One year after the Joann’s closure…

March 30, 2026
Former Joann store in Alpharetta, GA is still vacant nearly a year after closing.

I stopped by Sewingmachine.com on the way home from a recent pet therapy visit. A former Joann store sits next door it – still vacant. The bankruptcy case is ongoing.

While I occasionally miss Joann – sorry Michael’s, no amount of Knit & Sew Shop is going to fill the void for me – I’ve found Hobby Lobby and the sale section at 2-3 local shops can generally fill in what my stash lacks. Fabric swaps with friends and the guild’s free table round out any needed items for community service projects. I’m pretty sure my overall spending on fabric & notions has gone down since Joann closed.

Quilt shops and sewing machine dealers in my area simply aren’t marking things down to sell through as in the past. At the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in mid-March, a local dealer was offering classroom use Janome 9480s with the ASR for $5,799. This special price was so secret that the classroom machine price wasn’t even listed on the tag. You had to ask. It was only $300 less than the show price of $6,099 on a brand new model. Two weeks after the show, the dealer is advertising the same classroom machines in its email blasts – without a price. Why all the secrecy?

Joann helped keep sewing machine prices in-check. If I needed to replace a kid-use sewing machine, I knew I could get a decent machine for about $250 the very same day. Can’t do that now! Even sellers on FB Marketplace aren’t discounting things very much. I’m not willing to pay $650 for a used sewing machine for CraftLAB. We’ll continue touse the ones we have.

A little Friday stitching at the library

March 23, 2026

Let’s Quilt! has been meeting at the Dallas Public Library most Fridays over the past four years. It’s a great group of folks from several different guilds and sewing groups. In the first few months of retirement, I was there every single Friday. They were a lifeline as I was trying navigate early retirement. Nowadays, therapy dog visits and my own quilt guild activities take up most of my time; however, I still try to get out there once a month to see everyone.

I prefer to take my Featherweight because space can be tight, depending on the number of quilters who show up each week. Here, I’m working on a weekly clue from the Mystery 5-0 Luau Quilt Project. (I’m loving the Ruby Star Society fabrics!) I typically precut 2-3 blocks and take bits of projects that I can sew while I visit. I’ll stay about 4 hours, leaving in time to beat the local high school dismissal times. There’s a really nice new Costco on the way, so I try to leave time to make any needed Costco runs on those days.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the future with the Friday sewing group. Major road construction, building upgrades and library staff changes will likely impact things. Also, the unofficial group leader will soon be relocating to Ellijay – meaning a 2 hour commute each way on the days she’s able to come. And I complain about my 45-50 minute commute each way!

Taking stock

March 13, 2026

This photo resonated with me. I think it’s from FB. Anyway, it accurately sums up my plans moving forward:

I deactivated my IG account today. This single action aligns with so many of the above sentiments. I’m not totally off social media as I still access FB and YouTube. FB is the primary means of communication for many groups to which I belong and I actually find educational value in YouTube when it comes to quilting, cooking and DIY.

1Q 2026 has meant addressing some health concerns and meeting my annual deductible in the process! Things are still a work in progress; however, the changes I’m making will allow me to be the healthiest version of myself so I can live life to the fullest.

I’m extending the “creative sabbatical” I began in late January through the end of June. No new classes, no SQTM summer camp, no additional duties for my quilt guild. I want to sew for the pleasure of creating. I’ll concentrate on supervising Block Party entries for the June quilt show and hosting a week-long CraftLAB in late July for five young ladies. Should I find a local place to teach in the coming months, I’ll certainly consider scheduling fall classes.

Content here will continue to cover everything from celebrating the everyday to quilting to therapy dogs to life in retirement.