Ever heard this old expression? Usually, it means you put more food on your plate than you can eat. For me it meant I had way too many activities in a short period of time, namely May & June. My calendar was in dire need of some serious editing.

How do you prioritize events when you need to cull some? For me, it’s generally (1) family, friends & volunteer commitments (2) prepaid events and (3) everything else. My Lori Holt Quilter’s Cottage quilt was accepted into the June Georgia Celebrates Quilts show, so I have to be available during the prescribed drop- off/pick-up times. With this in mind, I postponed my beach trip and chose not to sign-up for the ATL Quilt Study Group seminar at the SQTM. A bummer, yes, but these actions afford me some much needed time to decompress between the end of school and my trip to Pigeon Forge.

I think my scheduling conundrum is also a typical challenge experienced by many new retirees. We suddenly have an open calendar and want to do all the things. We pack the schedule in our excitement without thinking too much about it.

My Greenville trip was an absolute blast! It was so nice to be able to attend a regional quilt show in-person and take a class on a new-to-me technique. I look forward to being able to attend other shows in the future. Going forward, I’ll refrain from taking classes at a quilt show unless it’s from an instructor whose name I recognize. I’m finding that I can often get similar content in a class taught locally or found on YouTube at a fraction of the cost. I’m so looking forward to my class in Pigeon Forge with Edyta Sitar and the classes I’ll be taking at Garden of Quilts – Thanksgiving Pointe in September. Yes, my 2022 quilty bucket list trip has been booked – THREE solid days of quilty bliss with all kits included. Debating if I want to add-on a machine rental or schlep my little Elna STAR out there. Think I’d rather take my own machine. 🙂

(1) Verify your contact information with your employer is up-to-date especially YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER before you officially leave.

(2) If you have a 401(k), stock plan or anything else that you might need to rollover after you leave, make sure your usernames and passwords work for those accounts BEFORE you leave.

If you are the one who typically handles the money, verify these two things with your spouse 2-3 weeks before their departure date. Save yourself a huge headache. Do they use a company cell phone? With auto login and FACE ID, we often forget our user names and passwords to accounts that are infrequently used.

Ask me how I know…

This weekend, I’m taking an art quilt class at the Greenville QuiltFest. Mixed media has always intrigued me, so here’s my chance to play with various threads, beads and other embellishments. I had great fun sorting through my stash of specialty threads to find the colors I need for my project. The instructor requested that students bring a machine with specific capabilities, so the Elnita EC30 is going with me. She’s already packed in the new wheeled tote. I think everything else is ready, as well. We’ll give it a final once-over Thursday night. Looking forward to a fun weekend.

In late August, my sister-in-law and I are going to attend a vintage sewing machine restoration workshop hosted by Sew Purty Workshops. She will tear down a vintage treadle machine and I’ll work on a Singer 99. Of course, we’ll make time for a visit to Paducah to see the quilts and shop at Hancock’s! I had hoped to stay in an AirBnB, but it didn’t work out with the particular place we were interested in staying. I think things actually worked out for the best, though. We’re staying at a cool vintage motel recommended by our sewing machine class instructor. Neither one of us has ever stayed at a place like this (and I doubt my husband will go for it either) and we decided to give it a try.

Finally, if you’re interested in the Garden of Quilts at Thanksgiving Point (Lehi, UT) – tickets go on sale May 2nd! Got the official email notification today. Have my desired class schedule mapped out, but there are a ton of other activities as well. I’ve learned to get my event tickets first, then book my air travel. Maybe I’ll run into some folks I went to the Featherweight Shop/JK Quilts retreat with in 2019!

I will be mentoring at the July kid’s quilt camp hosted by the SQTM. I will also be hosting biweekly sewing classes and weekly crafternoon sessions in my home studio all through the summer. Then, there’s the backlog of personal sewing/quilting projects that I’m itching to get started on. Plenty of time to sew in studio or sew with friends several times a month.

I am SEW ready to get the next four weeks behind me!