Stitch 'n Dish

Tag: craft community

  • A loss of community

    A loss of community

    Crafters are creative and can transform simple things into works of art. As we continue to process the stages of “grief” around the loss of community that once resided in our neighborhood Joann stores, we can move on into new ways of being in community, finding and/or creating activities and small groups that promise a…

  • Finishing touches

    Finishing touches

    I started this blog several years back to highlight the positive benefits of fiber arts activities for our emotional, mental and physical health. I continue to be awed by the depths of its healing potential – for myself as well as for others.

  • Summer odds & ends

    Summer odds & ends

    Change can be a challenge to navigate, and I am always grateful to the examples set by my grandmother and great-grandmothers on how to keep moving forward when life gets messy. I think it was their generations’ version of meditation, which tracks with so much of the research today around how crocheting, knitting and other…

  • Reflections

    Reflections

    The last time I shopped in a Joann store was more than three months ago, right before their final closures. I said goodbye to the employees I knew, wishing them well, and as I walked across that parking lot one last time, I knew I was saying goodbye to an era in my life. As…

  • Shopping my values

    Shopping my values

    Last weekend I decided to treat myself to some “me” time, so I mapped out a half-day excursion to an independent fiber store a decent distance from my house. I was excited because I had not been there since they changed hands, and was looking forward to seeing what the new owners have done with…

  • New normals

    New normals

    My last trip into a Joann store was a few weeks ago, but I continued to “monitor” the liquidation activities on Reddit. I wanted to stop by one of the remaining open stores in my area, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so, and for a few reasons. On one hand I felt that…

  • A positive pivot, perhaps

    A positive pivot, perhaps

    As the month of May winds down, and reality around the final closing of every last Joann store settles in, I know I’m not the only person feeling a little “lost”, some sadness, and a distinct sense that we’re witnessing the end of an era. I’ve also started to realize that I’m doing a lot…

  • Analog time in a digital world

    Analog time in a digital world

    This past week was a whirlwind. I returned from a week at Walt Disney World in Florida with my kids and grandkids (flight landed Sunday), and Monday I had a professional conference to attend. It was an all-day event, and although it started earlier than I would have wanted after a week away, it was…

  • A trip to the library

    A trip to the library

    I try to get at least 6,000 steps every day, and more whenever possible. It’s an easy way for me to manage my physical health, mobility, and it’s one of the best “tonics” I have found when my mental health is lagging. I am fortunate to live in an area that was blessed by the…

  • A new era for local shops

    A new era for local shops

    I wrote the blog post below after visiting New Orleans for business almost 2 years ago and posted it on my previous blog site. Today, as the news in the fiber arts community is overflowing with store closures, retail bankruptcies, and economic scares, I am thinking of how the larger crocheting and knitting communities as…