Ushering in a new season

October 6, 2024

This afternoon, several CAREing Paws folks (and their dogs) met at Red Top Brewery. It was such a nice time! I met some new therapy dog teams. Sadie met three new therapy dogs that belong to teams with whom we regularly visit. Many in our group have more than one therapy dog in the family. One dog at a time is certainly plenty for me!

Much to our collective surprise, the smaller city school district wants to move forward with the weekly school-based READ program. I’m really not sure of the timetable for the program to get up and running. There’s a lot that needs to happen, so a January 2025 start date would not surprise me.

We also learned a bit more about the CHOA monthly therapy dog program at Scottish Rite. No mask is required. There’s blood antibody titer test for those who can’t locate all their vaccine records. I told my friend I’d review the updated volunteer requirements this week. CHOA was one of my favorite places to visit with Boomer.

To make room for these new therapy dog visit opportunities, I’m going to have to let go of current activities. I’m okay with that. I’ll miss the people; however, these new visit opportunities will allow us to have more of an impact in areas that really matter to me.

There’s also a lot more going on behind the scenes – including a potential sewing teacher opportunity with a local maker studio that came my way last week – so I’m excited to see how everything turns out once the dust settles. I have a strong feeling that 4th quarter of 2024 is going to be one of change that lead to a very fulfilling 2025.

Sadie with a new and old friend

Want to sew, but not in the mood to make a quilt?

October 5, 2024

Quilting is fun, but it takes time to complete a quilt. Occasionally, I want a quick finish project to keep me motivated. Yes, I have patterns/tutorials on hand for placemats, potholders, bowl cozies, coasters, drawstring bags and zipper pouches, but sometimes I want something different. Thought I’d share my go-to websites for quick project inspiration (usually free to download).

Moda Bake Shop – use the buttons on the left sidebar to drill down to the type of project you want

Riley Blake Designs – go to the Free Patterns tab and then Sewing Patterns to access project patterns.
(Tip: check the updates tab to see if there are any pattern corrections to your project)

Fabric Editions – click the Projects tab and scroll down to the category of project you want to make.
(Tip: sewing and fabric shops use many of these project ideas in their classes)

We All Sew (sponsored by Bernina) – click on the Projects tab to access different project categories.

Sew 4 Home (sponsored by Janome Canada) – click on Inspire tab and then Sew4Home (also look at Project and Canadian Designers tab for some great options).

JKQuilts – click on Resources and scroll down to Free Patterns to find a wide variety of projects
(Tip: sign up for their monthly newsletter to get free, well-written patterns designed by the shop’s own staff).

Sewcanshe – click on Free Patterns tab.

Apple Green Cottage – close out the pop-up window and scroll down the page to access free patterns.

There’s also Pinterest, Etsy and probably your fave YouTube sewist/crafter that I didn’t mention here. One caveat about Etsy: some patterns are poorly written. If you aren’t familiar with the designer, read customer reviews and see if the pattern is available for sale elsewhere, as well.

A series of three storage pods made using a free pattern from Fabric Editions.
Storage pods made 3 different ways using free pattern from Fabric Editions.

Left – fusible fleece on outer fabric only with SF-101 fusible interfacing on lining.
Center – one piece of lightweight foam in middle (non fusible) – came as a kit with pattern
Right – fusible fleece on outer fabric only

My fave version is the one with the foam; however, I’d use single sided fusible foam to reduce fabric slippage when sewing. If you are a beginner sewist, I highly recommend using the fusible products in the LEFT version. It’ll be much easier to sew and you’ll be very happy with the results.

Rediscover the joy of reading

October 2, 2024

I love to read – most anything non-fiction, magazines and contemporary, realistic fiction. Before retiring, I joined a neighborhood book club – primarily for the social opportunities. Honestly, the group’s collective book choices usually aren’t my cup of tea, but I muddle through. After several months of murder mysteries, WWII spies and a few duds, there’s finally a book I can’t wait to finish – How To Read A Book by Monica Wood. I’ve had the best time streaming this month’s selection while I work in my sewing studio.

I rarely buy books anymore – especially books I’ll read one time. I like to browse the local Barnes & Noble with my Libby app open. If something looks good, I place a hold on the title. My books usually come from the library or via the Libby App. I know the wait for popular titles at my local libraries can be up to 3 months for print, electronic and audiobooks. This is sometimes a challenge when obtaining book club titles. Kindle Unlimited and Everand operate like a paid Libby service, except you have instant access to a lot more stuff. If you are a voracious reader and like to read current bestsellers in an e-book format and/or listen to audiobooks, the $11.99 per month fee seems quite reasonable. Music apps like Spotify also offer access to audiobooks, so it’s worth exploring what options are available to you.

Publishers of quilting books are slowing entering the e-book realm. I attended a class with Christa Watson last year. I was the only attendee with a digital copy of her book. Everyone else came with a print copy, which she autographed for them. Note to self – bring a charged Apple Pencil with you next time and set the pdf copy for markup.

Photo by Perfecto Capucine on Pexels.com