It may not look like much yet, but it’s the first quilt I’ve worked on in about four years. I moved from Kansas to Portland, moved from a rental to a house we purchased, and worked on my doctorate. I kept denying myself the time and the pleasure to just get in there and sew.

And, of course, I do need the pleasure. I need something in the face of what looks an awful lot like the end of the world. Jesus. We’re putting babies in cages, and I’m raising a sixteen-year-old daughter under whoever the hell replaces Justice Kennedy.

I’ve been thinking about protest quilts. I’m certainly not alone. Right now, it’s enough that I’m quilting again. Or quilting at all. I’ve got that peace in between news cycles where it’s just me making exerting control over chaos and turning a pile of fabric scraps into something comforting and warm.

Take care of yourself, folks. Make some order out of chaos if you can.