Come Stitch With Me

Inflation and the economy are impacting quilty travel and shows.

Local events seem to be doing quite well. Our local quilt shows and expos this spring have been PACKED. Crafters, sewists and quilters are eager to get back out there again. QuiltCon was very well attended. I heard several vendors sold out of products after the first day. I ran into local folks who’d planned to spend the night at the Westin but changed their minds after getting the hotel rates. They’d rather spend their money shopping than on a hotel room. Can’t say I blame them.

Regional events that require travel seem to be struggling.

AQS is still advertising availability for classes in Paducah later this month. Not this year for me.

Nova Montgomery still has availability in her April Featherweight class in Paducah. This class ALWAYS sells out.

Mancuso Show Management keeps sending me emails about classes still available for Quilfest in Greenville. Nope.

Sew Daily is hosting a sewing retreat in Colorado that’s apparently not sold out. They keep sending me emails with discount codes to sign up. Maybe if I could snag a $59 fare on Southwest.

Sew Magical Expo is starting to advertise for the Nashville event in late June. It’s being held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel (where hotel rates for those dates are currently showing as $289/night plus taxes and resort fees). Very intrigued by this event. It’s about 4 hours away and I could easily stay at a different, less expensive hotel and commute in daily like a local. We’ll see what the classes look like and who’s vending.

Stitchin’ Heaven sends me daily emails for about cruises still available. Nope. Not into cruising.

The John C. Campbell Folk School keeps sending me emails and mailers to come back for a class. Drop the prices and maybe I will.

Just my opinion:

When a Hilton Garden Inn/Hampton Inn/Home2Suites hotel room is $250-$300/night with all taxes/fees included, I tend to think twice about going to that event. I really wanted to attend Mountain Quiltfest again this year. I have enough rewards to cover 2 nights of hotel, so I chose classes/events to maximize my limited time there. Yes, I could get a hotel for under $100, but based on what I saw online, I’m not staying there.

A fellow quilter who attended a Campbell Folk School class with me in 2017 remarked how much she’d love to return, but the prices have increased so much, it no longer makes sense for her to go. I agree 100%.

I will most definitely splurge when the situation calls for it. I’m attending the Georgia Sweet Peaches Quilt Retreat in mid-July at Brasstown Valley Spa and Resort. I thought about driving up the day before, but why spend the money on a hotel room when I can get a spa treatment instead? I’ll gladly make time for a facial before returning home, even if the facial is scheduled after the retreat ends. It’s only a 90 minute drive from my house.

I already know of two trips I plan to take in 2024, once of which is to QuiltCon in Raleigh, NC. As I’ve done at previous events, I’ll stay out in the suburbs and commute in every day. Two half-days is usually enough for me, but I’ll want to be there for the keynote address, so I’m planning on at least 4 days/3 nights, including travel.

There are other quilty trips out West I’m sure I’ll want to take, but until travel costs get more reasonable, I’m going to have to think twice before signing up.

What are you seeing for quilting/sewing events in your area?

This time last year, hubby was off on his grand retirement trip while I was busy winding things down at my job so I could join him at the end of May. My, how time flies! I’m so glad we took that leap of faith last year. It’s been an adventure. Being able to pretty much do what you want when you want is so liberating. I feel so much more alive. That’s what happens when you finally have time to do the things that matter most to you.

What’s on your bumper sticker? This is a popular activity in library circles to do with 1st & 2nd graders where they create a bumper sticker with 3-5 pictures that describe them. This can either be done digitally or with old magazines that the kids cut-up. My bumper sticker would include: sewing machine, dog, book, airplane and trees. Most of my days include 4 of the 5 activities. Finding ways to incorporate the first three into meaningful volunteer and social activities has been the secret sauce for me in retirement.

Money worries have eased significantly since our final paychecks. We have a budget and automated as much of the process as possible. Giving myself permission to actually spend the money we’d set aside for retirement was harder than I expected. While still frugal, I no longer have that problem! Truth is, most of the activities we enjoy in retirement have a minimal cost associated with them. Our expenses for clothing, meals out, commuting, work related expenses and convenience items are greatly reduced in retirement. This helps us be able to splurge on the travel we both love to do.

Remaining socially connected in retirement requires more effort than it did when I was still working. Oh, I’m still in contact with my teacher friends, it’s just now primarily via text/phone since F2F is so much harder with everyone’s schedules. The closure of Sadie’s two local quilt shops really hit hard in ways I didn’t expect. I’m sew thankful for my Friday sewing group and my CraftLAB kiddos. They provided a much needed social outlet during the first few months of retirement until therapy dog visit invitations resumed. As for volunteering with the quilt museum – I quickly learned commuting 60 miles each way on a regular basis isn’t sustainable for me. Proximity to ongoing volunteer and social activities is VERY important. I’ll be adding one weekly volunteer activity to my schedule this fall – the weekly school based READ session that was slated to start last August OR a weekly shift with a local consumer action organization. The latter has been something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time, but I wasn’t ready to commit to the volunteer requirements until after we took our big trips.

As I mentioned in my last post, pictures from a recent therapy dog event made me take a hard look at myself. I didn’t like what I saw in the pictures. Nor do I like the number reflected on the scale. I regained almost 20 of the 30 pounds I’d worked so hard to lose in late 2018. This gain happened during COVID lockdowns. My weight’s remained steady since retirement, which is good, but I need to get back to where I feel comfortable in my own skin. Getting down to a healthy weight will resolve a number of issues – health and otherwise.

I rejoined Weight Watchers and signed up for the 10 month online program since my local meeting location is now closed and others nearby are also slated for closure. I added an online coaching program offered by a former WW leader to help keep me accountable for the first few weeks. The ads on social media might lead one to believe that losing weight during menopause is impossible without some sort of miracle pill. The group leader did state that weight loss would probably take longer this time, but the weight will come off if I stick with the program and eat nourishing foods. Her advice sounds eerily similar to that of a former grad school advisor when I thought about dropping out of library school because life got to be too much: The calendar will show Jan 1, 2024. Would you rather ring in the new year weighing ___ or ____? Just as I stuck with it to complete my degree, I’ll take goal weight, thank you very much.

Yes, I can. Yes, I can.

Since retirement, I have challenged myself to do things outside my comfort zone. The rewards have far surpassed any discomfort I may have felt at the beginning of the endeavor. The facility visit I talked about in a previous post was just one example.

A friend of mine shared some photos taken at that event. I was aghast. I detest having my picture taken. Talk about a reality check! I know we can sometimes be our own worst critic – but these pictures don’t lie! Nor do the ones taken of Sadie and me at the SACS-COSI conference back in January.

I also recently listened to a podcast that discussed 4 types of wealth – Money, Social, Time and Health. The “your health is your wealth” discussion really hit home.

I think I’ve embarked on my biggest challenge yet – which I’ll share in more detail in the coming weeks.

I can do hard things. I can do hard things. Yes, I can.

Time to get busy.