How is it almost Christmas already?? I can’t believe how quickly this year has flown by! It’s been silly busy especially as I have taken on some work doing admin for the Walthamstow Trades Hall because I was so quiet with cheekyhandmades (of course that instantly meant that I got busy w cheekyhandmades again, sod’s law right?!) 

I have nothing profound to say about this last year. I thought 2020 was bad, full of sadness and trauma, as well as amazing sparks of joy and kindness, and then 2021 just continued on this theme too… Lots of community goodness, lots more building of solid local networks of makers and creators and neighbours and incredible people doing beautiful things, but also tons of awful stuff. The year started with my friend Brenda dying from Covid, she was a student who turned into a friend, we spent a lot of time hanging out outside my house drinking tea during the first lockdown when we were making scrubs and masks, and by the end of the year we were both very excited to have ordered the same new super duper Janome sewing machine. Brenda died before she got to own it and every time I use mine I think of her. All the anger now over covid, all the fear and all the polarisation that has gone on, it is heartbreaking. I want this pandemic to be over, I just want it done, and it is depressing to go into another winter full of illness and lockdowns and more anger and incompetent governing and I am sure I am not alone in being profoundly sad that this has wrenched families and friendships apart. I have myself this year learnt some hugely important lessons about tolerance and bridging the gap between my leftie bubble and the rest of the world as my close friends will know and that has been eye opening. I am ending the year happy and smiling and grateful as always. I have learned to take my joy and fun at a moment’s notice and without hesitation, I have learned to compartmentalise, I have gained more kindness and wisdom than I thought possible, and I have been clearer and better at boundaries, all of which have helped feed into the happiness and feeling of security within myself.

My business has been to the brink and back and I am still not there, who knows what another covid winter will bring but I and Cheekyhandmades are resilient and we will be around!

Happy sewing one and all! May you have a few moments of stillness and happiness if nothing else, may you enjoy being warm and indoors or cold out on a walk, may you get to hit this nearest and dearest and may you get some rest before it all kicks off again. Love you all!

Jennie xxx