#SOL21 – Day 30 – Being a Maker

Being a Maker runs in my blood. My paternal grandmother, Grandma Sell, and her mother, Great-grandma Burkhardt, were always creating things, and I learned alongside them when I was growing up.

Great-grandma Burkhardt had display cases filled with Fabergé-style goose eggs. She was also very skilled with a needle: sewing, needlepoint, cross stitch, and quilting. I remember her helping me perfect—well, improve—my French knot when I was about 10 years old. I made a lot of potholders with the loom that she kept in her front closet. When I pulled out the Pringles can of knitting needles from that same closet, she tried to teach me how to knit, but I didn’t really get the hang of it at the time.

Grandma Sell painted and fired ceramic ornaments and mugs for us every Christmas. She was also into needlepoint and cross stitching, and she sewed her own round dancing dresses. Later, she bought an embroidery machine and used that to embellish clothing, towels, and quilts. When I was about 12 years old, I spent a week with her sewing outfits for the Cabbage Patch Kids that my sister and I had. The remnants of fabric she had from her dresses really came in handy. Other times when we visited, I would take a latch hook project out of the round side table next to her recliner and help her complete a few more rows.

I’m a maker, too. Some of the things I create would look very familiar to Grandma Sell and Great-grandma Burkhardt, like the crocheted dishcloths and the knitted—yes, I finally learned—scarves. I use my sewing machine to make masks and repair clothing, sometimes to make a sleeping bag for an American Girl doll. I’ve even machined-pieced a few quilts. I have a large stash of embroidery thread from past cross stitch projects.

This past year, when spending all of my time at home during the pandemic, I purchased an electronic cutting machine and started making cards and helping my daughter add iron-on embellishments to her shirts. Most recently, I borrowed the 3D printer from school and I’ve printed nose clips and cord locks for the new masks I’ve sewed.

Oh, and I write. That’s definitely making, too!