Looking ahead

May 3, 2026

May 1st brought welcome news in that my husband does not need surgery at the present time and his next appointment was scheduled for 12 months out. This means travel is back! The companion pass we’d set aside in case we needed it to travel to Houston for medical care can now be used for a fun getaway instead! Mackinac Island perhaps? Time to dust off proposed itineraries, consult our calendars, check the budget and see where we might visit in the coming months.

Meanwhile, the month of May brings a wind down to therapy dog visits for this school year. It also means crunch time to get the Block Party exhibit ready for the June quilt show. So far, I’ve received 21 entries, with a hard deadline of in my hands by May 15th. I planned for 25 blocks. We’ll see what the final number turns out to be.

Our local artisan/farmer’s market opened today for the 2026 season. Sadie enjoyed one of our favorite Sunday morning rituals of visiting with the vendors, sampling water bowls and getting a pup cup from our favorite independent pet store. She also met lots of new friends today. It was great to see a handful of regular vendors we hadn’t seen in several months. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the numerous booths selling trinkets this week. We’ll see if the trend holds. If so, we’ll be switching to nearby farmer’s markets operating on Thursday and Saturday instead.

My backyard garden is planted. One of my cherry tomato plants already has fruit on it! The blueberry bushes are loaded, but I’ll bet the birds eat the berries before they ripen. I’ll be lucky to get a handful to eat. I’m thoroughly enjoying this blissful bit of perfect weather between pollen and mosquito seasons!

By the way, I made 20 additional potato chip blocks from all the 2-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ rectangles cut from leftover jelly roll strips and other scraps. In total, thirty-five (35) 12-1/2″ blocks came from my scrap fabrics. That’s the equivalent of a 60″ x 84″ quilt top!

Happy Spring and Happy Sewing!

Keep things moving forward

April 27, 2026

As you can see, the new CraftLAB machine has arrived. The outer box is marked Janome Canada and inside were two instruction manuals – one in English and one in French. The English manual is the exact one that came with the Elnita EC30 I purchased 4-1/2 years ago. I added the same LED light strip that I did to the Elnita EC30. The wide extension table should arrive today, as will the open toe and darning foot. This means all three CraftLAB machines will be similarly equipped.

The flag quilt sandwich is my version of the the retreat project shared by a friend attending the JK Quilts Spring Retreat. It uses the fusible grid from Ten Sisters Handicraft along with the Little Flag free pattern from their website. Everything came from my stash. It is ready for FMQ and binding.

Ever heard of a potato chip block? My bee group selected this block to be the basis for our next round of charity quilts. I cut enough light and dark 2-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ rectangles from my scraps and leftover precuts to fill up the plastic storage box pictured here. I turned in 15 blocks before the April meeting and am currently on block 12 of my second set of 15 blocks. Each block requires a combination of 12 light/6 dark or 6 light/12 dark fabrics with no repeating of fabrics in the same block. My selection of dark fabrics is running low and I’m curious to see how many more “light” blocks I can get out of what’s left. Stay tuned!

Helping out

April 26, 2026

Today, I helped one of my guild members with a teen sewing group that she runs. We were at the Peachtree Library in Midtown, directly across from the High Museum of Art. The library’s located on the third floor of an office building, complete with its own free parking (14 spaces) and dedicated elevator. The nearest MARTA train station is the Arts Center (behind the High Museum, Alliance Theatre and Symphony Hall).

Our assigned meeting room was WONDERFUL, with moveable furniture, plenty of electrical outlets and lots of natural light. We even had a visitor stop in to ask how she could join in. The library staff we worked with were thrilled to have the space being used. The only drawback to this location is that free, library parking is extremely limited. Surrounding pay lots charge $16-$25 per session – which they can, given their proximity to the Arts Center District and Midtown.

Many moons ago, I worked as a legal assistant/librarian two blocks up the street. I actually parked in the parking deck across the street from the library. The library branch certainly looks much different today than it did years ago when I stopped in on my lunch breaks. I enjoyed my trip down memory lane – just not the traffic going home.

This group previously met at the Buckhead Library until limited parking and frequent special events at the surrounding businesses became a real issue. Today’s location could certainly work as long as she can secure the 10-2 time slot. As an alternative, I suggested that she look into the Northside Branch – about 2.5 miles away – but with a lot more available free parking (not surprising as this branch is in a much more residential area).

One of the parents in attendance is teacher at Midtown HS. She lives closer to me and asked if her daughter might be able to join a future CraftLAB session. We’ll see.

Today really underscored my desire to find a stitching meet-up space in Smyrna that’s free or charges a nominal fee ($5 per person, drink order, snack purchase, etc.) where we can gather 1-2x per month.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com