Stuck at home during the COVID-19 outbreak? Here are 5 ways to pass the time while being creative this Mother’s Day Weekend.
Make a Homemade Face Mask for Family and Friends
Have an old t-shirt? They work great for the ear loops.
Face masks are an important item to bring along when venturing out for groceries or any other needs that will bring you into contact with others. With basic sewing techniques and materials, you can make them yourself with relative ease. A friend of ours recently used this easy follow-along video from Northwest makers Dustin Klein and Klum House to produce several masks for their family, and we think you’ll agree the results are quite stylish! Be sure to clean and sanitize your mask between each use and follow CDC travel guidelines, even for short local trips.
Start Planting Your Seasonal Garden
Many plant nurseries in the Seattle and Bellevue area are open and practicing social distancing for the safety of patrons. Remember to tote along your mask and gloves on your way to picking up some new plant starts like tomatoes, herbs or leafy greens! Here’s an excellent guide for Northwest growers from Portland Edible Gardens. The middle of May is the best time to plant!
Learn How To Figure Draw
The basis of learning to draw a person is figure drawing using basic shapes to indicate the human form. Many people attend classes for years to master this, but there are some great resources for prospective at-home artists, and all you’ll need for materials is any old pencil and an eraser. Seattle artist Juliette Aristides published Figure Drawing Atelier recently, drawing on her vast experience as an instructor at Gage Academy of Art in Capitol Hill. This step-by-step guide is easy to follow, and available for home delivery here on Amazon!
Practice your sketching directly in the book!
Make a Sourdough Starter without Yeast or Baking Equipment
Making sourdough bread at home is seeing a big resurgence right now. No need for it to be a complicated process though, you can actually make a sourdough starter with nothing but flour, water and a jar! This method is outlined in Pro Home Cook’s new YouTube video titled ‘Can I Make Sourdough Bread with No Baking Equipment?’
Check out his other videos while you’re there, it’s a treasure trove of free content!
Forage in Your Neighborhood
Have you seen a wild-growing plant or berry on your neighborhood walks that you think may be edible? We have the book for you then! Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying and Preparing Wild Foods by Christopher Nyerges is THE guide for finding culinary herbs, berries and more that may be found in your back yard, greenbelt or walking trail. Those recent spring showers have area foliage bursting with green goodness! Also available as a Kindle eBook.