One of the reasons I started my business was to encourage the next generation of sewists and quilters. Two years ago, I gifted one very deserving, aspiring college student with an extra special sewing machine, complete with everything she could possibly need for her sewing/costuming classes in college – Gingher scissors, rotary cutter, Creative Grids rulers, mat and an entire sewing basket filled with top of the line notions.

A couple of weeks ago, she texted me stating that the sewing machine’s foot pedal no longer worked. I told her she could easily replace it and gave her the name of a local business where she could buy one.

An ad for this very same machine popped up on Facebook Marketplace today. Yep, it was machine I’d gifted to the student. Her name is even on the front of the machine in the photo. Face palm.

[Coming back a couple of days later after I’ve had time to think about it.] In looking at the pictures, I can tell she really used the machine – perhaps even dropped it at some point (which would explain why the foot pedal no longer works). My hunch is she needs to raise funds to help pay for college and that’s why the machine was listed for sale. Anyhow, I have to keep reminding myself that I cheerfully gave it to her as a gift and it’s her to do with as she sees fit. But it’s hard…

I totally get how a fellow quilter felt when she posted about how she arrived at her son’s house for a visit only to find the quilt she’d recently gifted them laying in the bottom of the dog crate. It wasn’t a quick quilt pattern either! 😦

My weekend consisted of two activities: (1) finishing this quilt and (2) cleaning up the aftermath.

Honestly, it was a comedy of errors. Sadie got into the butterfly appliqués. One of the green border strips went AWOL, so I spent Saturday night figuring out a solution and recut the name appliqué letters on my Cricut Maker. My big, fancy machine (Janome 8900 used exclusively for machine quilting) pitched a serious hissy fit at being asked to machine quilt minky dot. Broken needles, shredded thread, dual feed foot holder came apart…you get the idea. Do sewing machines know when they’re about to be traded in? My next machine will be a Brother Innovis 2450/2500 (Quilt Club model) or the Baby Lock equivalent. It’s merely a matter of which one arrives stateside first.

Trading/selling the 8900 will mean my breakup with Janome is complete. The company brought politics into my sewing room uninvited when it decided to support a maker who got directly involved in fundraising for the nasty Georgia political campaign campaign hell I lived through last fall. Said individual appears to be ramping up for another politically active fundraising season and is frequently featured on the company’s IG account. Nope. We’re not going there again. Don’t need to be reminded every time I look at my sewing machine.

One of our favorite activities in the library is to play a game of “would you rather?” This usually involves two possibilities with differing outcomes. You must choose one and tell why. Would rather read Dog Man or Wimpy Kid? Cool bookmarks or smelly bookmarks? Those scratch & sniff (“smelly”) bookmarks will win every time!

For quilters, it might look something like this?

Would you rather have milk chocolate or dark chocolate?

Would you rather have white wine or red wine?

Would you rather have 50 wt or 60 wt thread in your bobbin?

Would you rather hand appliqué or machine appliqué?

This list goes on.

In grad school, my advising professor asked me a similar question when I thought about dropping out of the on-line program because we were moving half-way across the USA. December 2000 was coming. That was a fact. Would I rather have a master’s degree or no master’s degree? I decided I’d rather have the master’s degree in hand. Hobbling across the stage in Tallahassee that December to receive my diploma meant the world to me. You see, ten days earlier I’d been a serious car accident that required me to be life-flighted to the nearest trauma center. It took 3 months of physical therapy and I still have visible scars some 20 years later…but I have my master’s degree…and a specialist degree…and National Board Teacher Certification.

So June 1, 2022 will be here. In fact, there are 166 work days on my current teaching contract.

Would I rather move on to another adventure or teach another year at my current school? ADVENTURE
Would I rather be comfortable or uncomfortable in my own skin? COMFORTABLE
Would I rather think pleasant or unpleasant thoughts whenever I look at my sewing machine? PLEASANT

Life is short. Time to get rid of the excess baggage in all areas. I know where I want to be next June. Let’s git ‘er done!