Sadie may look a bit disheveled, but it’s due to all of the petting she received at this morning’s event. Big Girl had her professional headshot made a photographer. She received bottled water and a Chick-Fil-A biscuit for her services. Sadie was filmed and photographed with every kid attending the event. I can’t wait to see the finished video montage.
Me? I’m the human at the other end of the leash. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
I finalized our federal and state tax returns today. I like to let them marinate for a few days and then review everything once more before filing. This year marked the most streamlined tax return prep I’ve had since retirement. Why? I stepped away from all 1099 gig work at the end of 2024 once my teacher pension began. No more multiple 1099s with expenses to track! The bonus? More time to spend on activities I enjoy.
We’re approaching our fourth year in retirement. The preceding three years of taxable income has been all over the map. Our 2024 and 2025 numbers are nearly identical, so I think we have a realistic baseline to estimate tax liabilities moving forward.
Keep in mind that local, state and federal governments tax income differently, according to type and amount of income. (Not many cities levy an income tax, but St. Louis does!) 2026 will mark the final year we’ll pay Georgia state income taxes on all income, plus full property taxes. Next year, limited income exemptions begin ($35,000) for income taxes and we’ll receive an exemption for the school tax portion of our property taxes. Eventually, up to $130,000 of income (married filing jointly) will be exempted from Georgia income tax. Georgia doesn’t tax Social Security income either.
Just for grins, I went back and compared this year’s numbers against those from our last full year of employment. Yes, our current income is less than it was when we were both working, but it’s the tax treatment of the types of income that makes the biggest difference. Just saying, we paid an obscene amount of taxes when we were employed full-time!
Last week, I took an English Paper Piecing workshop with Amanda Bauer. This all-day class was sponsored by my quilt guild (meaning an affordable $55.00 class fee + a $15 kit fee). Prior to this class, I’d never taken a formal class on EPP and my experience has been limited to hexagon shapes only. Yep, I can definitely make a hexie flower with no problem!
I’ve definitely upped my EPP game by taking this class. I fine-tuned my glue-basting process, learned how to “marry” the needle and thread, plus got a little bit better at whipstitching my pieces together. I normally use a flatback stitch for EPP, but her method for the whipstitch is faster and results in less hand fatigue.
Like any instructor, she has her favorite products to use for EPP and shared her reasons as to why. Honestly, they weren’t that much different from the other instructor product offerings I found online. Students were provided kits and access to recommended tools to try during the class. I may very well switch to using her style of whipstitch in the future. However, I’ll keep using my 80 wt Wonderfil polyester thread in a coordinating color to lessen stitch visibility. That’s my personal preference.
Basic tool recommendations for EPP:
Needles: Milliners/Straw sizes 9, 10 or 11. (Bohin, John James, Sue Daley) OR Sharp sizes 7 – 9
Thread: Polyester 50 wt, 60 wt or 80 wt in matching color, if possible.
Paper shapes: Purchased shapes offer consistency. Paper Pieces is a good source of EPP paper templates.
Glue pen: Sew Line glue pen and refills
Scissors: Serrated edge (Karen K. Buckley or Kai Scissors)
Rotary cutter: Olfa 28mm
Automatic needle threader: Bohin or Clover
Recommended: Small rotating cutting mat, Magic Seam ruler for fussy cutting, Sew Tites and Wonder Clips.
Optional: Needle keeper, thimble and thread conditioner
Videos I think you might find helpful:
Fat Quarter Shop Tula Pink EPP series
Wonder Window technique for fussy cutting
EPP is very portable. Word to the wise: When traveling by plane, Amanda recommends that you cut (and glue baste if possible) all shapes ahead of time, take a small pair of snips you don’t mind losing and a small usb light. Definitely leave the rotary cutter and mat at home or pack it in your checked luggage.
Come Stitch With Me 