Words cannot begin to describe how excited I am about the coming changes.

One of the IG folks I follow posted a meme that went something like, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.”

Well, I guess the dream is big enough because it’s enough to scare the pants off me – sometimes. The keep it safe side of me implores me to do the right thing and hang out at the day job for two more years. The logical side of me reassures me that we’ve worked, planned and saved for this moment – all your bases are covered, go enjoy yourself! My gut tells me to turn off the news, silence Dr. Fauci’s latest edict about masks on planes forever, drink my water and get busy living.

Gut and logic win out big time on this one. Meg over at the Daily Pep podcast would be so proud that I finally silenced my “internal dreamshitter.”

Time to schedule a beach retreat as a gift to myself once school’s finally over.
Time to book the plane tickets to take my parents on a long overdue getaway.
Time to firm up big summer/fall travel plans with the other half. Mackinac Island is for sure, Rocky Mountaineer will depend on if mask mandate is still in force next fall.

Then, there’s the excitement about being able to work my biz as much as I want. More on that to come.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!

How about a travel pillowcase + pillow insert in a themed fabric tailored to the recipient?

Supply chains woes may impact your ability to locate a 12″x16″ pillow insert. This is my go-to size, but I could not find any. My options were: (a) DIY the pillow inserts using muslin & polyester fiberfil I had on-hand or (b) buy a slightly bigger travel pillow insert (14″x20″) I found at Wal-Mart in the pillow section. I’ll take option (b), please. The five pillow inserts I needed were less than $20, including tax.

In case you’re interested, here are the cut measurements from Miss Teresa’s Magical Pillowcase directions adjusted for a 14″x20″ pillow form:
Body: 21.5″ x 30″
Trim: 2.5″ x 30″
Cuff: 7.5 x 30″

I use the hot dog/burrito method of pillowcase construction using French seams. Fabrics with an all-over design work best, but you can use a print with a one-way design.
Here are the modifications for assembling the bun/burrito part using one way designs:

Fabric Placement Alignment of One Way Design
Cuff Face up Upside down (rotate fabric so top of design is facing you)
Trim Face up Right-side up with raw edges along the top edge
Body Face down. Right-side up

It will seem wrong to position the fabrics this way; however, once you sew the cuff edge and turn it inside-out, the one-way designs on the cuff, trim and body pieces will be pointing in the right direction.

Complete the rest of the pillowcase as usual.

My adult nieces had requested Legos as Christmas gifts for their kids. My husband and I gifted a 1500+ Lego piece set to each family. However, I wanted each child to have something personal, as well. Enter themed pillowcases. My great-nieces and nephews instinctively knew which pillowcase was theirs. It was so much fun to see their excitement! 🙂

Classes and clubs are back! Woo-hoo! Today, I attended my first table runner club. One of the online groups I follow is hosting a monthly table topper QAL featuring Trendy Table 3 from Anka’s Treasures. When I learned that a local quilt shop offered a similar program each month using the same book, I signed up! I have really, really missed dedicated sew days with friends. Spending six hours today sewing with friends was good for my soul. Guess I’m a little out of practice at packing for a quilt class because I left my pins & pin cushion, 6-1/2 x 6-1/2″ square ruler, machine screwdriver & lint brush at home. That’s what I get for trying to pack at midnight after a long week at work. I couldn’t find my handwritten checklist either. So, I’ll be rewriting it in the coming weeks.

Anyhow, what should you bring to a quilt class or retreat? Like “essential” sewing supplies, it’s highly personal. I typically take a small machine in a wheeled tote plus everything else in an oversized canvas tote bag. Today, I transported supplies in a wheeled sewing machine trolley, Sew Steady bag and a small canvas tote.

Here’s what I took to today’s class:

Elna STAR sewing machine (which stays packed in its travel case with all machine accessories).
Small Sew Steady table in bag
Pattern book, precut fabrics (should have bagged & labeled them by step# instead of color)
Piecing thread, needles, wonder clips, seam ripper, yellow seam guide, thread snips
Pencil, small ruler, 5×15 ruler, turquoise scissors, rotary cutter, 9×12 mat, mini stash n store.

Need help developing/fine-tuning your own packing list? Here are a few quilt class/retreat checklists that you might find useful in putting together your personal quilt class/retreat checklist.

Quilt Retreats – CreativeBeeStudios

Retreat Packing List – A Little Crispy

What to Pack for a Quilt Retreat – American Patchwork & Quilting

Happy Sewing!