We're all in this together

 

We're living in uncertain & unsettling times right now.

It's all too easy to get swept away into madness, when you're just going about your normal routines - then you realised nothing around you seem normal anymore.

Thousands of Australians aren’t leaving the house. Supermarket shelves are empty. Events have been cancelled. Lots of things we take for granted stopped (even Bunnings snags are off the cards now)!
 

 

Though it's still worth bearing in mind that...

 

We're all in this together.

I've witness this first hand.

At my local supermarket, next to the empty toilet paper shelf, a small crowd gathered and started to form into a queue. There was a rumour that a truck just pulled up outside with fresh supplies.

An elderly lady stopped by, joined the queue, and a few of us started chatting.
 

She seemed especially tired and exasperated.

"Oh, I do hope they are bringing in more toilet paper. My husband is very elderly and we're about to run out."

She then told us that she'd tried three or four places already. No luck.

Just then, a supermarket staff walked in with two packs of toilet paper!

One pack was promptly handed to an elderly gentleman who stood near the front of the queue, then the rest of us started calling out (in unison):
 

"Hey! Give the last pack to THIS lady here!"

 

Even though the elderly lady was near the end of the queue, everyone quickly made way so that the staff could reach the lady to make sure that the last pack was safely in her hands.

The elderly lady was almost in tears. She offered to share the pack with a few of us, but no one took up on her offer, because we all knew that she needed it more than we did.
 

 

Suddenly, the frantic pace stopped for a brief moment.

 

People in the queue let out a sigh of relief, exchanged a quick "stay safe" collectively, then carried on with a smile.
 

 

It's moments like these that make my day. 

 

 

 

You & I can ALL be helpers.

 

My friend Alex puts it so beautifully...

 

Even if you are tired, anxious, depleted, or feel like you don't have "enough"... there’s always something you can do to help. Something big, small, or very-very-very tiny. It all counts.
 
Your choices, your efforts, and your contributions do matter.

How will you help?
What choices will you make?
How will you take good care of yourself and others?

Look for the helpers.
And be one.

Reach out to someone you love, even if they seem fine, because you never know. They might be quietly struggling. They might feel really alone. Your text or call will mean so much.

Be a beam of light in someone's day. Because...

The impact you have on someone...might be bigger than you think. 

 

Get busy. Get creative.

 

Teach someone to sew. Learn to (finally) make your own patterns. Make a dent in your stash. Support small businesses you love. Share the joy.

Be there for someone - even if all you can offer is listening. 
 

 

It all helps. It all matters. Often more than you think.

 

Despite all the madness...

 

I'm grateful that our warehouse & delivery team haven't missed a beat. I know because emails like this turn up in my inbox everyday...

P.S. We're OPEN. As always :-)

 

Having said that - things could change VERY quickly. So please order ASAP before anything changes.

 

Thank you. I actually did some sewing today. It felt good.

Our daughter recently returned from a cruise around NZ! It was the last one before all cruises cancelled. She and her partner and his parents had a magical time. While there, she got me some fabric so I made a table runner from it as I didn’t want to cut it at all!

Thank you again for your care. Stay safe.
Maxine

Hi Shelley,

Thanks for your encouraging email. My son (15) and I recently saw 'Its a Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood' (a beautiful movie) so your Fred Rogers quote struck a chord with us.

There are many ways we can help each other, and its not difficult. Just takes a little love and thought. So thanks for thinking of your subscribers.

Thanks again for your encouraging post. Have a lovely day.
Love Amanda

Well said Shelley. Thank you for caring. I am doing well thank you. Hope you and too.
Love Jeannette. xooxxo

Thank you for the lovely message, you are right, it all seems a little surreal at the moment. I am still working full time at the moment but would secretly be quite happy to be in self isolation so I could sew all day :-)

Take care
Wendy

Thanks for your email Shelley.
My family have just been devastated by the death of my husband's brother, (aged 60), from an aggressive brain tumor, only diagnosed in January. Before he died, Andrew and his partner of 15 years wanted to be married. As a Uniting Church minister I was able to perform their wedding ceremony in the Royal Adelaide Hospital on March 4th, thanks to caring admin people at both the Marriage Registrar's office and the hospital. Sewing is my therapy, and the purchase and ongoing use of one of your sewing tables will be my way of remembering and honouring my brother-in-law.
Jane McDonald, Ardrossan, South Australia

Good afternoon
Thank you for the lovely post
I am one of the blessed people who grow her own veggies,and herbs
have chickens so I get a couple of eggs each day, some of the staff I work with haven’t been able to get certain food items so I dropped some of them in today at work and besides sewing I love to cook and bake so I belong to a group that are happy to make and bake goodies for those in need.
It’s been a very interesting time, first the droughts which we are still hoping for rain as our dams are empty except one with a small amount, then my husband helping fighting bushfires , whilst I am sewing and quilting with my friends and now this . It can only get better. Enjoy your day
Kind regards
Petra

Thank you Shelly, this has restored my faith in human nature, it was failing me here in my small home town of Bowen, I have friends who work at Woolies and IGA and they have been telling me tales of the abuse they are receiving, so thank you.
Regards
Sue Cox

I am enjoying being housebound am getting lots of sewing jobs done.

Mary

Well said, well done Shelley
I hope you and your family are doing well through all this hayhem
Love and hugs
Brenda Morris

Thank you Shelley,

When I read this today it really picked up my spirits.
I had spent yesterday just being on the phone
Checking in to see that my friends were ok!
Today was quiet so I caught up on my emails. Yours was the best thing I read today.

Keep up the good work.
Now let's go and do some sewing

Pam

Hi Shelley, I enjoy sewing soo much, have a stash of fabrics to get through, making lots of different things which I donate for charity, at the moment I am making masks to donate, just love sewing, keeps my mind active. Regards Stella

Hi Shelley,

I just want to thank you for your story and words.

I was feeling particularly sorry for myself as I spent all day yesterday cancelling a wonderful overseas holiday that we were to go on, leaving on April 30. Not only was there the disappointment of not going, but also the bucketloads of money I’m losing as nobody is refunding. The money was a small inheritance from my Mum who passed away 2years ago at 92..

This morning I have learnt that the op-shop I work in 2 days a week, has made the decision to close until further notice. Wham!! Another knock.

Then I read this and started to have a few tears, and thought about how this is affecting other people.

One of the biggest aspects of our op-shop is the outreach to lonely and disenfranchised people in our community. We offer tea, coffee biscuits and a chat. I thought about our regular customers who come in for that purpose and felt sorry that the impact of this virus has far reaching effects in more ways than we can immediately imagine.

I need to pull myself together and be thankful for my life and hope that we all survive this scourge. I am a crafter and I have oodles of projects that I can undertake if we have to isolate, and my freezer and pantry are full. Keep safe and healthy.

Gillian

Going very well looking after myself. As long as I have my machine I am happy. Hope all of you are taking care.
Have a fabulous day, Chris

Dear Shelley,

Thank you so much for your email. I have received a lot of emails from companies in the last few days, but yours felt actually like a friend asking me how I was doing, and even though we have never met reaching out like this really does help in times like these. So thank you, and I hope you keep well and continue to witness the good of humanity in amongst all the chaos.

-Lauren <3

HI Shelly

The local library where we have been meeting each Thursday for over 10 years has just stopped us for 6 months. So that will impact me the most.

I am a positive person, and I already have had the common flu, so I am over the media rubbish. The media say there is panic, who would have known that there was a toilet paper issue if they did not tell us, why did we go buy some before it runs out. In Brisbane or Queensland they are stocking at night now before today deliveries could not happen after a certain time. The other day I got a pack of 20 I had no choice as the only pack was the one containing 20 rolls, why?

Anyway a chance to resew some clothes I made before I learnt to adjust pattens to fit me.

Cheers

Ros

Thank you, Shelley! This is beautiful, and I have shared it with others,
who also find it beautiful and uplifting!

Warm regards,
Rachel

Hi Shelley,
What a lovely story you shared today, there are so many lovely people out there. You are right, we are all in this together, it would make it so much easier if there weren’t the panic purchasers out there.

I am sure here in Australia we have enough of everything to go around. I really don’t understand all this panic about buying up excess amounts of food leaving so many without the staples.

Lets hope that people come to their senses and start to behave normally again. I guess there are always the ‘odd’ few who ruin it for everyone, luckily most of us are reasonable, kind and care about each other.

Thank goodness we sewers are never bored even if we have to be in lock down I am sure there is always something for us to do.

Thank you
Brenda

Hi Shelley,

Thank you for the uplifting post. So refreshing to the constant bombardment of negativity. Yes, we need to focus on the beautiful side of humanity and not the ugly, which unfortunately sells news.

I’ve been catching up of small projects and unfinished UFOs. I’ve also put my name down to volunteer at our local supermarkets during the special shopping hours for our most vulnerable community members.

Thank you for sharing all your lovely ideas.

Kind regards,
Soh Ping

Shelley, thank you for your supermarket experience, there are still good people out there, this is so important to know. Let’s hope that calm, love, kindness and joy will spread a lot faster than the virus. Have a lovely day and stay well.

Kind regards

Christel

I'm glad to hear that people are slowly getting it that older people can't wait around for hour's, mostly due to their own health problems that have nothing to do with the C19 virus. We only go out to shop when we need, but there are only 2 of us and we did a big shop the day before every one started running for supplies they don't even need. We always keep twins of soup, baked beans, spaghetti in tins, fruit in tins, tins of tuna, cheese, tea bags, and medical supplies in our cupboard, we also have a small freezer full of meat, fish, chips, peas. Fresh fruit we got today.

Lesley

Hello Shelly,

Thankyou for your concern I appreciate the post and you taking the time to ask your readers how they are in this worrisome time.

I am fine just getting on with life and sorting items that need alterations. At the moment things are not bad in the part of the UK where I am situated, but the powers that be are saying over 70,s should stay indoors. That’s me I’m afraid but lots of things to be getting on with so no worries.

Stay safe Shelly and please keep these post coming I love reading them.

With best regards.
Anne.

Beautiful.

Cheers,
Jo

Hi Shelly
Thank you & Keep well
from a fellow patchworker
Lorraine

Thank you for this, I needed it today.
Make the most of your wonderful day.

Susan

thank you

Patricia Schereck

Hi Shelley,

Thank you for the post, it’s good to see a little sanity and kindness still remains.

I’m the lucky winner of the Diana mannequin, which I’m thrilled with. I’ve had house guests from overseas, ( who thankfully left before this virus got out of hand) and I work in the aged care industry, so to say I’ve been busy is an understatement. I look forward to a little down time so that I can actually use it.

Keep the posts/emails coming, they are always a lovely moment of respite in a manic world.

Happy sewing,
Gorana

Hi Shelley,
just wanted to say thank you for today's post.

In amongst all the ridiculousness that it going on at the moment it was so nice to hear a story about people being kind and actually getting what really matters.

christina

thank you for this - i'm off to chat and sew tomorrow.

pat

Thank you for the post, and my parcel arrived yesterday, now I can get creative. Love my material. Take care. Regards Joclyn.

Hi Shelley
I spent today making a pram quilt for my new baby grandson... I usually spend most days with my mother, who is in a nursing home, but the nursing home is in lockdown to try to protect the residents, and I am immunosuppressed, so I have been advised to self isolate anyway!
Good thing I have a fabric stash to work my way through
Without social media, I would feel very isolated, so thank you for everything you post
Cheers from Cheryl

Hi Shelley,
Thank you for this beautiful note. I live in North Carolina United States and we are experiencing the effects of COVID-19. But, we are all prevailing during these uncertain times. But as your note states we are not forget our humanity. I will definitely do what I can as well.
Be blessed and take care. ~~Barbara Walker

Thank you so much for your helpful post today.

I am on my own and look forward to your emails. I hope to make a tote bag for myself but still looking at patterns I will also have to go out and get fabric etc.

Hope you all keep well..... Jodi

What a beautiful email. Thankyou. You brought a tear to my eye!

Narelle

how beautiful, are your words.. thank you so much.
I have remembered how my mother told us that in WW2 all her relatives gave her their clothing rations so she could have a wedding dress and they all pooled their sugar, flour, dried fruit and egg rations so she could have a wedding cake.. in the midst of severe rationing they GAVE - let us all be givers and look for those who need a hand and give them what we can - even give them a phone call if they are lonely because they cant go out to watch people in the shopping centres..

Pamela

Thank you,

I loved this, i helped an old Asian man today that was worried because he had been been sent out to buy hand sanitizer and wasn’t finding any.

I suggested he take hand soap and was hands instead and quickly grabbed the last one on the shelf for him.

He was very grateful and i felt i had done something rewarding for a stranger.

I also call my mother in law every day and take her whatever she needs as she lives alone, doesn’t drive and walks with a frame so regularly misses out on essentials

I love the idea of helpers!

Regards
Silvia

Thank you .

Such beautiful advice here. I wish you enough and a beautiful day

Vicki Hale

Thank you Shelley!

What a beautiful post - made my day!

Stay well and keep smiling!

Regards,
Sylvia Buttigieg

Hi Shelley

I think this was a very meaningful topic, and so nice to see people are using their heads to help others

Lucy

Thank you so much Shelley, you are so right.

All it takes is a little bit of kindness to make someone's day, and you just made mine.

Sending love and light.

Keri

Hi Shelley, what a nice post.

I appreciate your efforts & I enjoy doing business with you.
How cute is that cat? Blessings to you.

Kind regards.
Kitty Lewis