A Road Less Travelled

It didn’t take me long to realise that whatever life I had enjoyed before, it was going to be different now. Consequently, this change did not necessarily mean life would be less fun or significantly tougher. Furthermore, the future appeared exactly as I had described: simply different. Moreover, as long as I got to stitch or sew something, I remained happy.

Adapting to a New Environment

Moving to a new town during Covid, it’s quite a strange experience. Nobody knows that you have just raised the population consensus number. None of the shops are open. Nor are the people are open to any conversation. Not even to give directions to newbies to the area. Everyone just pops to the food shops and establishments and scuttles back home.

The local haberdashery and fabric shop was shut, which bothered me the most. There was no perusing over buttons and debating on rolls of fabrics, and definitely no servicing of sewing machines, which mine were in desperate need of, after sewing so many scrubs uniforms for the NHS, like so many other sewists around the country. It took ages for people to realise that I wasn’t just a visitor to the area. I actually lived there, just like them. Years later, I still have people approach me asking if I am new to the area.

The Search for a Creative Haven

The first issue I had when I moved to the area was renting research. I tried many a place. Some were too remote. Some I reckoned would be too busy when everything opened up again. One particular place seemed to be rather friendly (as you can be with a mask on your face) and it had all the amenities that anyone could possibly want. The only problem being it was a tiny flat on a busy High Street above a dodgy looking shop, however I made the best of it.

It became a little haven where I could tuck myself away and sew my life away whilst I waited and hoped for the return to normal life where I could return to pattern cutting, teaching and constructing the costumes and fashion garments to my hearts content as a freelancer one day.

Jay Francois deeply missed the excitement of working on films and theatre. Consequently, the loss of major contracts for the Mission Impossible franchise was a significant blow. Furthermore, work for the English National Opera and & Juliet vanished overnight. Moreover, numerous West End Musicals also halted production during this difficult time. Accordingly, the entire costume and fashion industry faced an unprecedented crisis.

Professional Growth in Unlikely Places

Jay Francois focused on a new challenge as the head of an opera costume tailoring department in deepest Sussex. Consequently, she felt incredibly fortunate to find high-level work during such unprecedented times. Furthermore, an exciting commission to research and write a new fashion book presented itself. Moreover, this opportunity allowed for a profound exploration of garment history. Accordingly, this period became a time of immense professional growth.

Did I have time to do that? There was only one way to find out.

The Reality of High Street Living

Living on a High Street is not for the fainthearted, especially in the middle of the night when you can hear powerful motorcycles revving their engines and tearing up the tarmac. Also when you can hear police sirens and fire trucks going to all sorts of emergencies, it made me wonder just what kind of place I had moved to?

Pretty tricky trying to sleep during the Christmas period too. It was the issue with Christmas lights which happened to beam down into my living area which was also a little much.

Now, I love Christmas like everybody else, but I became became Ms. Grinch when I was trying to snooze on my sofa to the pulsation of electric blue lights of the Christmas decor that was hanging directly outside the window, it kind of takes the shine off of the festive period and I could not wait until January came when it would be taken down again.

Struggles with Space and Surroundings

Parking my car was also an issue as I had a parking space which was very close to the building designated dumping area, so every time I got in my car, I ran the gauntlet of several refuse sacks and the aroma of fermented bins.

One evening, I encountered a person who had settled down for the night. Consequently, this situation became quite worrying because he resented me parking in his space. Furthermore, he likely felt as though I was parallel parking directly into his bedroom.

Moreover, asking him to move made me feel quite mean. Accordingly, I struggled to find another suitable place to put my car. The spot was assigned to me, and there was no other place to put a child’s scooter in the car park, never mind a car. The ground was awfully smelly, wet, and muddy.

Fine for a vehicle, but definitely not for a human being, and a stark contrast to the structured world of fashion and costume that I was used to working in. Experiences like this, which I reflect on more fully in my portfolio, stayed with me long after they happened. I offered him a sandwich and a drink, but he simply trudged off, mumbling to himself, never to be seen again by me.

Finding Strength in Isolation

Another issue with living by yourself is the situation when you fall ill. I was used to having someone nearby who I could talk to, who I could ask to pop to the shops or chemist for me and I could just lay in bed and just try to recover from my illness. Being sick by yourself is horrible.

I was on my own and I had to work it out. How I managed to get to work at all with a reeling headache and shivers, I will never know. Good thing I was working in the building by myself. There was nobody around to contaminate.

The Power of Mutual Aid

One afternoon after returning home, I realized I had to put my bins out for collection the next day, which was two floors down and I just did not have any energy whatsoever to do so.

In the end, I had to call someone from work who belonged to a different department to drive across town to pick up my bin and take it downstairs for me. Acts of community support like this can make an enormous difference during difficult moments Mutual aid. Luckily, they were very kind and did so, and I remain grateful to this day for their generosity. She became a very good friend.