Come Stitch With Me

• Middle Georgia Shop Hop
• Original Sewing Expo
• Quilt Fest in Greenville, SC
• Mountain QuiltFest in Pigeon Forge, TN
• Georgia Celebrates Quilts in Marietta, GA

This gets me through mid-June! Still figuring out the back half of 2022 with regard to quilty travel.

My dilemma is: “Am I really ready to stop working?”. Yes, when it comes to leaving the current day job. I’ve been researching other opportunities in the district for someone with my particular qualifications, but honestly, I’m ready for an extended break from education.

Then, there’s the potential to expand my sewing and crafting biz:

The SE Quilt & Textile Museum is interested in having me come onboard for regular classes and July/August sewing camps.

A coworker wants me to make a butterfly memory quilt out of her step-father’s shirts as a gift to her mom.

More quilt and craft shops are looking for teachers…magazines want writers…designers want technical editors.

Parents want camps and extracurricular opportunities for their kids.

Members in my FB groups are voracious purchasers of anything I put up for sale. Selling this way avoids potentially steep Etsy fees. It’s also a target rich environment. It’s also fun to make a sale and help a customer.

It’s a lot to ponder.

78 more contract days until this phase comes to a close and a new one begins!

Well, it’s official! Hubby retires at the end of March. His colleagues were informed yesterday and his position vacancy was posted. From what I understand, his pending retirement had a domino effect of several major changes coming to his particular division. He thoroughly enjoyed all the accolades and well-wishes from his peers. He’s so excited about what the future holds. I am, too!

I added the Garden of Quilts at Thanksgiving Pointe (Lehi, UT) event to my September calendar today. Pardon me if I seem a little giddy at being able to schedule a trip in September when I want to go. No worries about if the event coincides with fall break or asking off from work. It’s liberating – especially after the past 25 years of life scheduled around an academic calendar.

My excitement is tempered by a lot of unknowns as we transition into retirement. Nearly every last one of them is something over which I have zero control. I need to let all that go and have a lot more faith I my planning abilities and my ability to resolve issues that may arise during the transition. Everything should be settled by October. 🙂

My great-nephew arrived December 30th – some 14 weeks early. Fortunately, little man was “big” for a preemie and entered this world hollering up a storm. It’s a good thing he’s a fighter because he has some major hurdles to overcome before he can be released to go home. My niece informed us that he’d probably be in the NICU for about 3 months. Not sure when I’ll get to meet him in person, but I certainly look forward to the daily updates on little man’s progress. And yes, his quilt has been moved up in the queue!

Quilty travel is back on the schedule. I’ve booked my class for Quilt Fest in Greenville, SC and have the time off from work to go. Hopefully, a couple of friends will be able to join me, but I’m totally fine with a solo quilty retreat weekend.

Until then, my plan is to hunker down in my studio to complete assorted UFOs, a donation quilt and continue de-stashing.

Stay quilting, my friends!