Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 05/10/2026Kind of beside the point, but I think I understand now why so many dystopian future sci-fi stories feature societies where everyone shaves their heads. 6512
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 04/10/2026I think the answer is actually that my husband and I are each half tradwife. Like, I do the baking and the crafting, but he pickles all the veggies from our garden and sews clothes for himself and the kids. 1531
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 04/10/2026I shared this in the family text thread, and my sister knew just how to put me on blast 😆 1810
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 04/10/2026We finished the mushroom fairy hat, and it turned out so good!!! 1527010
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 02/10/2026We are now more than three-quarters of the way through what can only be described, at least news-wise, as a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. 81215
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 02/10/2026Week 39 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary included: A collection of condiments A flooded car A Cornell logo A Hawkeyes logo An empty gas tank A nosediving plane A red Solo cup 3607
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 02/10/2026To process the chaos, I'm spending a few minutes each night stitching a news diary—embroidering tiny icons representing an important story of the day. September offered a break from the blistering heat, but not from the deluge of (often) distressing news. 2444859
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 29/09/2026I teach a 9:30am seminar for first-year undergrads, and this semester, I started bringing snacks to class every day. Nothing fancy--usually just granola bars. But it means students can still get some fuel before class, even if they don't have time for breakfast. Which means more engagement in class. 91162
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 27/09/2026We're going for the same vibes as the "forest log" cake I made for her birthday last year. 51960
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 27/09/2026Thanks! And yes, 12 is working on cutting out felt dots to glue on top 0140
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 27/09/2026My husband is in charge of machine sewing, so he usually makes the kids' Halloween costumes. But I'm in charge of crafting, so when my 12-year-old asked for a "mushroom fairy hat" this year, I knew that'd be on me. And I was worried. But based on what we have so far, I think it might turn out okay! 3069320
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 26/09/2026I forgot to post this yesterday, but Week 38 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary included: An air raid siren A weed A canceled press pass A WB logo A dark TV screen A red carpet A set of footprints 1576
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 24/09/2026Also: If you want crispy edges and gooey middles, form the dough for each cookie into a cylinder instead of a sphere, and keep the dough super cold until it goes in the oven. That way, the dough doesn't spread as much, and the middle stays super soft. 1444338
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 24/09/2026If you give your students cookies, it makes stuffing hundreds of envelopes (with invitations for a class research project) much more fun. 4481
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 23/09/2026Thanks to those who came out last night to the Middleton Library to learn about Why Rich People Cheat (And Why We Let Them Get Away With It). It was great to have a packed house and such an engaged audience! And thanks to @uwmadison.bsky.social's @uwbadgertalks.bsky.social for supporting the event! 2479
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 22/09/2026They also connected the appeal of the manosphere's anti-feminist rhetoric (and survey data showing that many young men think efforts toward gender equality have gone too far) to what they were learning in another class* about the appeal of racist rhetoric for White people in poverty. 2553
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 21/09/2026Okay, so apparently, the goose is mad because your baby is sleeping in a supposedly unsafe sleep space. (Whether or not that's true, I'm not sure how I feel about this goose creeping outside my window). 240
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 21/09/2026So, apparently, the goose is mad because they found your baby? (Seems kind of weird if you ask me) 140
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 19/09/2026Bringing new meaning to "snowplow parenting"--spending a rainy Saturday morning raking the piles of turf pellets to smooth out the field for your kid's soccer game. 4181
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 19/09/2026Week 37 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary included: A firefighter helmet A yellow light A map of Ireland A fireworks display An FBI badge on a dog collar An EU flag An UNCHR logo 2535
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 14/09/2026I opted for the hedgehog after my last big embroidery project--a cute sloth for my kid's teacher's new baby. The fur was so fun that I wanted to try something similar. And my woodland-creature-obsessed 12-year-old (for whom I also made a forest-theme birthday cake) persuaded me to pick the hedgehog. 1361
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 14/09/2026For the craft curious: The hedgehog is about 6 inches across. This is my own design, not a pattern. Which means I found a reference image (of a real hedgehog, in this case), then sketched it on canvas, then picked the thread colors, and went from there. 5553
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 14/09/2026My stitch-the-news diary takes up most of my crafting energy these days, but this weekend's road trip from Madison to Detroit and back for my kid's soccer games left me enough down time to finally finish embroidering the hedgehog I started back in May. 1327327
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 12/09/2026Week 36 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary included: A semi truck A sperm A new hairdo A map of New Mexico A map of Missouri An envelope stuffed with cash A tennis racket 6646
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 11/09/2026It's been a heckuva day (see previous post re: busted laptop), but at least the sky is glorious. 21162
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 06/09/2026So, it's a lot of camera equipment to schlep around, but it means you can get photos like these. 6823
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 05/09/2026His commitment is made even more impressive by the fact that the real-feel is 102F and it's likely at least 10 degrees hotter on the turf. 1251
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 05/09/2026My husband takes his (parent volunteer) job as team photographer very seriously. 81032
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 05/09/2026I did forget to post this yesterday, but here's Week 35 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary, which included: A flag of Nepal A set of Tibetan prayer flags A Google Maps logo An Army logo A wedding cake A Patagonia logo A Ms. Magazine logo 7504
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 03/09/2026In case you need a visual reminder, we're 2/3 of the way through a year that, at least news-wise, has already felt like at least six. #stitch-the-news 315520
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 01/09/2026Snuggle selfies at the bus stop on the first day of school. (You can probably tell by the hair which one of us isn't starting the semester today). 3731
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 01/09/2026To process the chaos, I'm spending a few minutes each night stitching a news diary—embroidering tiny icons representing an important story of the day. August was a bit oppressive, both in the weather and the political sense... 311716
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 30/08/2026Little House in the Big Woods was one of my favorites growing up—less for the story than for its descriptions of processes like curing meat and making maple syrup. So it feels fitting that I now live in Wisconsin and spend weekends* doing things like canning apple butter made from trees in my yard. 91962
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 29/08/2026My 12-year-old has a tendency to leave projects unfinished, but I think these doodles she started on her bedroom walls actually look super cool with a mix of pencil and acrylic paint pen. 5552
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 29/08/2026I almost forgot to post today, but Week 34 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary included: A printer A race car A mailbox A Canadian flag A guitar A pair of eyes A great lake 58810
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 29/08/2026My 12-year-old helped me make pizza for pizza night and insisted on using *all* the veggie toppings. 9981
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 25/08/2026Look, if I could lower the amount stress in my life, I probably wouldn't have shingles right now. 161072
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 25/08/2026Maybe. Though, in that case, she's also running the Department of Education accounts. 110
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 25/08/2026What I want to know: Is the administration intentionally daring big corporations (Scholastic in this case) to sue for copyright violations? Or are the 20-somethings running their socials so steeped in meme culture and AI slop that they don't realize this isn't (legally, let alone morally) okay? 66716
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 25/08/2026As if this administration wasn't already doing enough to terrorize children, it's now using beloved cartoon characters to promote its deportation campaign. 64211
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 23/08/2026Thankfully, I remembered to pack something a little more soothing to do for myself. 7994
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 23/08/2026Apple season in the Calarco house continues with a batch of homemade (and homegrown) apple streusel muffins with vanilla glaze on top. 4794
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 22/08/2026I like a lot of crumb topping, but I also like to make sure there are plenty of apples. So, the key for me is to bake the whole thing on baking sheet, in case bits start falling off. Here's the crumb on mine before it baked down: 050
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 22/08/2026April to July is cake season in the Calarco house, but August takes us into apple season. So, we're kicking things off with a homemade and homegrown crumb-top apple pie. 3820