Read to a therapy dog program is a go!

November 13, 2024

Sadie and I did a meet & greet today at our new elementary school! We officially begin READing with our new 3rd grade friends right after Thanksgiving. Sadie met several classes during transition time to specials. The kids and staff were so excited. It was a great day!

This is exactly what I wanted to do in retirement. After 2-1/2 years and many doors slammed in our faces, it’s finally come to fruition. This location is the perfect place for Sadie and me. As I told my therapy dog group leader, this opportunity was well worth the wait. I’m excited to see how the program unfolds!

A side note to my Cobb County Schools teacher friends – we’re in Marietta City Schools because they said yes.

Experimenting with EQ8

November 12, 2024

Now that Yellowstone’s new season has begun, several iterations inspired by Beth Dutton’s infamous quilt have shown up in my social media feeds. It’s essentially an alternating 9-patch block design set on point in a red, black and gray color scheme. I saw quilts in 6″, 8″ and 9″ finished block sizes with numerous layouts in all sorts of different sizes. Intrigued, I booted up EQ8 to see what I could come up with. Note: this is not a tutorial or pattern. I merely wanted to highlight what’s possible with EQ8 and share.

I wanted a throw size quilt that would use up my scraps (mostly leftover jelly rolls) for the 9-patch blocks. I prefer the floating look that a thin border provides, so that’s why I added a 1-1/2″ finished border before binding. Always remember: you are the boss of your own quilt. Make a quilt the way you like it!

Meet Rustic Retreat II (55″ x 64″ based on 6″ finished blocks)

Here are the essential components needed to make the quilt pictured above:
(42) 6-1/2″ red & black 9-patch blocks
(30) 6-1/2″ grey squares
(22) grey side setting triangles
(4) grey corner setting triangles
(6) 2″ x WOF grey strips for border
(7) 2-1/2″ x WOF grey strips for binding

The way you make the 9-patch blocks will depend on if you’re using up scraps or cutting yardage. Since this is based on 6″ finished blocks, your 9-patch components will be made from 2-1/2″ squares and/or strips.

Very loose fabric requirements (calculated by EQ8):
Black – scraps or yardage – about 1 yard
Red – scraps or yardage – about 1 yard
Grey – 2-1/2 yards
You will also need about 3.5 yards of backing fabric and a twin size package of quilt batting.

This quilt is essentially a simple alternating 9-patch design that is set on point. If you’ve made one or two quilts, you can make this one. There are numerous YouTube videos that describe the “set on point” process in great detail. Missouri Star, A Quilting Life and Fat Quarter Shop YouTube videos are good places to start. Here’s a blog post you might also find helpful from Diary of a Quilter.

You will also need to figure how to cut your setting and corner triangles. American Patchwork and Quilting has a reference chart you can download for free.

Being able to take a basic design that inspires me and customize it to meet my needs and preferences is one of the reasons I love using EQ8. Yes, I still have to do some math to figure cut sizes and how to put it all together, but I’m willing to do that. It’s a real confidence booster when the project you’ve created turns out exactly how you envisioned.

It’s the day after Election Day – Local edition

November 6, 2024

As I mentioned yesterday, I was closely following the local races.

BIG WIN: The proposed 30 year transit tax was vetoed by a majority of voters.

School Board: The more moderate candidates (both D & R) won in their respective races. Hopefully, this will lessen the political bickering among board members.

Unfortunately, the Commission Chair and Clerk of Superior Court were both re-elected to serve another four years. This means we’ll see the transit tax initiative reappear or the chairwoman will find other ways to force funding for her pet project of bus service to every nook and cranny of the county (even though hardly anyone rides the main routes the transit system now serves). The Clerk of Superior Court screwed things up so bad that a judge had to step in and place a 30 day moratorium on case filings in the county – not once, but twice. These folks were returned to office by the same voters who regularly complain about them. It’s not like they had no other well-qualified options from which to choose, either.

For everything else, we were drawn into all new districts this year to comply with a federal judge’s order to create a majority black Congressional district on the westside of Atlanta. Other than Lucy McBath’s race, all of our candidates ran unopposed. There was zero outreach from any candidate – D or R. Perhaps candidates felt they didn’t need to because there were no opponents in their races? Or not knowing what to do since it was an all new untested district? Who knows? Time will tell. Meh.

From a business perspective:

I expect fees and costs to do business with the county as a resident or business owner to increase. The chairwoman has stated this much in previous media interviews. After all, the county has to pay for services she’s promised to certain constituents.

On a statewide ballot referendum, the personal property exemption for businesses increased to from $6k to $20k, starting January 1st, which I think is good. I’m tempted to upgrade student sewing machines, add more cutting dies and/or invest in a small sublimination printer.

Anyhow, I’m glad the elections are over. The ads, phone calls and texts have finally stopped.

Think I’ll stream my fave sewing shows on YouTube while I piece snowball blocks this rainy afternoon.