Look what I found at Barnes & Noble this week! So good to see it back on the newsstand after a long hiatus due to COVID. We subscribed to this magazine when I worked as an elementary school librarian. It was extremely popular with my 3rd – 5th grade students. I purchased this Summer 2023 issue to use as inspiration when planning CraftLAB activities for the upcoming fall semester.

The main reason for this blog post is to share the Curious Jane website, which has all of its 2015-2020 back issues available for FREE online. More inspiration to find fresh projects to keep your makers busy these last few days or weeks of summer break. The site also offers a curated list of recommended craft supplies and videos for DIY projects. Many of the projects are ideal for homeschool groups covering STEM related subjects, as well.

Earlier this week, I attended a quilt retreat at Brasstown Valley Spa & Resort in the Northeast Georgia Mountains. The grounds were lovely, my room was comfortable and we had delicious dining options during our stay.

The event was officially hosted by a quilt shop in Blairsville and unofficially by a local quilt guild. 45 quilters sewed together in the massive ballroom. It was awesome! My own 6 foot table with plenty of power outlets. I was seated next to a quilter from North Carolina who was also there to sew rather than socialize the entire time. Yeah! I also met a fellow guild member from my home quilt guild who I hadn’t met previously.

What really tickled me was the number of folks who brought their great big honking TOL machines rather than a travel machine. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the enormous Baby Lock machine pictured below being rolled in by the bellman on the big luggage cart and hoisted into position on the table. Hey, do what works best for you!

My time at the retreat was productive. I completed 10 of the 12 blocks for this quilt and all of the tree base units for my Plaid Pines quilt. The small tree tops were pieced yesterday at Sew Day along with giving my full report about the retreat to my friends. A couple of them said they’d like to attend with me next year.

Yes, I’ll definitely attend the next retreat. I’ll plan to come up the day before and stop by the grocery store for snacks on the way in. I’ll also make my own reservations outside of the group if the “best” rate offered by the hotel is less than the group rate. We didn’t get any special treatment or perks for paying an extra $50 per night. The hotel refused to adjust the rate stating that was the contractual rate. Learned my lesson. I am still pretty miffed about that.

Lately, it seems as if I’ve embarked on a DIY mission.

Hubby needed the pockets extended in the new work pants he’d bought for his Team Rubicon activities. Three YouTube videos and two hours later – all four pair of pants were sporting longer pockets so his keys, wallet and cell phone would stay secure while he worked.

My new needle plate arrived and I have a stick of JB Weld waiting on me to fashion a DIY straight stitch needle plate since Baby Lock doesn’t offer one for the Jubilant. Saw this on YouTube, as well. It’s certainly worth a try.

After my inability to secure a pedicure appointment this week, let’s add nail technician to my resume. It’s crazy how many people want nail services these days. I got pretty good at doing my own manicures during COVID and found it easier/cheaper/faster to continue to DIY once things reopened. Pedicures are a different story. They are more difficult for me to do, but it’ll be less aggravating if I DIY. Guess I’ll be working on my pedicure game over the next several weeks. I’ll be heading to my quilt retreat tomorrow sans polish on my piggies, but at least my feet look presentable after working on them this afternoon.