For me, it’s spending time in my studio (aka “my happy place” ) stitching away on Miss Addie, my freearm Singer Featherweight 222. I never expected to own one, given the rarity of this model. Of course, there’s a story behind how she arrived on my doorstep, but that’s for another time. Let’s just say that being patient, paying cash and wanting a working machine versus a collectible edition helped make it happen.

Miss Addie is also a tangible reminder that life is short and tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. My bout with Bell’s palsy and my husband’s stage 4 cancer diagnosis Summer 2019 put life in a completely different perspective. Self-care and indulging myself once in a while became a priority. Hubs is doing well 18 months post-surgery. It’s time for the caregiver (me) to start taking care of herself again.

Self-care meant many hours spent decluttering my studio and rehoming fabric, supplies and machines I no longer needed or wanted. My space feels much lighter now. It’s merely the first step on my way to a sewing studio makeover. I’m eager to get my design wall installed – but this means a fabric storage cabinet has to go. More decluttering to come!

Besides eat right, exercising and getting more sleep, self-care also involved spiffing up the wardrobe a bit. I’m now teaching more and with the gig at the SE Quilt & Textile Museum, I needed the boost of self-confidence that comes from looking put together and being well-rested.

I’m also reading more – personally and virtually via Zoom with Sadie to read with our therapy dog READ kiddos. Some in-person visiting opportunities are starting back up. We’ll be visiting GA Tech at the end of March for Wellness Week.

I got so tired of 2020’s Blursday that I made a promise to observe the holidays in 2021. We celebrated Mardi Gras with take-out from Pappadeaux’s on Tuesday. If you need help with day-to-day holidays, the folks at National Day Calendar do an outstanding job of celebrating the every day.

Other than travel, I’ve resumed the activities that brought me joy pre-COVID. Here’s hoping we can get back to a mask-free somewhat normal within 6-12 months. It absolutely stinks to have to teach while wearing a mask all day!

Beginning Quilting @ Stitch N Quilt – Thursday, 2/19 from 10:00 a.m. – 2 p.m.

We will be making Popsicle Sticks from Atkinson Designs in the smallest size. You will need (46) 2-1/2″ strips, or a jelly roll plus 4 light fat quarters to add enough variety to make this lap size quilt.

Students who were in the Perfect 5 Ruler technique classe asked me to teach a beginning quilting class. They chose this pattern. Most participants have chosen to use batiks; however, I have a Tula Pink jelly roll plus some FQs from the stash that I will be using to make my version.

The first session will cover proper rotary cutting techniques and achieving a perfect 1/4″ seam on your machine. As we move through the quilt-making process, we will also cover color placement, squaring up blocks, creative fixes for boo-boos, preparing the quilt top for quilting, basting the quilt sandwich, walking foot quilting and back-to-front binding by machine.

Future classes will be scheduled on Saturdays and the schedule will be set at our first class.

Class fee: $25.00 per session – contact Stitch N Quilt to register.

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Transform a T-shirt! – Turn your cherished t-shirt into a pillow! – Begins March 8, 2021
(in partnership with the Southeast Quilt & Textile Museum)

This asynchronous class will last two weeks with students able to complete segments and their own pace and have a live Zoom call with me on Thursday evenings to check-in and ask questions in real time. We will have a virtual show & tell at the end of class.

This is one of my most popular F2F kid’s sewing classes. This is the ideal project for ‘tweens and teens with some sewing experience wanting a virtual sewing class geared toward them. It is also a good choice for mommy/grandma & me, homeschool parents or any adult wanting to teach a youngster to sew.

Any working sewing machine that makes a straight stitch can handle this project.
If you do not have access to a rotary cutter, ruler and mat, notify the class registrar. We can modify the project for you with paper templates to use with scissors and pins.

Cost: $35.00 – contact the SE Quilt & Textile Museum to register.

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My day job is that of a school librarian for large metro-Atlanta school district. We are the second largest school district in Georgia with almost 18,000 staff serving 113,000 students. Our stated mission is ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL, STUDENT SUCCESS.

Let’s get real. The true mission is to keep schools open at all cost so that parents can have their choice of F2F or virtual learning. The Superintendent and his staff have repeated this over and over. It’s not about student and staff safety. If it were, we would follow the science and remain virtual for another two weeks. No, it’s about keeping a select group of well-heeled parents happy and out of the Superintendent’s hair.

For me, this meant another COVID-19 test today and probably several days next week covering for absent coworkers yet again. It’s getting old! I’m tired of “babysitting” and putting myself at higher risk of bringing the virus home to my immune-comprised husband.

Two more teachers in my district died of COVID-19 complications on Thursday. The lack of empathy demonstrated by the district leadership at the recent school board meeting was disheartening. They seemed more worried about discussing legal matters during Executive Session than addressing the very real worries and fears of their “team” members.

I had an actual in-person doctor visit on Wednesday. What struck me was their ability to prescreen patients and limit the number of visitors at any one time. My private school educator colleagues also have this practice. We do not have this luxury in public schools. We are required to accept all students (raging fever, stomach virus, runny nose and all), refer them to the nurse, then isolate and monitor that sick child until a parent decides to come get them.

Social distancing is a myth in public schools.

Contact tracing seems pointless to me, given the 7-10 day lag time in notifying folks.

Quarantine/isolation rules change from administrator to administrator. Why was the kid who actually had COVID allowed to return to school before his teacher and other close contacts were? Why is one child in a family told to quarantine for 10 days, but not the siblings? One child with COVID closed down 3 classrooms and a bus route after contact tracing. A couple of teachers whose personal children were in those quarantined classrooms also found themselves scrambling for child care or taking leave to be with their own children. It’s a domino effect.

Don’t be surprised by the mass exodus from the teaching ranks come June.