I began this new year and month full of enthusiasm to dive into my creative projects. But then, on January 7th, the fires in Los Angeles started, and things quickly took a turn.
Watching the situation worsen minute by minute, my heart grew heavier. Being from Los Angeles, with my fashion design studio in the Palisades, the devastation felt deeply personal. It hit especially hard when I saw a video of my old studio engulfed in flames, and the quaint village around it was like a war zone.
I never imagined entire villages or cities could burn to the ground, yet here it was happening—just like the tragedy in Maui. Los Angeles was experiencing similar winds to those that had fanned the flames in Maui, creating a natural disaster that was heartbreaking to witness.
Hearing that friends were losing their homes and their businesses made the situation even more painful. My friend and former neighbor in the Palisades had moved her Interior Design business across the street to a charming building, where several other friends also had offices. That building also burned down, leaving it unrecognizable.
She had been a native of the Palisades and had her office there for over 30 years. Tragically, her home, just a mile away, was also destroyed. She wasn’t even there to salvage anything. My heart aches for her.
Adding to the grief, my ex also lost his home in Altadena.
As for me, I was in my NC school/studio, intending to create before my evening class started. But I couldn’t focus. My throat felt tight, and I kept breaking down. Eventually, I had to cancel my class and set aside all my plans.
Knowing that sewing can help with Zen :) I tried to do something simple, like laying out a pattern for pants I wanted to make.
An old lesson from Al-Anon came to mind: when overwhelmed, engage in a basic task like washing dishes or vacuuming to find grounding.
While it helped a bit, I still couldn’t bring myself to fully dive into creative work or share my process online.
Even the peacefulness of sewing felt out of reach.
I managed to lay out the pant pattern but then had to stop. On TV, I saw a young woman in the Palisades gathering her children to evacuate. She said, “I just want to sit on my couch.” That sentiment has stuck with me. It echoed how I was feeling, despite being safe here in North Carolina.
Now a week later, I’ve decided to revisit my creative projects with a simpler focus. The ambitious project I’d been excited about seems too mentally demanding right now, so I’m starting with something easier. Right now, any creativity is great for zen therapy.
In my fabric stash, I have small pieces of plaid prints. I think it would be fun to combine them all into a skirt, pairing them with denim for the yoke and as trim.
To add cohesion, it would be fun to use narrow denim strips as piping between the plaid connections and a wider denim strip around the hem.
For the yoke, I’m considering a corset-style design, though I’ll wait to see how the skirt part comes together before making a final decision. Too many lines might detract from the overall look.
I’ll keep you posted on my progress as I piece this together. Starting small feels like the right step forward.....
Please pray for the victims of the California fires as well as those in the Southeast from the floods. All this devastation is hard to comprehend.
These natural disasters will certainly take a very long time to rebuild.
If you want to help: the Red Cross is always the first on the ground to help the people with crucial basic needs and comfort. As well as World Central Kitchen.
Please help people affected by the 2025 California Wildfires by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a donation. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters.
https://wck.org/donate. World Central Kitchen - feeding firefighters, first responders and anyone who needs a meal.
https://supportlafd.org Los Angeles Fire Dept support
Shawnelle
What is so sad is that the incoming administration has lied about so many things regarding the fire situation that is so disgusting. It is so, so sad..They can talk like this because they do not have to suffer this tragedy. Thank you for telling your story and it is so difficult to see people suffer whether you know them or not. Hopefully, we can come to a day when their lives are put together. It is truly devastating. As for me, I have made some donation towards GoFund which has been set up and hopefully contributions of any kind will make a difference. As soon as I am able to send more I will be doing that. Please tak…