Tater Tots

The husband and I dug potatoes yesterday afternoon. I drove the tractor out to the garden and parked it and we dumped the bounty into the wagon:

We did a couple of new varieties this year, including German Butterball and fingerlings, both of which did well. The husband said the fingerlings looked like tater tots as he was digging them up. We also had the usual Yukon Gold, Red Norlands, Classic Russets, and Purple Vikings. These all got sorted into burlap bags and put in the root cellar. We’ll use the yellow ones first as they don’t keep much past Thanksgiving.

Potatoes are so ridiculously easy. You put them in the ground, let them grow, and dig them up five months later.

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The husband had to saw cut a slab yesterday morning so I spent a couple of hours on that second apron pattern while waiting for him to get back. I got to test out a few stitch ideas, too, and I am excited about the possibilities.

This is the two-thread reverse flatlock stitch—serger thread in the lower looper and 12wt decorative thread in the needle—with quarter-inch ribbon threaded through it.

Gail Yellen has done some videos on this technique on her YouTube channel. I really hope I get to take a class with her some time. I went back and watched a few of the videos again now that I have a better understanding of what she’s describing.

I’m teaching the Bernina serger mastery class this week at the quilt store south of town. We might not get to try out all of these techniques, but I’ll cover as many as I can.

It feels like we’ve now settled into the fall/winter routine. My recliner and I are getting reacquainted. I don’t use it much during the summer. I sat and watched those Gail Yellen videos last night while sewing down the binding of that table runner I quilted last week. I have another chicken embroidery block prepped and ready to work on, and I’d like to revisit the Sue Spargo Squash Squad project, too. I bought the actual pattern for that one as I had so much trouble with the original Instagram release. And I always have hexies to work on if I get bored. (Honestly, how does anyone get bored with so much fun stuff to do?)

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I am supposed to teach a Beginning Sewing class at the Mountain Brook Community Center on Saturday. The promotional information says, very clearly, that pre-registration is required, because I need to know how many kits to put together. (I plan to teach how to make burrito pillowcases.) We’ve had expressions of interest and a few inquiries but thus far, no registrations. Susan and I talked about it briefly yesterday and I said that I would not be at all surprised if people show up at 9 am next Saturday expecting there to be a class even if they didn’t pre-register. (“Pre-register” does not mean five minutes before the class, either.) Reading comprehension seems to be at an all-time low these days. Do I spend time this week getting class kits together if no one signs up, just in case people do show up at the Community Center?

I’ll decide by Thursday. I have another one of these on the schedule for January, so perhaps the timing may be better then.