“I name us the spider ladies,” she mentioned of her fellow volunteers in an e mail to CNN.
She mentioned some folks minimize out cloth, some dangle up the webbing, others make the braiding and kids additionally come to assist.
“The course of jogs my memory of rug weaving,” Shevtsova. “The fingers are busy and it feels higher. Last time once I was there we additionally sang Ukrainian songs, and it was so cool to uplift the spirit!”
She lives in a small city within the Dnipropetrovsk area in southeastern Ukraine together with her 10-year-old son and her canine and cat.
Shevtsova has been promoting her woven items on the Etsy market since 2015 and mentioned weaving is her main supply of revenue.
She can not ship orders proper now due to the combating, however she remains to be getting assist from worldwide patrons who’ve bought her digital patterns and reward certificates. Some folks have additionally ordered bodily merchandise, however instructed her to not fear about transport them.
“I by no means thought so many individuals who do not know me wish to assist me and my household,” Shevtsova mentioned.
Etsy patrons buy digital items to assist
Posts urging folks to assist Ukrainians by shopping for digital objects, comparable to fonts, patterns, downloadable pictures and paintings are circulating extensively on social media.
A seek for Ukraine on Etsy turns up greater than 90,000 outcomes and pages of T-shirts, bracelets, buttons and different objects within the blue and yellow of the nation’s flag. Many sellers have promised to donate the proceeds from the merchandise to Ukrainian aid teams.People from everywhere in the world are additionally reserving stays at Airbnb properties in Ukraine they do not plan to make use of, to get cash to hosts.
An Etsy vendor named Christie, who sells child garments from her residence in Arizona, requested Ukrainians to submit hyperlinks to their outlets in a submit in a single Facebook group, so members might present their assist.
She mentioned her authentic aim was to assist ship “ideas and prayers” to Ukrainian members of the Etsy neighborhood, however she has purchased some objects immediately from them.
“I need them to really feel supported as a result of I watch the information day-after-day,” Christie mentioned. “Oh my gosh, I can not even think about what they’re going by way of.”
She mentioned she did not know anybody in Ukraine earlier than the combating began, however has exchanged messages with folks thanking her for making the submit.
Etsy has introduced it has canceled all balances owed to the corporate by sellers in Ukraine — together with itemizing charges, transaction charges, promoting charges and extra.
Shevtsova mentioned there has not been any combating in her space but, however air raid alarms go off a number of occasions a day and neighbors are cleansing out their basements in case they should take shelter.
“We stay in a continuing state of tension and uncertainty about what is going to occur subsequent hour, evening, morning, day,” she mentioned.
Shevtsova and her son have solely been of their flat for about six months, and he or she fears dropping every little thing.
Sitting down at evening to learn messages she has obtained has been calming, she mentioned.
“It is so useful to share overwhelming emotions and feelings,” she mentioned. “It’s simpler collectively, it is simpler to really feel somebody’s assist.”
The Etsy app makes a “cha-ching” sound each time there’s an order and Shevtsova mentioned it has been reassuring to listen to it all through the day.
“To be sincere, these sounds heat my coronary heart,” she mentioned. “Hearing ‘cha-ching’ I bear in mind somebody helps me, I’m not alone, somebody sends me love and energy to stay by way of this horror having meals for my household and being even capable of assist different folks in want, I really feel this assist of many individuals worldwide.”