Come Stitch With Me

Yesterday, two pieces of mail sparked a conversation: (1) the monthly COBRA insurance bill and (2) pre-approval letters from Anthem for the scans that hubs will have done after Thanksgiving. We both remarked how grateful we are for our current health insurance coverage. Hubs wisely observed that without it and COBRA continuation coverage provisions, we’d both still be working (or at least I would be). Very true.

Six months in, I can say that my personal money fears have eased considerably. Despite inflation and a tumultuous stock market, we’ve been able to do what we want to do and still keep (mostly) within budget. Giving myself permission to actually spend the money we’d specifically saved for retirement was harder than I anticipated. Thankfully, I’m over that, now!

Daily social interactions and problem solving/business challenges are two things we miss most about the workaday world. Volunteering provides many opportunities for social interaction and to utilize your specific skill set. You’ll definitely have to try some different volunteer stints before you find one that’s a good fit.

We do know a move away from the ATL is in our future. As much as we love our home, neighbors and our proximity to literally everything, we quickly realized we don’t need this much house nor do we need to be close to the ATL airport since hubby is no longer a road warrior. Our once suburban area is now definitely considered “desirable, urban & close-in” with the traffic, development, crowds, higher taxes and crime to go along with it. Time to cash in and move to somewhere a little more serene. The biggest question is where to move? That will be our mission in 2023.

Over the past six months, I’ve learned to be more present and worry less about the future. We’ve done everything we know to prepare – time to go experience what today brings and live life to the fullest. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

We had a new visitor to our Friday Sew Day. She brought in a Juki TL2010Q that she’d purchased at the Sewing Expo back in March. This machine had been sitting in her closet because she couldn’t get it to work. (There’s no Juki dealer in our area.) She’d tried videos and read through the manual, but none of it made sense to her. After about 5 minutes, I had her stitching. That Juki is one sweet machine!

Remember that vintage sewing machine class I attended with my SIL in late August?

Well…

Many vintage machines like the Singer 66, Singer 99, Singer 221, etc. are side loading. Most, if not all, of the modern semi-industrial straight stitch only machines from Juki, Janome, Brother and Baby Lock are side loading.

Check your needle.

Chances are, you either have the wrong size/type of needle, have inserted your needle incorrectly, or have the thread going in the wrong direction. A side loading bobbin means you need to thread the needle side-to-side instead of front-to-back. Yes, your needle is turned 90 degrees left or right, depending on how you are supposed to thread your needle. Check your sewing machine manual. Chances are, it’s threaded left to right. This means the round side of the needle is facing the bobbin assembly and you place the thread through the eye of the needle in a left to right motion. A Singer FW and Singer 301 thread the exact opposite way – right to left.

Tip: If that fancy needle threader on your modern semi-industrial machine gives you fits, thread the needle the old-fashioned way – flashlight, magnifying glass and/or a piece of white paper behind the needle.

RIP Mrs. Wingfield. God speed. May you no longer be in pain.

To Tressa: I wish you peace, my dear friend. You’ve been caring for your Mom ever since we met back in 2015 at Riverside Intermediate. Prior to this, you looked after your sick grandson. You are a brave, incredibly caring person. I am privileged to call you my friend. Once things are settled, take some time to rest and figure out what you want to do. It’s your turn. You’ve certainly earned it!

XOXO, your bossy “little” sister from another mother