beyondasiaphilia

Fire in the Rain: Sewing In The Time Of Coronavirus

May 7, 2020 at 4:44 am 2 comments

The Asian American Documentary Network, aka A-doc, just launched a new series of short clips as part of its Storytelling Initiative, with my clip, Sewing In The Time of Coronavirus, its first featured microdoc. This little short explains how I’ve been spending my time since the shelter-in-place order in California took place almost two months ago.

 

Since mid-March I’ve been sewing masks with a sewing circle called the Auntie Sewing Squad, started as a facebook group by performance artist Kristina Wong. Around that time we were both noodling around with the idea of sewing cloth facemasks and when Kristina started the group we had about a dozen members. Fast forward to now and the squad now has more than 500 all-volunteer members. We make masks for frontliners including hospital workers, grocery workers, farm workers, delivery people, nursing home staff and patients, and anyone else who doesn’t have the means or access to get facemasks and who are working in risky situations. Lately we’ve been sending a lot of masks (more than 1500 a week) to Native American tribes such as Navaho Nation (which has been very hard hit in part because they don’t always have access to running water for hand-washing and so forth), Zuni, Blackfeet, Round Valley and other tribes.

I’ve made about 125 masks since I started, but some Aunties in the group have made more than 500 each. Some of them have high-powered sergers or industrial machines but most of us are using the family Singer or Kenmore to crank out our masks.

Even though it’s a lot of work (I can make about 3-4 masks an hour), it’s for a good cause so I’m happy to do it. And other people have been very supportive, too. Several people sent me a bunch of lanyards and at one point I think I had about 300 of them floating around my house before I disbursed them to other sewists. Other people have donated their fabric stash. And I’m eaten a sick amount of donated cookies, lemon bars, marmalade, and other treats that folks have given out to support those of us sewing.

Sewing masks has been a positive way to deal with my ongoing fury at the Trump administration’s botched response to the coronavirus pandemic. Last week I had a sore throat for several days and I was worried I’d gotten COVID19. But I was able to get a test and it came up negative, since I’m one of the lucky people in this country with good healthcare. I’m trying to share my privilege with others who aren’t as lucky as I am so that we can all get through this epidemic, and making masks is a means to do that.

If you’re looking for a way to support our efforts here’s how you can help out:

• fabric donations (100% woven lightweight cotton preferred)
• sewing machine loan or donation
• cutting fabric
• conference and film festival lanyards
• making tasty snacks and meals. especially seeking in Northern California, though we have Aunties all over the US
• fresh fruits & veggies from your garden
• veggie starts to plant
• filthy lucre (venmo givekristinawongmoney for postage and sewing supplies and gayleisa for food and snack supplies)

contact: vsoe@sfsu.edu

BONUS: Here’s the song this post is named after, by Jung Yonghwa. It’s all about maintaining hope in times of despair. I wrote more about it here.

Lyrics (translated from Japanese; original English in italics)

We are the fire in the rain

(Fire in the rain)

In my eyes Even now, sad news in one corner of the world

The rain won’t stop. The blue tears fall from my eyes

 

Tell me what can I do I don’t know why I was born

How much? I don’t know why

A polka-dot pattern on the window. Towards the other side of the cloud

 

We ’re the fire in the rain

Singing to the earth. Breathing life

Burning steps. The fiesta never ends

 

When I ’m taking you higher I set your heart on fire

When I ’m taking you higher I set your heart on fire

 

In your arms Even if you lose everything

A flower that stays quietly in your heart

 

Tell me what can I do. I don’t know why I was born

How much I don’t know why

An umbrella in the palm of your hand

 

We ’re the fire in the rain

Singing to the earth. Breathing life

Burning steps. The fiesta never ends

 

(When I ’m taking you higher) You should make a move

Because you live only once

(I set your heart on fire) You should catch a wave

Everything will go well

(When I ’m taking you higher) An indelible hope. Connected thoughts

(I set your heart on fire) The answer is: No one knows

 

Someday even if the storm that swallows everything. Even if the light does not reach

Somewhere let’s light up the heart, let’s go together, beyond the night sky

 

We ’re the fire in the rain

It’s not a miracle, go to fate (Go the way that you believe)

Stars in the sky Let me keep on burning

A fiery dance that never ends fiesta

 

When I ’m taking you higher (I ’m taking you higher)

I set your heart on fire (I set your heart on fire)

When I ’m taking you higher (Yeah um)

I set your heart on fire (It never ends fiesta)

When I ’m taking you higher It never ends fiesta

NOTE: Yonghwa’s former bandmate Lee Jonghyun’s nickname was “Burning.” He’s left the group following a series of controversies so this may be Yonghwa’s final tribute to CNBLUE’s guitarist of ten years.

Entry filed under: auntie sewing squad, COVID19, sewing in the time of coronavirus. Tags: Adoc, auntie sewing squad, COVID19, documentary, sewing in the time of coronavirus.