential. But it really shifts my focus from a product-oriented account to an exploration-oriented account. It’s still a business. I’ll still have products to sell. But the focus will be more about being a creative explorer. Trying new things. Learning. Playing. Making. Sharing.

My hope is that my thirst to explore so many different forms of creative expressions inspires you to learn and stretch and grow along with me. Let’s be creative explorers together!

 

Sewing masks for Cincy

I’ve had a sewing machine for nearly 25 years. Mike bought it for me as a gift because I had grandiose ideas of making all of my kids’ Halloween costumes. We had one kid – and the machine sat unused for about ten years. At which point, I decided to pull it out and use it to sew paper. I LOVED stitching on layouts and cards and handmade papers. Never made a Halloween costume. Never used it to sew fabric.

Ever.

The other day, I saw a friend from high school post how she’s making masks for her family and community. She inspired me to rethink my sewing machine and actually use it to sew fabric. (Novel, I know!)

I did some research and found a great local organization called Sew Masks 4 Cincy. They are collecting masks for frontline workers at Tri-Health and other local area hospitals. So I decided to give it a try.

N95 Maks CoverMy first attempt was a mask to fit over the N95 which would prolong their usability. Here’s what I learned:

  • There’s a reason I don’t call myself a seamstress
  • I can’t pin without poking myself so now I’m on a mission to find the mini clothespins from my scrapbooking stash
  • The binding tape worked perfectly (yay)
  • I was lazy and didn’t change the bobbin thread…and if I could only remember to keep the same side facing up, it would look really cool.
  • This one won’t be useable, but I will try again until I get it right

My second attempt, a pleated mask with room for a filter, was much better, but my fabric was upside down for the pleats.

It took me three attempts to produce a decent mask, but it was so worth the effort. Mike has to wear a new one every day, and I’m committing to making at least 50 for sewmasks4cincy.org

More than anything, I’m super pumped to have gotten more comfortable with my sewing machine and have finally used it for its intended purpose. I am looking forward to experimenting with other projects!