Letting the Rubber Balls Bounce

We finally got a hard freeze. I need to get out to the garden this week and clean up the tomato patch. I thought I might do it on Saturday, but it looks like rain that day. Nothing is worse than working in the garden in a cold rain. I need to pull out the vines, stack them, and stack the tomato cages.

I read something yesterday—I wish I could find it again so I could give credit—about juggling balls. The author said her garden fended for itself this year because she was trying to keep too many balls in the air. She decided to drop the balls that could bounce and concentrate on juggling the balls that would shatter if they fell. I thought that was a great analogy. The world will not come to an end if the garden has to fend for itself for a season.

I don’t have a podcast episode today. I still sound a bit like a rusty gate, and between getting the tomatoes out of the freezer and making them into sauce, taking a trip to Ritzville, picking up pork orders, and teaching yesterday, something had to give. The podcast was a ball that could bounce last week, so I let it.

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I took the Suzy Furrer book with me to Spokane and spent some time looking through it. I am very glad to have it in my patternmaking library. The book is comprehensive and laid out in a logical manner. As I told Ashlee, though, it’s not really a beginner book. The information makes sense to me because I’ve made slopers before and numbers and math don’t scare me. I’d like to try some of the pattern drafts this winter.

A friend of mine asked me to look at her serger to see if I could get it up and running. It’s a 90s-era Pfaff. I had to find a foot pedal for it, which I did, so I am going to tinker with it this week. I suspect it just needs a good cleaning and oiling. I’d like to get it operational for her because I know she will use it if it runs well.

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Yesterday’s machine mastery class was a bit challenging. Customers who purchase a machine have a year to take the mastery class every month, so I never know who is going to show up, with what machine, or where that person is in her sewing journey. Some women came with machines they bought last week. Others brought machines they have owned for a few months but are scared to use. My goal is to get everyone comfortable enough by the end of class that they go home and use their machines.

While I was at the store, Marianne asked if I would teach a class using the Accuquilt cutter. Accuquilt offers a lot of free patterns on their website, so I’ve been looking through them to find one that would make a good class. I really like this one, using the Enigma Star die:

I could use my vast stash of Kona to make up the sample. 😇 Or maybe even some Tim Holtz. Or Grunge. The possibilities are endless.

Today, though, I am going to clean and reorganize the sewing space. I need to pull out and stack patterns and fabric for upcoming projects. I also need to prep some embroidery projects so I have things to work on in the evening.