This has been a hard lesson to learn, especially for someone who prefers to be in control.

Working at an elementary school in a super high community COVID spread rate is no picnic. My mantra is to do the best I can while I am on the job to support students & staff, plus keep projects moving forward in the library. I take as many precautions as possible (including vax & mask most of the time). I have stepped back from many of the extras I used to do. No one seems to notice anyway. I leave mostly on time every day. I don’t take work home anymore. Know what? I’m much happier.

I can’t control or fix my husband’s cancer. He’s doing everything the doctor tells him to do to stay healthy and enjoy a reasonable quality of life. I’m there to support him, but I also have to make my own health a priority.

I can’t control which news stories are presented on radio, tv or the internet, but I do choose to ignore most of them.

I can’t control crime in Atlanta, but I do choose to stay away from the center city for my own safety. This saddens me because there are some wonderful things to do in Atlanta proper.

I can’t control the talent (e.g. spokespeople) companies choose to represent their brands; instead, I opt to do business to other companies that meet my needs and align with my values.

I can’t control the actions and choices of other family members. There are some I choose to keep at a distance for my own peace of mind.

I can’t control the stock market, Mother Nature or what other countries do. All I can do is save, invest, insure and keep my pantry stocked. Oh, and my sewing stash well supplied, too!

I can’t control the class schedule and course fees at a local quilt shop. There are two groups in which I’d love to participate, however, my schedule currently doesn’t allow it. (I personally think $20 for a 3 hour sit-n-sew is a bit much – $10 is more like it.) I can, however, look for online alternatives that will fit my schedule. And look into what’s involved in starting a craft group locally using a public space.

Are you in? This is my big quilt project for 2021. I had the best time making A Quilter’s Cottage in 2020.

Pincushion blocks are on tap for this week. Here’s a link to Lori Holt’s week 1 video on YouTube.

The rest of my background fabrics arrived yesterday (big happy dance)! Now, I’ll be able to finish cutting Week 3 and begin cutting for Week 4 blocks. Cutting and prepping blocks for 2-3 weeks in advance seems to work best for me. I try to cut a week as I use a week. This way, I’m always ready to sew, even during my craziest weeks.

I do not typically buy kits. I prefer to pull from my stash first, using the sewing guide as a point of reference for color selection. Then, I fill in with other fabrics as I needed. That’s why my projects are a mix of the current Lori Holt line, previous lines and other fabrics. I think it makes the final project more personal and keeps costs in line by shopping my stash first.

Here’s Jane all set up and ready to sew!

It’s so easy to get caught up in all the wonderful, creative projects that we see on social media, in magazines or at quilt guild meetings.

Realize this: You cannot make all the things. There’s no way humanly possible.

Designers are constantly coming out with new patterns, projects, fabric lines, notions, houseware, yarn, scrapbooking paper…you name it. Selling products is their line of work and everything they do is geared toward selling more product. That’s business.

You, as a creative consumer, have to be selective with where you spend your hard-earned dollars and your precious time. You must be realistic with time commitments, available budget and your willingness to see the project through to completion.

I used to think time was my biggest constraint as I still work full-time. Nope, it’s supply chain issues due to COVID. It’s impacting wholesale suppliers, brick & mortar quilt shops and online sellers. I planned to participate in an online QAL that starts 9/13. Most of the fabric line is stuck somewhere in transit. No kits are available. Appliqué templates are hard to find – I scored a set at a local quilt shop this week. I rarely ever use the exact same fabrics as the sample, so I wasn’t too worried about sourcing fabrics for this project. WRONG! I was able to pull most from my stash, but trying to find QUALITY colored pin dots on a white background proved to be futile. I spent 6 hours yesterday visiting 2 quilt shops plus chain stores in search of said fabric. What I did find available was too see-through. No, thank you. Found the fabric I wanted on Etsy. The seller estimates it’ll be here in 2 weeks. It should arrive the week I need it, but if not – fine. I’ll work around it. What else am I going to do? My back-up plan is to use solid white for the background, but the small gray pin dots on white will add so much more pizazz to the big block.

Learning to be intentional about the projects I choose to make has been the biggest challenge. I learned the hard way to limit myself to one big quilt project per year supplemented with several smaller projects like pillows, potholders, table runners and wall hangings. Why? Most of the projects I like are are very detailed and require extra time to complete. I’ve also discovered that I’m often attracted to a quilt because I want to learn a new technique. Rather than tackle the whole quilt, I’ll make the blocks that speak to me and incorporate them into other projects. The end result is always fabulous. This approach allows me to enjoy making these projects and still have time available for the other sewing that I like to do – charity quilts, baby quilts – plus making samples for my own classes.

My husband, who works in supply chain for a major retailer, advised it could take years for supply chain issues to be fully resolved. For my fellow F.A.T. (fabric acquisition team) members, this means you’d better buy the fabric you need/love when you find it! Might not be there when you return! Here’s to stash development!