Come Stitch With Me

Over the past few days, it seems as if my body has done nothing but exhale. The holding pattern of the past two years is behind us. Getting to and over the “official” retirement finish line for me is finally over. In spite of some major bumps, things did work out as they were supposed to in the end.

What’s next? Honestly, it’ll probably look very similar to what we’ve been doing the past two years – volunteer work, hobbies and travel. Now that we no longer have to fork over so much for health insurance each month, our travel will definitely increase. In fact, I booked our anniversary trip to Cumberland Island (St. Mary’s GA) this morning. Visiting Cumberland Island has long been on my bucket list.

Will we make the drive in a new set of wheels? Don’t know. One of our a/c units decided to stop working this morning. It’s currently a balmy 79 degrees on my main level. Outside temps are near 100 degrees. The inside is tolerable with 3 floor fans running at high speed. We’re maintenance contract customers, so we’re “supposed” to receive same day priority service. What they don’t tell you is you aren’t considered #1 priority unless you only have one a/c unit for the entire house. We have more than one, so the service technician is due tomorrow after 3 p.m. Hope they can get it fixed. If not, we might be spending Labor Day weekend elsewhere.

Meanwhile, I’ll head back to my cool sewing space and work on some fall placemats using the Mini Yellow Brick Road pattern I picked up at QuiltCon and fat quarters from my trip to Missouri Star with my sister-in-law. The idea comes from one of the out-of-area quilt shops I like to follow on IG or FB. I’m trying to refresh my fall decor. A nearby shop is advertising a seasonal pumpkin or holiday tree Brightly mini-quilt workshop as part of its holiday maker series. I picked up the pattern at my retreat in Idaho earlier this year. Their spring variation was SO cute. So are pictures of the local shop’s samples. Sure, I can make my own at home, but it might be fun to finally take a class at this particular shop. See image of quilt pattern below.

Stay cool and keep on quilting. Fall’s just around the corner!

Mark your calendars and join in the fun!

How to celebrate:

1. Download a free pattern from Project Jelly Roll sponsored by Moda Fabrics or use your favorite jelly roll pattern.
2. Shop your favorite local quilt shop or your stash for a jelly roll and some background fabric.
3. Make plans to sew on Saturday, September 21 to celebrate National Jelly Roll Day. Join an event at your local quilt shop, sew with friends, or enjoy sewing time in your studio with your favorite Sewlebrity YouTube channel streaming in the background.

The quilt shops near me aren’t advertising any special events that day. One shop on other side of town is sponsoring a 5 hour workshop that day featuring the Project Jelly Roll Star Flower pattern for $75.00. It’s a cute pattern and my favorite of this year’s projects. Hmmm…I can make it using a jelly roll and white tone-on-tone yardage from my stash. I can also save time, gas and money by starting the project at Friday Sew Day and finishing it up at home on Saturday while streaming my fave YouTube channel.

This is one reason I subscribe to quilt shop email lists from outside my immediate area – project ideas, tips, notion reviews, new fabric releases, etc.

As predicted, my student roster is 85% boys and 15% girls. The majority are in grades 2-5 and all but one student were in my class previously. The kids know Sadie, so no introductions are necessary. Big girl is going to school with me tomorrow.

We’ll be reading Mapping Penny’s World and conducting a DIY compass experiment to see if the magnetized needle in a bowl of water will indeed turn to the true magnetic north. Students will compare their results against a real compass. I have 3 vocabulary cards for students to add to their word rings. We’ll have a craft activity to make a compass rose from a paper plate and some templates. Using up craft materials left from last year!

When we return after Labor Day, we’ll take a closer look at Atlanta city and Georgia state maps. I’m trying to get my students to understand the concept of the Atlanta map is simply one tiny part of the Georgia map enlarged many times over. I also want them to learn how to find locations on a map using a grid. We’ll also verify map scale by using a ruler to measure distance from one point to another to see how it compares to the distance listed in the chart on the map. I drove to my nearest Georgia Welcome Center (Tallapoosa, GA) to get maps and current artifacts for my students to use for the next several weeks of activities. It also saved me a bundle on instructional materials.

We will spend an entire session on the USA map, including regions of the US so students can have some idea of PLACE or SETTING when reading a story and the author refers to the Pacific Northwest. For continents, I also have a scavenger hunt activity for grades 2-5 to do which will help review terms like longitude, latitude, equator, international date line, etc. I have different activity in mind for my K&1 friends.

Once basic maps skills are out of the way, we’ll start mapping bedrooms, backyards and the playground at school. A short camping unit will introduce the Junior Ranger program, which should take about 4 weeks. We’ll use the remaining time to explore the USA and countries around the world. Oh, the places we’ll go!