Tag: handmade

Joann’s future is doubtful

February 23, 2025

The winning bidder of the bankruptcy auction was a partnership of Great American Group and some of the lenders. They bought the assets of Joann with the intent of liquidation rather keeping it as a going concern. The bankruptcy court will approve/disapprove of the sale on February 26th. This means all 800+ stores will most likely close on or before May 31, 2025. FYI, Great American is the same group that liquidated Hancock Fabrics almost 10 years ago.

The Hancock’s closures didn’t bother me as much as the closure of Joann does. I have a personal history with Joann. Cloth World, the fabric store I grew up with, was bought by Joann in 1994. Shortly after, I helped reset one of the Gwinnett Cloth World stores to the new Joann format. As we moved around the country with hubby’s job, finding the local Joann store in our new town was the same priority as finding the nearest library. I am a librarian, after all.

With the closing of Joann, crafters have lost a major option in where to buy supplies. In some areas, Joann is the only fabric/craft store for miles around. Even in markets served by Amazon, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s and Wal-Mart, some crafters refuse to shop any and all of these stores for various reasons. Besides, Joann is open on Sundays and allows Sadie to shop with me. The teacher discount and sales meant this teacher could afford to do craft projects with her students without breaking the bank.

Practical me has been surveying my fabric and notion stash to see if there’s anything I need to stock up on should I find a great price during the closing sales. Honestly, I don’t need a thing at the moment. Should I need more Pellon SF-101 interfacing for a t-shirt quilt currently in the queue, I have other ways to get it. Hobby Lobby usually runs a 40% off fabric promotion every 2-3 weeks. Today, I learned that interfacing by the yard is included in that promotion. Bonus? Hobby Lobby is much closer to home, too!

Fortunately, we still have options to source materials our creative endeavors. It’ll be an adjustment to figure out where’s the best place to get certain things from now on, but I’ll survive. Something will eventually come to the marketplace to fill the void left by the closure of Joann stores.

Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels.com

EOY Quilty Reminders

December 31, 2024

Today is New Year’s Eve.

Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels.com

If you run a small crafty biz, do you need to renew your business license by midnight tonight? Check.
Reminder: the deadline is also tonight for any purchases you plan to write off in 2024.

If you participate in free monthly QALs, have you downloaded all the blocks and finishing instructions before they go *poof* at midnight and convert to a paid pattern in January? Check.

If you are joining a virtual quilting event on New Year’s Day (like the one offered by Stitchin’ Heaven), have you pulled your fabrics, tidied up your sewing space and assembled your favorite snacks? If you are sewing in person at your LQS or with friends, have you packed everything you’ll need for tomorrow’s shenanigans?

Now’s also a good time to check your sewing supplies and/or see if there are any fabrics you need to purchase for upcoming projects as the big box craft stores run big EOY and New Year’s Day sales. You may also want to check any sales at your local LQS, too.
Need needles, thread and interfacing? Joann has them (and fabric) on sale.*
Need fabric or Fiskars products? Hobby Lobby has them 40% off.

*Tip: be sure to print off the Joann web-based coupons before heading to the store. You can often use them along with any coupons in the Joann app.

Happy New Year!

Good things coming in 2025

November 23, 2024

There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes since late summer. The past week has been a flurry of activity with finalizing class samples and taking inventory of our therapy dog gear. I’m happy to finally be able to share!

Starting in January 2025:

(1) Sadie and I will have two standing weekly therapy dog visits (one R.E.A.D. and one regular/R.E.A.D. lite). We’re also keeping our current monthly R.E.A.D. session at the public library.

(2) I’ll be teaching teen & adult sewing classes at local venues, with classes already booked through Fall 2025. A couple of area guilds have also inquired about my sewing machine maintenance class, as well.

To make room for these new opportunities, I did have to let go of or cut back on some current activities. The biggest change is that I will not be teaching K-5 literacy enrichment classes spring semester at the hybrid homeschool where I’ve worked part-time the past year and a half. The next change will be limiting our involvement in therapy dog activities to those within a 30 minute drive. Additionally, these new therapy dog visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays may also impact my ability to participate in guild events outside of bee group and monthly guild meetings.

The sewing teacher opportunity came about as some of the long-time area instructors have either moved away or decided to stop teaching. The school-based R.E.A.D. program I envisioned myself doing in retirement finally became a reality. Perhaps the sewing teacher thing will follow suit. We’ll see how it develops.

When I initially wrote everything on my calendar, I was booked 5-6 days per week. Nope. Felt too much like a full-time job. Teaching 2-3 sewing classes per month and making 1-2 therapy dog visits per week is ideal for me. This leaves time to spend time with hubby, hang out with friends, sew for pleasure or simply enjoy being retired.

In case you’re wondering, we won’t have two therapy dog school visits every week during spring semester. The schools are in different systems and have very different schedules for holiday breaks. Our weekly visits will also be impacted by testing, field trips and other special events. I do take my volunteer commitments seriously, but they are just that – volunteer. If there’s something extra special I want to do, I’ll book it and let the school know we won’t be there that week. For instance, I’m attending a quilt retreat in April. It falls during one school’s spring break and I’ll simply let the other school know I’ll be out-of-town that week. Easy peasy. My guild is bringing in a national teacher I want to take a class with in March. This could also impact one of the school visits; however, this will be the only other time a visit will be cancelled or rescheduled by me the entire semester.