The first official week of retirement was spent decompressing from a very challenging school year. Lots of naps, walks with the dog, reading, dinner with a friend, gardening, a weekday outing with hubby and prepping for next week’s quilty activities.
First up: Mountain Quiltfest in Pigeon Forge June 6-9. This will be my first trip to this particular show. I’m excited to see the quilts, vendors, shops and meet up with some friends. I look forward to taking a class with Edyta Sitar. Her designs (and fabrics) are lovely, but more involved than I typically liked to attempt when working full-time. I’m taking her Sweet Mint class which involves curved piecing and some machine applique. Glad I watched her YouTube video on how to make a block. The published supply list didn’t include some items she specifically mentioned in her video as being very helpful. Definitely taking my Elna STAR machine (straight stitch needle plate), 10″ Sue Daley turntable, my 28mm rotary cutter and some superfine thin pins.
Then: Georgia Celebrates Quilts at the Cobb County Civic Center June 9-11. This will be my first individual entry in TEN years. (My last entry was my kid’s club entry in 2015.) I actually completed the quilt in late 2020 with the anticipation of entering it into the 2021 show, but COVID had other plans. So, it was accepted into this year’s show. Yesterday was spent prepping the quilt for the show: hanging sleeve, quilt label and a last minute labradoodle applique. It’s my version of A Quilter’s Cottage by Lori Holt. Charlotte and Angela also had their blocks accepted into the kid’s exhibit. I’m taking both girls to see the show on Friday and eat lunch on the Marietta Square.
Finally: The Atlanta Quilt Study Group has its symposium at the Southeastern Quilt & Textile Museum next weekend. I hadn’t planned on going, but single day tickets are now advertised and I’d love to take Tara’s vintage quilt class on Sunday 6/12. We’ll see what happens.
Sewing space update: I’ve made the first pass through my sewing room. Three machines, patterns and one bag of stuff are now gone. My bookshelves are next. Once my two big WIPs are off to the long arm quilter, it’ll be time to go through the “Lori Holt-ish” fabric collection. I’ll continue going through one bin or drawer a day to further organize/cull my sewing stuff. This will clear out the main sewing space. Then, I’ll attack the closets!
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Hi, sounds like your first week of retirement was very nice! And your next few weeks are going to be busy & fun. Can’t wait to hear all about it 🙂
Thanks! I attacked my bookcase today. A big stack of books is waiting to be donated to Better World Books. Lots of patterns were set aside for the quilt guild’s Ways & Means sale. Emptied notebooks and office supplies I won’t use were set aside for the thrift store. My sewing machine and supplies are ready for Pigeon Forge!