COVID Impact Worksheet series

I developed this process to consider how the pandemic has affected individuals or specific communities in particular ways, and use that to create a design that can be stitched.

I adapted this from an activity called, “The Identity Wheel,” which was introduced to me through a workshop by Creative Strategies for Change in Denver. The “wheel” activity helps us reflect on our various circumstances, both how we see ourselves and how others perceive us (and, by extension, how we perceive others). This worksheet acts as a framework to consider how the pandemic affects us differently, based on our various identities/circumstances, and then helps us translate these observations into a design that can be stitched on a block.

Below are more details and instructions regarding the process. You can download all the sheets as one pdf document here, or individually below. You will need a pen or pencil to write with, of course! A few extra pieces of paper or a notebook, and some graph paper if you have it, are also good to have on hand.

Instructions

Please read through these first. This exercise can bring up difficult memories, and it is important to give yourself the time and space you need to work through it.

Instructions PDF

COVID Impact Worksheet

Again, be sure to read through the instructions first. Complete the full first column (“My circumstance is”) before moving on to the second.

COVID Impact Worksheet pdf

Reflection worksheet

Reflect on what you observed from the COVID Impact worksheet by free writing (writing and/or drawing) without stopping for 5 minutes.

Reflection worksheet pdf

Design

Now, pick something (or some things) that stand out to you from the previous worksheets and sketch out a design on a plain piece of paper. Below is a link to a video that guides you through how to make a design for stitching after you have something sketched.

Watch video