Here’s the Latest Thread ~ 2020 whirlwind of activity from Cancer Survivor, COVID-19 Quarantine, Business Pivot, to Sewing Face Masks and the Birth of #facesoflacartera. So let’s catch up!

Cancer Survivor

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I have officially joined the Cancer Survivor club this week! I was diagnosed in January 2020, wth stage “zero” Ductal Breast Cancer. I’m so thankful for early detection, new technology, and new treatment options. After removing the 1/2″ tumor I didn’t need chemotherapy, and I had the option of a five-day radiation balloon treatment.

“Radiation is done, I’m glad to tell. So now I get to RING THE BELL! The cancer survivor bell! Ladies, I am a living witness that it’s so important to make & keep your yearly mammogram appointments! ~ Feeling Blessed!

Reflection Before COVID Quartine

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My last adventure before quartine in Old Town Alexandria during my treatment was such a delight. I enjoyed seeing the calm waters and got some creative inspiration from the artist at the Torpedo Factory. Dinning at my favorite restaurant topped off the day! The Wharf’s She Crab soup and Lobster Roll is so divine.

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Creative work in the hotel room during this time in-between treatments cleared my mind and I must say that I finished at least 12 pattern uploads. Luckily I finished this work before the Adobe software changed. Now I have to find out where every tool is all over again !!***!!

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COVID-19 & Business Pivot!

As I started on the road to recovery, Lisa and I began to concentrate on our business plan for the year. I planned to focus on the sew-along for the fanny pack & crossbody convertible bag I had been working and Lisa was focusing on more quilts and hair accessories, but then the COVID Quarantine hit. So we dropped everything and began to support our front line workers. When the news hit we downloaded the pattern from the Washington State Hospital along with the instructions. We donated hundreds of face masks to family, friends, and our front line workers.

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After jumping into action and lots of collaboration over the phone, we started to receive feedback from those who had to wear the face masks all day and realized that we needed to make them more comfortable. Neither of our families liked the ear hugging elastic or the four ties in the back of the head. So without taking away from the protective quality we added the adjustable head-straps and the elastic headbands. The masks quickly became a hit and we received rave reviews for the comfort, quality cotton, and fun fabric prints used.

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As we began to fill the Etsy Shop with face masks was around the same time there was also a shortage of paper goods and Lysol wipes. We noticed that fabric started to disappear from the store shelves too. As we began to see a run on fabric stores and the prices go through the roof on black and specialty fabrics, I turned to Spoonflower, but so did a lot of people. Most importantly it became the perfect opportunity to print some of my designs to use for the face masks. This made my search for the perfect fabric so much easier because I’m familiar with Spoonflower’s quality and I got to showcase some fabric designs too!

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The Faces of LaCartera!

As the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months we began receiving selfie photos from people wearing our masks. It warmed our hearts to see those who loved our masks and found them comfortable that we started the hashtag #facesoflacartera and shared the pictures weekly on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Creative Projects

Of course, the masks are still in demand, but we had to squeeze in a couple of creative projects just to keep us sane. Most of the projects were gifts and organizational tips, but I’ll share all of the details in the next post.

In the meantime, stay safe and please stay tuned there’s more to come from LaCartera!