Finished is Better

Yesterday was slightly warmer than Wednesday, but I knew things would still be soggy in the garden. I stayed in and sewed and waited for the septic tank guy to arrive.

[The temperature was 35F when I woke up yesterday morning, so I am hoping nothing got zapped.]

I pulled out my bins of novelty fabrics and cut 5" squares for the I Spy quilt. I need to do a bit more cutting for that one and then I can begin sewing. I also pulled out a small Christmas quilt that has been basted and waiting and quilted it on the Q20. My first thought was to do some rulerwork on it, but the block was complicated enough that I knew rulerwork would take more time than I wanted to spend. In the spirit of “finished is better than perfect,” I pulled out a cone of red, white, and green variegated thread and quilted allover loops

Sometimes it is okay to let the thread do the heavy lifting instead of the quilting. The border is getting ribbon candy. This needs another hour of work and then I can bind it and cross it off the list.

I’ve got a couple of must-do tasks on today’s list. The apples on the Lodi tree are ready. They won’t last, so I need to get them off the tree and into a batch of apple pie filling. I also have to visit the garden to see what needs to come in.

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I caught up on podcasts on my drive to and from Seattle last week. I got way behind on listening to Seamwork Radio episodes; I like that podcast, although it leans a bit formulaic. The Sew & So podcast, sponsored by Bernina, did a great recap of the most recent Bernina University in Detroit in June. I also listened to the Sewing With Threads podcast from Threads magazine. In one episode, the host interviewed executive function coach Hannah Choi about how she uses sewing to help young people with executive function challenges (ADD/ADHD) to develop those skills. That was fascinating. I may listen to the episode again, because some of what she discussed could be helpful when I teach. I find that a lot of creative people identify as having ADD/ADHD, and even though I don’t struggle with those issues, they do sometimes pop up in class.

I am firmly in the concrete sequential camp and sometimes it is difficult for me to work with people with other personality styles. I know this. I work best when I can take on a task and complete it alone and without interference. I especially hate to be micromanaged, so I have to let people know that up front to avoid any friction.

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September is National Sewing Month. It is also the one-year anniversary of starting the podcast. I’d like to do something special to mark the occasion, but September is going to be a busy month. My desk calendar is already full of highlighted events. The schedule eases up considerably in October, and I am looking forward to my trouser drafting class with Kenneth D. King then.