March is Messy

I spent Friday afternoon out in the greenhouse getting everything cleaned up for planting. The air temp was only in the high 40s, but it was sunny, so the greenhouse was nice and toasty. I worked in short sleeves.

It snowed yesterday. Instead of planting, I stayed inside. I cleaned and organized the pantry and made an apple pie for the husband. I have decided to work on perfecting pie crusts. I don’t enjoy baking and pie crusts have been my nemesis. I will never achieve the level of pie-crust art that Sarah produces, but I am getting better. I gave yesterday’s effort a B+. The husband doesn’t care because it’s a pie.

I also set up a YouTube channel for the homestead foundation and made a short introductory video. I know how to make and edit (simple) videos in iMovie, but this is not something I want to take on as a project. I’m hoping that someone else from the community will want to adopt the channel. If you’re interested, you can watch the video here.

I am going to try some new dry bean varieties this year. I ordered Dapple Gray Bush Beans, Hutterite Soup Beans, and Henderson Lima Bush Beans from MIgardener. I’m also going to plant some beans that are left from last year. I was especially pleased with these:

This variety is Emmalou’s Golden, which I got from Triple Divide. They grew well and were easy to clean. We eat a lot of beans here.

I am not sure what is going on with the big garden center, Hoopers, in Kalispell. This is the time of year when people should be working in there, getting plants ready to sell for the upcoming season. The sign says that the garden center is closed. (A health food store rents space in the building and it is open.) If Hoopers is done for business, our fundraising plant sale could do really well, but we’ll need to have some extra inventory.

********

I haven’t felt much like sewing, which is fine. Mentally, I am switching gears from winter to spring and a break from sewing is not unwelcome. I can tell I’m a bit restless because I had to force myself to pick up some handsewing last night after dinner. I worked on some English Paper Piecing and embroidered a bit on the current Squash Squad block.

This will pass. In the meantime, I am cleaning and organizing and getting ready to work on the robe project and the shirts for the boys. Some time in the next week, I have to set up the embroidery module on my 880 and do a test run.

And I am going to try to get chicks this week. The farm store is handing out numbers, so I have to be there when they open at 7:30 am and hope I get a number and am able to get chicks. What a hassle this is. The hatcheries are not filling individual orders—and it’s too late to order from them anyway—so if I can’t get pullets from the farm store, I’ll have to set up the incubator and deal with the inevitable excess of roosters in six months.

Imagining the Garden

I wandered out to the garden yesterday to see how everything looked. The snow is mostly gone, but it will be weeks yet before I can begin working out there.

This is the west half of the garden:

And this is the east half:

It’s been cold and rainy and is forecast to be that way for at least another couple of days. I am working very hard to imagine the garden as it will be in a few months, not as it looks now.

The husband and the crew took the shade cloth off the greenhouse for me. We’re running the heater for a few days to help warm up the greenhouse and dry it out. It’s time to start seeds. I’ll also have the herb garden to clean up this year, but those beds still have snow on them.

********

I have had a productive week, so I rewarded myself with a couple of hours of sewing time yesterday afternoon. I knocked out a waxed canvas zipper pouch:

This is a pattern from Bernina’s We All Sew website. I’ve used it before, although I sew my zipper in at the beginning of construction, not the end. This pattern is great for leftover pieces of waxed canvas and I always seem to have those lying around.

The Homestead Foundation is moving forward on restoring the original schoolhouse building (built in 1922, not 1927 as originally thought) and we’re hosting two presenters from Preserve Montana for a workshop at the end of April. One of our volunteers is putting together a thank-you basket for each presenter and asked for donations of items made by Mountain Brook residents. These zipper pouches will be my contribution.

Ruler Class in Missoula

I went to Missoula on Tuesday to teach a rulerwork class at the quilt store there. This class was similar to the class I teach in Kalispell, but the students were on domestic machines rather than a sit-down longarm machine. I was reminded again that I need to be very specific on the supply list, because two of the students left their extended machine tables at home. We can’t use rulers without the tables. The store was able to provide some, thankfully.

[Pro tip: When you take a sewing class, bring everything with you, even if you don’t think you’ll need it.]

Once past that hiccup, though, the class went really well. The students were hesitant at first, but when I told them that they needed to concentrate on building muscle memory rather than on how their quilting looked, they relaxed and began to have fun. By the end of the class, each of them had purchased Amanda Murphy rulers and books and signed up for the second class in May.

I always say that it’s a great class when the teacher enjoys herself as much as the students do.

I also made a visit to the Joanns in Missoula to see what they had left. The liquidation company is emptying the warehouses and interesting things are showing up at the stores. My question is why did they have to wait until the liquidation to empty the warehouses? Some of the stores could have used this stock over the past couple of years!!! The Kalispell store had half a dozen plastic-wrapped full bolts of Robert Kaufman yarn-dyed Essex Linen when I was in there the other day. Yet another shining example of poor management.

I mentioned previously that I had made three Toaster Sweaters out of some cabled knit fabric in a lovely rayon blend from Joanns. I have one in light blue, one in navy, and one in burgundy. Yesterday, I found three yards of that same fabric in black. I haven’t ever seen the black fabric (in stores or online) before. Every time I put on one of my Toasters, I think how nice it would be to have one in black, so I am welcoming the discovery of the black fabric yesterday as a gift from the universe.

I haven’t gone nuts during this Joanns closing, but I am stocking up on things I know I will use when I see them.

*******

I measured my finished Tamarack at the shoulders to see what kind of alterations I am going to have to incorporate if I make it again. The jacket measures 16" from shoulder to shoulder at the sleeve seams. When you factor in the 1/2" seam allowances in bulky fabric, that brings the internal width down to about 15", which is way too narrow for me. I think the jacket would fit me better with a cross-shoulder measurement of about 18". I suspect that would fix the too-short sleeve problem, too.

I’ve really got to drill down and prioritize my sewing projects from here on out, just because my sewing time is going to be limited. A robe for my mother is next on the list as she’ll need it for warmer weather.

*******

The employees will be here helping the husband this morning, so they are going to take a few minutes to remove the shade cloth from the greenhouse for me. We put it up there last fall because it was the easiest way to store it. We won’t need it again until the middle of the summer.

I’ve got paperwork to do today, but tomorrow and Saturday have been earmarked for seed starting in the greenhouse. I’ll take some photos of the current state of the garden. Cleanup outside won’t start for another couple of weeks, but I need to be thinking about where crops are going to go this season.

A (Mostly) Finished Tamarack

I was able to finish the Tamarack Jacket yesterday, although I have not yet attached the snaps. I know better than to attempt those kinds of tasks late in the day when I’m tired.

From a construction standpoint, I am pleased with how this turned out:

From a fitting standpoint, I have some issues. Usually I would make a muslin, first, but this is a class/store sample. I always try to make samples exactly as the pattern describes so I can find potential pitfalls both in sizing and in construction. The jacket fits well except at the back and shoulders—they are too narrow for me. I can’t bring my arms forward comfortably. This seems to be a common problem for me with Grainline patterns, because the Scout Tee fit the same way. It fit well in the bust but was tight in the upper bodice. If I went up to a jacket size where the back and shoulders fit me better, I think the bust area would be enormous. The bust area is perfect at this size. The jacket sleeves also could be longer. When Kate, owner of The Confident Stitch in Missoula, made her Tamarack, she lengthened the sleeves by 3". That should have been a clue for me. Mine could be at least an inch longer.

Would I make this again? Yes, but I would alter the sleeves and upper bodice to fit me better. I also think I would quilt the fabric before cutting out the pattern pieces.

*******

Have you seen this piece from a guy named Robert Sterling? (He is @RobertMSterling on X.) This has been making the rounds of social media recently:

I don’t want to connect my coffee machine to the wifi network. I don’t want to share the file with OneDrive. I don’t want to download an app to check my car’s fluid levels. I don’t want to scan a QR code to view the restaurant menu. I don’t want to let Google know my location before showing me the search results. I don’t want to include a Teams link on the calendar invite. I don’t want to pay 50 different monthly subscription fees for all my software. I don’t want to upgrade to TurboTax platinum plus audit protection. I don’t want to install the Webex plugin to join the meeting. I don’t want to share my car’s braking data with the actuaries at State Farm. I don’t want to text with your AI chatbot. I don’t want to download the Instagram app to look at your picture. I don’t want to type in my email address to view the content on your company’s website. I don’t want text messages with promo codes. I don’t want to leave your company a five-star Google review in exchange for the chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card. I don’t want to join your exclusive community in the metaverse. I don’t want AI to help me write my comments on LinkedIn. I don’t even want to be on LinkedIn in the first place. I just want to pay for a product one time (and only one time), know that it’s going to work flawlessly, press 0 to speak to an operator if I need help, and otherwise be left alone and treated with some small measure of human dignity, if that’s not too much to ask anymore.

The level of “friction” in life is getting to be ridiculous. Simple tasks that used to take a few minutes now cause projects to grind to a halt. I needed to ship books to Amazon yesterday to fill an order. I went to log in to my UPS account to prepare the shipment and got a message that “this request cannot not be fulfilled,” followed by a phone number to call for help. I called the phone number. I got a recording instructing me to leave a description of my problem and a number where I could be reached. I did so.

No one ever called me back. I had to take my package to Staples and send it from there. Today, I will have to repeat the process all over again until I can get an actual human being to help me.

And don’t get me started on QuickBooks. 🤬 They harassed me with daily phone calls from my newly-appointed “account manager” while I was in Seattle.

“Progress” is not always positive. I hate inefficiency and I seem to encounter it at every turn these days. And behind that inefficiency often lurks some version of a modern-day mafia that will fix your problem—in essence, bump you up to a more frictionless level—if you just give them more money. It’s maddening.

Making the Tamarack Jacket

Developing new classes can be a time-consuming process. Most sewing and knitting instructors I know would much rather avoid it if possible. It’s why submitting class ideas to conferences can be such a trial when the conference organizers insist on having fully-developed class information for classes that might not be selected.

The store in Missoula wants a quilted jacket class. I’ve already made the one quilted jacket from the Riley Blake pattern that had so many problems. At my suggestion, we ditched that pattern and decided to use the Tamarack Jacket for the class. I had the Tamarack on my list to make, and the class isn’t until next fall, but I’m feeling the pressure to get the jacket made before all hell breaks loose with gardening season and my sewing time disappears. As it is, the house is a disaster area because I’ve been focused on this project.

This is a popular jacket. There are plenty of videos out there, including a series by Grainline Studio, the designer. The pattern is reasonably good, albeit thin on details. I’ve got notes written all over it for things I want to mention to students.

1. The pieces are cut first, then quilted. The upper size range has a bust dart—a narrow one, but a bust dart nonetheless. Cutting the pieces first, then quilting them, allows for the bust dart to be finished neatly on both the fronts and lining of the garment. (The batting has a dart in it, too.) Kate, the owner of The Confident Stitch in Missoula, made a video of her Tamarack Jacket in which she quilted her fabric first, then cut the pattern pieces. It meant that she waited to make her darts until the fabric was quilted, so the cut edges of the bust dart were visible on the inside of her jacket. Even so, I think that quilting the fabric before cutting the pattern is infinitely easier than the reverse. And quilting tends to shrink the pieces. That shrinkage may be built into the sizing, but I won’t know until I get the jacket done. I’m also not convinced the bust dart is going to contribute significantly to the fitting because it’s so narrow, but we’ll see when I get the jacket done.

2. I am glad I watched the Grainline Studio video series, because one entire video was devoted to chalking out the quilting lines on the pieces with the bust darts. The bust darts distort the fabric, so in order to trick the eye into seeing straight lines, the quilting lines have to angle at the bust area. I decided to do straight line vertical quilting on my jacket, and if I hadn’t watched that video, I wouldn’t have known to do that. It’s not mentioned in the pattern. Having to make that adjustment also added another layer of complexity to the quilting process.

3. I decided to make the welt pockets. I’ve made similar zipper pockets in bags but wanted to see how these were handled in this jacket. They are worth the extra effort, but I am going to suggest to students that we stick to the patch pockets for their versions or we’ll be spending all of our class time making the welted pockets.

4. Probably the most frustrating thing about this pattern—and many others—is not being able to “see ahead” to know when certain techniques should be added. I had half of one of my welt pockets made before I realized that the pocket bag edges should be serged first. The pattern indicates that the pocket bag edges should be finished after the pocket is constructed but I saw no good way to do that; I wouldn’t have been able to get the edges under the serger foot. I also had to trim the batting out of the seam allowances, which was not mentioned in the pattern.

I am close to being finished. I only have to assemble the jacket, finish the front edges with bias binding, and add the snaps. I’d like to make a second one now that I’m aware of some of these refinements and how to incorporate them, but I simply don’t have time right now.

This was part of the process of making the welt pockets. Basting was recommended and definitely needed:

But the pocket did turn out well. The instructions are exceptionally clear and well illustrated:

This is one of those times of the year when I am juggling a thousand different things. I’m a slave to my calendar at the moment. And I’ll have to get out to the greenhouse next weekend and start getting things ready for planting, because that has to happen soon.

Little Roo is growing into his role as rooster-in-charge. He is very enthusiastic about herding the hens around. Dave was fairly laid back, so it’s funny to watch Little Roo get so excited. I’ll try to get some pictures of him soon.

Classes—Teaching and Taking

My Sew Expo classes were smaller than last year’s classes, but after seeing that overall attendance seemed to be down, I am not surprised. And small classes aren’t necessarily bad. I can give much more personalized instruction to fewer people. I thought this year’s classes went well, although I need to stress to the organizers that my classes are not “learn to knit” classes. One lady showed up halfway through one of my classes and announced that she had never knit and had no supplies with her. Apparently, someone sold her a ticket anyway. She went out to the vendor floor and bought enormous needles (size 15 or so) and some thin yarn and came back expecting to learn how to knit. I could only give her a few minutes of instruction.

My thread class had the largest number of students enrolled—eleven—although only seven people actually came to class. I find that a bit odd. Class tickets were about $60 for a three-hour class, so why would you buy a ticket and not show up? I guess some people have money to fling around indiscriminately.

I’ve taught that class almost half a dozen times now and have a good idea of pacing and potential issues, but teaching at Sew Expo throws another wrench into the works. Local sewing machine dealers bring in machines for the classrooms. After the show, the machines are sold as “gently used” for discount prices. It’s a great way to get a really nice machine for less than full retail. That’s how I bought my Janome 6600P. It had been used for one day at a quilt show. The problem is that students are sewing on machines that are entirely unfamiliar to them. The stores providing the machines do assign an employee to each classroom to help with troubleshooting issues, but that’s not always enough.

The thread class was in the Brother classroom and we were on the Innovis machines. These are nice, mid-level machines that did basic stitches and a variety of decorative stitches. For that class, I give students the Wonderfil thread kits, eight 5" squares of Kona cotton backed with a lightweight interfacing, and two appliqué shapes to iron onto the squares for practicing machine appliqué.

I’m about to say something potentially sexist, but this has been my observation and I stand by it. Had that been a class full of men, we would have had no machine issues. They would have had those machines threaded and sewing within 30 seconds. Women want to walk in, sit down, and have the machine do everything for them without needing to understand the mechanics.

I get it. I am the same way with my vehicle. The husband was always very patient about explaining to me what was going on with The Diva—and I know more about cars than most women because I am married to him—but at the end of the day, I just want to get in my car, start the engine, and drive. Still, a basic understanding of what is going on with any kind of machine is helpful for troubleshooting, and most sewing machines operate the same way.

I also took a class while I was at Sew Expo. I had a few hours on Saturday morning with nothing to do, so I signed up for the Nadia No-Show Undies class taught by Amanda of Amanda’s bundles. The kit came with a yard of their Peached Performance fabric and the Nadia pattern from Made for Mermaids. We had enough fabric—and class time—to make two undies on the Bernina sergers. I probably could have made half a dozen in the time allotted; the pattern is not difficult. Before I make more for myself, though, I want to refine the pattern and fit. And before I make any for myself, I want to try making a pair of Comox Trunks for the husband using the Peached Performance fabric.

[Everyone I’ve talked to who makes their own underwear says that once you start, you never go back to store-bought. I totally get it.]

While I was in Seattle, I hit up all three of the Half-Price Books locations and found this treasure of a book:

I am sure this is a textbook from someone’s pattern drafting class in fashion school. It is full of all sorts of fantastic information. I am not much for tissue fitting. I would rather draft my patterns using paper and a calculator.

*******

I’ve been playing catch-up all week but also working on the Tamarack Jacket. I’ll have some things to say about the pattern when I’m done with it. That’s going to be a class at the quilt store in Missoula in the fall and the store would like a display sample.

We’re having false spring here in Montana—as soon as the weather hits the high 40s, people get antsy about planting. It’s too early. I won’t start seeds for another couple of weeks yet. And it looks like I may have to break out the incubator because 2025 looks like a repeat of 2020. It may be impossible to get chicks from the farm store. The husband wants Brown Leghorns but I think we’ll be lucky to get whatever we can.

Shopping at Sew Expo

I went to Sew Expo with a shopping list. It is so easy to get overwhelmed when presented with nine or ten aisles that look like this:

Disneyland for sewists.

As soon as the doors opened, I raced to the Amanda’s Bundles booth. They’ve gotten the majority of my shopping dollars at each Sew Expo. I knew they were going to be stocking this fabric and I didn’t want to miss getting some:

Amanda’s Bundles is based in LA and specializes in athleisure fabrics (yes, that’s a thing). These are two different fabrics with the same print in slightly different colorways. The one on the left is a single-brushed poly and the one on the right is called Peached Performance fabric. PP is very similar to the fabric found in higher-end leggings and tops.

I also bought this PP print:

And this one:

These will all become hoodies of some sort.

Amanda’s has limited amounts of designer deadstock. I scored three yards of a black Italian wool blend suiting fabric, at least some of which is destined for a pair of pants. It is gorgeous!

Billie’s Designer Fabrics also had a booth full of apparel fabric. I’ve shopped with them at past Expos, but was a bit disappointed in the selection this year as it was mostly fabrics in muddy earth tones. Not a hot pink or emerald green in sight. 😞

I bought a few yards of some cottons at Vogue Fabrics and picked up some supplies at the Klum House booth, where apparently they know me because I buy from them regularly. The cashier who helped me recognized my name immediately.

My overall impression of Expo this year was that it continues to shrink. (I’ve been to all three since they began meeting in person again after the pandemic.) All of the vendors were in one hall. I am not sure why, although it made shopping much easier. The classrooms downsized from three buildings to two, and the whole event just didn’t seem as crowded as in previous years. Classes were smaller. Noticeably absent were Joe Veccharelli and his company French European, as well as the Gammill longarm people. I suspect Gamill is getting a lot of competition now because all of the major machine manufacturers have some version of frame and/or sit-down longarm machines. Gammill used to be the only game in town.

Putting on these kind of events—and making them profitable enough to continue—is a challenge. Because a lot of teachers are now offering online courses, people no longer need to travel to take classes. I think Washington State University had some personnel issues, too, because the class coordinator I had been dealing with through August disappeared suddenly last fall and was replaced by someone else.

A few days after Expo, all of the teachers received an e-mail from the class coordinator in which she stated that teachers would be expected to have a booth at next year’s Expo or be associated with a vendor booth—I was loosely associated with Wonderfil this year—AND they would be expected to be in that booth to answer questions from students outside of class. I think the Expo organizers must have received some pushback on that policy, because yesterday, all the teachers received a second e-mail stating that that policy had been rescinded. I had sent a response to the first e-mail saying that I thought that expectation was a bit unreasonable. In order for me to have a booth after class, I have to have something to sell. My knitting patterns are digital downloads. I could sell copies of my books, but then I am not only schlepping class materials in from the parking lot, I’m also schlepping cases of books and everything I need to sell them. And that makes for an incredibly long day after teaching two three-hour classes. I’m glad they rescinded the policy, because if it had stood, I doubt I’d be teaching there again.

The Fabric Haul

My Sew Expo trip is an excellent time to stock up on fabric, especially apparel fabric. I didn’t go nuts, but I did buy a few yards.

I found this sweater knit at a Walmart.

The Walmart remnant racks started out strong but have fizzled over the past year. When the stores do stock fabric, it’s just plain ugly and in colors I wouldn’t wear, so finding something like this is unusual. This sweater knit will become some kind of pullover for next winter.

I did some damage at the Quilting Bee in Spokane. I needed some yardage for the Tamarack Jacket—which I will be making up this weekend—and chose the black with dots. The gray will be the lining:

And, of course, I got the Yellow installment of the Tim Holtz Palette line. I skipped the Orange installment. Orange is not a color I use. I also got that fat quarter bundle at the bottom right, which I think is leftovers from a variety of previous Tim Holtz lines. They play nicely together, though, and I may have most of them in the stash.

I had a couple of gift cards and used them at Pacific Fabrics, where I indulged myself:

From left to right:

• Three yards of red Kaufman Brussels Washer Linen, destined to be a summer dress.

• Two yards of a new Fableism print for a woven top.

• Two yards of Anna Maria for Free Spirit rayon woven, also for a top.

• Two yards of a Cloud 9 rayon woven for a top.

• One yard of Rifle and Paper canvas from the Alice in Wonderland line for either a bag or an apron.

I definitely had a red and blue vibe going here.

I’ll post photos of my Sew Expo purchases tomorrow.

******

Yesterday was an errand-running day, so I stopped in at Joann Fabrics. Our store is much cleaner and less of a free-for-all than the stores in Seattle. The patterns were still in the drawers and all $1.99 (or $4.99 for the Vogue patterns). I wonder if the decision to pull all the patterns from the drawers and put them in boxes at 30% off was a Seattle-area decision made by someone who knows nothing about sewing, in which case those stores are going to be sitting on disorganized mountains of patterns at the end of the liquidation. Dumb.

I stocked up on some elastic and other notions. I did not recognize any of the employees, which makes me wonder if the ones who were working there jumped ship—who could blame them?—and the store is being staffed by Great American employees.

I’ve seen lots of comments around the internet that the discounts are less than expected. I’m not surprised that things aren’t at fire sale prices yet. GA paid a chunk of money for the opportunity to oversee the liquidation. They are looking for a return on that investment and counting on a certain level of panic buying. Someone on the Joann subreddit commented that prices won’t start coming down until traffic slows in the stores.

I’ve said this before and it’s still true. Sewing—and most especially quilting—is predominantly a wealthy retired white woman hobby. That certainly was the demographic of attendees at Sew Expo. I am curious to see how the death of Joanns affects the quilting industry going forward. This article on the Modern Retail website does a fairly good postmortem and quotes Abby Glassenberg, head of the Craft Industry Alliance.

Back from Sew Expo 2025

Whew! the past 10 days have been a whirlwind! I left last Monday and ended up driving the entire way to Seattle in one day. My original plan had been to spend Monday night in Spokane, but after looking at the weather forecast and seeing what was heading onshore, I chose to power through. That was a good decision even though I did drive through a bit of snow at the top of Snoqualmie Pass. A big windstorm came through Seattle Monday night and I would have been driving through that all across the state of Washington on Tuesday had I stuck with the original plan.

Bonus: I had all of Tuesday to do some fabric shopping in Seattle and Tacoma. More on that in a moment.

The sad news is that the day I left, the husband came home from getting straw bales from our farmer friend and found Dave dead in the chicken yard. There were no signs of foul play. I was not surprised. Dave was almost five years old and that is getting way up there in rooster years. As much as I will miss Dave, Little Roo now can step up and be the rooster in charge. I think he will do a good job. He was trained by his daddy, who was trained by his daddy.

RIP, Dave. You were the best rooster ever. May your genes live on.

After breakfast at the hotel on Tuesday morning, I headed to the nearest Joann Fabrics. To say that this store liquidation is a disaster is an understatement. The liquidation company, Great American (oh, the irony), put everything out on the sales floor. Literally. Some bolts were still wrapped in plastic, stacked randomly everywhere. All of the patterns had been pulled out of the pattern drawers and haphazardly plopped into cardboard boxes placed on top of the pattern drawers. (WHY?). The patterns were no longer sorted by brand or number, so it was impossible to find specific patterns. I threw out my list, because all the stores I went to were the same way.

[I hate stupidity and lack of common sense. If they had left all the patterns organized in the drawers, no doubt they would have been snapped up by shoppers.]

None of the sewing notions were left. No needles, nothing. All gone, and they had only been marked down by 25%. I said to the husband that this looked like a Joanns apocalypse. It reminded me of the run on toilet paper at Costco during the pandemic.

You know what was left in all the stores I visited? All the plastic crap from China that NO ONE WANTED. If Joanns had stuck to being a fabric (and yarn) store, they might have survived.

I did buy some bottomweight fabrics for some summer pants, but that was about it. Lines were long at both the cut counter and checkout. I feel for those poor employees.

I also made a stop at Pacific Fabrics. What a joy that was after the soul-sucking disappointment of Joann Fabrics. I’ll show photos of the fabrics I bought after I unpack everything and get organized.

Late Tuesday afternoon, I checked into the Airbnb near the fairgrounds and organized my class supplies for Wednesday’s class on sweater drafting. I have lots of thoughts about Sew Expo, too, but I’ll save those for tomorrow’s post.

Joann's Is Gone

This was posted on the Joanns subreddit when I got up this morning. The author’s handle is rianadawn and I think she was watching the court hearing over Zoom.

The auction started at 4pm yesterday with lots of back and fourth between Gordon Brothers. Finally as of about 6:30PM tonight this is the outcome.

Gordon Brothers doesn’t have any new bids. Great American has successfully won. Great American said that they know this is not the outcome we all wanted and they were hoping for the employees and for the customers to be able to keep the stores going. They said they’ve had a long standing relationship with JoAnns. They helped close 370 of JoAnns stores while helping them to be expanded. They have a multi million dollar retention plan for the employees they will be rolling out after the court approves this. They said it’s frankly not enough and 90% is going into the stores. They want the employees to know they will help them through the transition. They said they will help with time out. They said they’ll help organize job fairs. They said most stores are stay open until end of May. They said they’re helping with payroll and wind down. They’re saying for the customers, as soon as they get settled all stores will be going on discount and the merchandise will be rolling out as soon as possible. They said they had nothing to do with the bankruptcy and they’re going to help with as much empathy as they can. Auction over and now it needs to be approved by a judge.

It’s over folks. Joann’s is gone.

I’ve had people say to me, “No one sews anymore!” After I pick myself up off the floor from laughing so hard, I point out that the five-billion-dollar-a-year quilting industry indicates otherwise. I am sure the demise of Joann Fabrics will provide plenty of fodder for graduate business school classes for years to come. This didn’t have to happen. The sheer stupidity of human beings stuns me anew every morning.

******

I needed a mindless sewing project yesterday, so I pulled out the bag of red scraps. The bag also contains some pink, purple, and orange scraps. Most of the scraps are in the form of “strings,” or strips of fabric at least 1-1/2" wide. Larger scraps get turned into 5" squares. I spent the afternoon making these half log cabin blocks.

The pattern originally came from the book Sunday Morning Quilts under the name “Scrapper’s Delight.” We have a mulitcolored version on our bed. I’ve also done a couple of white and cream versions. This version is fairly retina-burning, but I need to use up the bag of scraps. Honestly, I think I could make two king-size versions of this quilt and still have scraps left over. I didn’t think I used a lot of red fabric but the scraps say otherwise.

I’ve found it’s easiest to make four blocks at the same time and chain piece them through the machine. They finish at 12-1/2". Some logs are a bit wonky, but that adds to the charm. This likely will be a long-term project.

******

I was reading through the teacher guidelines from Sew Expo yesterday as I was gathering supplies. I found it interesting that they had to put a reminder in there for teachers to dress professionally. Really? Do some teachers show up in jeans and hoodies? (You can tell I’m old.) Not only do I dress up, I put on makeup. 😮

I was happy to see that some of my feedback from last year has been acted upon. I suggested that they set aside an area as a teacher lounge. Teachers had no quiet place to sit down for a few minutes, get a snack and something to drink, or meet and visit with other teachers.

Totes Adorbs

We had such fun in the tote bag class yesterday. Five students registered but one couldn’t make it due to sickness. Two students were new, one of whom had taken up sewing again after a long hiatus. And each finished tote was very different.

Ardyce made one with a waxed canvas base and wool for the body:

Jenny made hers with waxed canvas for the base and a Sevenberry canvas for the body:

Nancy, the lady who has rediscovered sewing, made hers with Kaufman Brussels Washer Linen for the base (nice) and canvas for the body. We all loved how she made her lining peek over the top edge:

And Jennifer made hers with a waxed canvas base and a bee print canvas for the body.

All of the students had Bernina machines, so I was able to introduce them to the wonders of the #10 edgestitch foot for topstitching. I think that’s my favorite presser foot, no lie.

Over our lunch break, I checked on the status of the Joanns auction. As of close of business, nothing had yet been decided. It sounds like one of the bidders asked for additional financial information. I guess we won’t know anything definitive until next week.

******

One of the patterns I picked up last week was this older McCall’s pattern:

I bought it because View C has that shawl collar detail and this saves me from having to draft it from scratch.

******

The weather is about to get very messy. There is an atmospheric river coming in to the west coast. We are supposed to get rain beginning this afternoon and we’re under a flood watch. (We live on the side of a mountain, so flooding is one thing we don’t have to worry about, but other areas in the valley do.) Temps have warmed up enough that the two feet of snow piled up on the roof is sliding off, which makes it sound like we’re under attack.

Seattle may get a windstorm tomorrow night and into Monday. That won’t affect my drive over, but the forecast is making it look worse than the windstorm that happened in November. That one knocked out power to some of the suburbs for almost a week.

What Remains of Joann Fabrics?

I suspect we may know by the end of business today what will happen to the remaining Joann Fabrics stores. If I am understanding posts in the Joanns subreddit correctly, there is an auction scheduled this morning to sell what’s left, but all three registered bidders are liquidation companies. When I stopped in at our store yesterday afternoon—I can’t stay away from that pattern sale—the manager said that what she is being told changes from minute to minute.

What.A.Mess.

My ruler class on Wednesday was a lot of fun. I very rarely teach a class I don’t enjoy. We were using the circle and curve rulers. Here is my friend Jenny using one of the circle rulers to quilt a flower. (Jenny is also on the board of the Homestead Foundation.)

I talked to the class coordinator from the store in Missoula yesterday afternoon. When I finished making that pink Riley Blake quilted jacket—the one that had so many problems—I sent an e-mail to the store owner and suggested we consider a different project. The class coordinator and I talked about it and decided on the Tamarack Jacket from Grainline Studio. We also moved the class to next fall. I’ll make the sample when I get back from Sew Expo.

I’ve had enough extra time this week to eke out two tops. The first is the Burda 6315. (I think I keep saying 9315 and that’s the wrong pattern number.) This is the French terry from KnitFabric.com. I absolutely love it. I wore it to my class on Wednesday.

The second one is Yet Another Toaster Sweater from the third chunk of cable knit that I got from Joann Fabrics last year.

This is such a lovely fabric. It’s a blend with rayon in it and it wears beautifully. The color selection could have been better (could I please have some hot pink or emerald green?), but I’m okay with reds as long as they lean toward the blue end of the spectrum. These Toaster Sweaters are great to throw on with a pair of jeans.

I timed myself while making this Toaster Sweater. It took an hour and a half to make—about 30 minutes to cut it out and an hour to run it up on the serger. Gotta love these instant gratification projects.

Today is my Wool and Wax Tote class.

I am so itching for a road trip. It has been three months since I’ve gone anywhere and that’s a long time for me to be home. The weather, although rainy, should be okay for getting over the passes.

Getting Ready for Sew Expo

My Wool and Wax Tote Bag class is on Friday. I still hadn’t finished the blue and gray version—the top edge needed to be topstitched—so I did that yesterday. The husband put the new light up over the Juki 1541, the machine affectionately known as “The Beast.”

We need to raise the light a bit; the thread coming from the thread stand is too close to it, but otherwise, it is lovely to have so much task lighting right where I need it.

The topstitching took 10 minutes but now it’s done. I hand sewed the opening for turning in the lining closed last night. Yes, I could have done that by machine but I don’t mind the hand sewing.

Now all I have to do with that bag is attach the handles. I will do that in class. I am taking the rivet press with me so students can use it, and attaching the handles will be a good demonstration of how to use the press.

I also found some time to cut out a Toaster Sweater and a Burda 9315 (heavily hacked). For the Toaster Sweater, I used a burgundy cabled knit that I bought at Joanns a year or two ago. I already have two other Toasters in that same fabric in light blue and navy blue, and they are in regular rotation. I wanted to sew it together, but I don’t have the correct serger thread color. Sometimes, I am willing to use a non-matching thread, but not with that fabric. I’ll get the thread I need today when I am teaching my ruler class.

I thought about making a Jalee Nathalie top with the other fabric—the French terry I ordered from KnitFabric.com when I ordered the fabric for the boys’ tops—but I only had two yards and need almost three for the Nathalie. It worked perfectly for the Burda 9315. I was able to put that one together. I just need to hem it on the coverstitch machine.

I always like to wear me-mades when I teach and now I’ll have a couple of new tops for Sew Expo. No, it is not lost on me that I’ll be teaching knitting classes while wearing sweaters that I sewed.

The pile of Sew Expo supplies in the living room is growing. That is where I put everything so I don’t forget it when I am packing the car.

I have a shopping list for Sew Expo. (I also have one for Joanns clearance sales, although I suspect the pickings may be slim by the time I get to those stores.) One of my favorite vendors at Sew Expo is Amanda’s Bundles. They have a great selection of knits, and this year, they are supposed to have some sewing-themed knits. I noticed that the Sew Expo organizers have consolidated all of the vendors into the larger of the two buildings; I wonder if that is because the number of vendors is down or if it was done for convenience. That main vendor building had plenty of room, so I think it’s a good move regardless.

Ellie Lum of Klum House is teaching a new waxed canvas bag pattern and the pattern will be released at Sew Expo. I’m looking forward to seeing what she has designed. Billie’s Designer Fabrics is another great apparel fabric vendor. I’ve gotten a lot of fabric for the little boys’ shirts from them. I’m hoping to pick up some nice gabardines or other trouser fabric (wool?) so I can get started on making pants for myself.

Joy in Snow

It has been a very snowy (and cold) February and the snow is still coming down. This was the view out the kitchen door yesterday afternoon:

We have a bucket for both the forklift and the track loader, so the husband can move the snow into huge piles. They made great sledding hills when the girls were little.

Snow falls off the metal roof and piles up along the edge of the porch. The winter of 1996-97, we had so much snow that it was up to the porch roof. Walking from the driveway to the kitchen door was like walking through a tunnel.

The chicken coop:

The chickens won’t go out in the snow, so they get quite cranky at this time of year.

It’s hard to see, but there is a platform on the fencepost just to the left of the coop. It acts as our snow gauge. The husband must have cleared it off Sunday, because just before I left for church, it had over a foot of snow on it. When I looked out this morning, it was up to about 10".

The herb garden:

We need the moisture, so I will not complain about the snow. And it’s pretty.

*******

I finished all my class prep, so now it’s a matter of collecting and packing supplies. I’m glad I can drive to Sew Expo; I don’t know how I would manage if I had to fly. The class coordinators are making a point of telling teachers that some students will show up unprepared, without the requisite class supplies, so we should bring extras. 🙄 I have found that many students think that all they have to do is show up for the class and everything will be provided for them. When Tera and I went to Sew Expo two years ago, each of us had a rolling tote full of all the supplies we thought we might need for our classes.

It’s a fine line. Sometimes it is easier to tell students that a kit of supplies will be provided (and charged for accordingly). I do that when I want students to have specific supplies. My thread class comes with a thread kit—put together by Wonderfil—and I provide 5" squares of light-colored fabric backed with a lightweight interfacing. (I fuse interfacing to a large piece of fabric and cut the squares on my Accuquilt cutter.) When it comes to basic supplies, though, such as scissors and marking tools, students should come prepared.

I finished sewing down the binding on the Correspondence quilt last night. That one has been crossed off the list. I’m kicking around the idea of starting a scrap quilt because my bag of red strips is absolutely overflowing. Sewing strips together is a good mindless activity. I can’t decide if I want to take a sewing machine with me to Sew Expo or not. I could sew in the evenings, but after a day of teaching, I like to vegetate.

Dreaming of Tomatoes

Seeds are beginning to arrive.

I started my seed ordering at Victory Seeds, where I’ve been a customer for over a decade. They moved from Oregon to Texas a few years ago, though, and I think the quality of their seeds took a hit. They were also sold out of quite a few things this year, so I had to go looking for alternative suppliers. (I do have some seed saved, but I like to have backups.) Victory Seeds did not have my beloved Orgeon Star paste tomato. However, TomtatoFest did. While I was there, I got sucked into looking around and ordered a few new varieties. I am particularly excited about Cherokee Chocolate and Cherokee Green, because Cherokee Purple is a staple in my garden. We’ll see how those two do this year. (Sarah, I will make sure to save a couple for you if you want them.)

I know, I said I wasn’t going to plant 40 tomato plants again this year but I lied. 😇

*****

I am making progress on my to-do list. My last class handout is almost done. I’ve made copies of the other ones and put each set of handouts into its own folder with the date and time of the class on the front. I am teaching six classes next week and I need to keep them straight.

The binding has been sewn down on the jelly roll quilt. Yesterday afternoon, I made and attached binding to the Correspondence quilt. I began sewing it down last night. I lost my favorite binding needle and have not been able to find a replacement. The quilting betweens are close, but they are shorter than the one I was using for binding. I think I need a sharp, but I have to find the correct size.

This week’s podcast episode is going to be on interfacing, and wow, has that been a tour of a bunch of rabbit holes. I now know more about interfacing than I thought I needed to. Oh well, I am just adding to the base of knowledge I can pull out when I am teaching.

I spent an hour before dinner yesterday cutting the last group of 5" squares from my pile of scraps. I’ll give the tote to Pat this morning at church. The husband spent his day moving snow. It has been snowing off and on for the past couple of days and now we’re under a winter storm watch for another system moving in. Mid-week, though, it is supposed to warm up —into the 40s!—which is going to turn everything into a sloppy mess. That bodes well for my trip to Sew Expo, however.

*******

Reddit, for all that it has a dubious reputation in the social media world, has been a great source of information about that MTHFR mutation and my discovery that extra riboflavin is helping some of my health issues. I have been researching this issue for a long time—long before a lot of this information was readily available—and Reddit seems to be the repository for what Tom Naughton refers to as “the wisdom of crowds.” There is a lot of anecdata there that would be dismissed by conventional practitioners, but if you’re willing to be persistent and sift through it, you can find a lot of great information. One poster in the MTHFR forum is particularly knowledgable and helpful. He developed a road map of treatment for people with the same mutation that I have. I was amused to discover that I had developed a similar road map for myself—through a great deal of trial and error, because the information wasn’t available five or ten years ago—except that he starts with riboflavin and I am finally adding it in as the last piece of the puzzle. I think that’s because I uncovered that mutation as a result of a folate deficiency, so the focus has always been on folate. Also, the riboflavin information has come to light more recently.

In any case, I find it fascinating how scientific research meanders down the path of discovery.

In the Land of Class Prep

I like deadlines. I find them very motivating. I am up against a couple of deadlines in the next week, so it’s been nonstop nose to the grindstone here. The Correspondence top has been quilted and is awaiting trimming and binding. I should be able to finish sewing down the binding on the jelly roll quilt this evening. The Bernina Event class sample is done. The class sample for my rulerwork class next Wednesday is done. My class handouts, save one, are complete. Finishing the last one is today’s task. I have been making lists of things I need to take with me to Sew Expo so I don’t forget anything. I have a few open days on the schedule this week but I don’t like leaving anything until the last minute if I can avoid it. I’ve also got one eye on the weather forecast in case I have to leave a day early to avoid a storm.

I stopped in at Joann Fabrics on Thursday and they are indeed putting all of their patterns on sale every weekend now. Vogue Patterns are $4.99 and everything else is $1.99. I picked up half a dozen new ones—none that I intend to make immediately, but patterns to have in the library in case I need them. I would like to try Vogue V9325 sooner rather than later, though:

I had a dress like this a few years ago and wore the heck out of it until it got a stain on the front. I have several sheath dress patterns but none with linings. This one is lined. I would like guidance on making a dress with a lining.

Apparently, the Joann Fabrics stores that are closing are going to begin their clearance sales this weekend. I plan to stay in Spokane overnight on my way to Sew Expo and will check out the stores there to see what is left. 😢

********

I need a jumpstart for my embroidery projects because I haven’t felt like working on them. The quilt store had Nichole Vogelsinger’s books on display the other day, so I picked up Needles Out:

It is a stunningly beautiful book—even the cover is embossed and full of texture. When Sew Expo is over, I plan to sit down and study this.

If I get everything crossed off today’s list, I might reward myself by sewing up that new French terry I got from KnitFabric.com.

RIP Joann Fabrics

I am sure that by now, those of you who care have heard that Joann Fabrics is closing 500+ stores around the country. The ones on the chopping block can be found here. Amazingly, the stores in Kalispell and Missoula are not on the list. (The store in Kalispell has so little inventory, though, that they might as well close it.) Most of the Seattle stores are closing, as well as two of the three Spokane stores. It makes sense that they would close the most-expensive-to-operate stores first.

I hope that enough of this company is left that something good can grow out of the stump. I have heard a few rumors that Joanns will transition to online-only sales, but it is way too difficult to buy fabric online on a regular basis. (That idea sounds to me like it came from bean counters who don’t sew and don’t understand the purchasing habits of their customers.) Perhaps Hobby Lobby and/or Michaels will up their game in the sewing department to help fill in the gaps.

******

I have mostly finished the sample for the Bernina event at the end of March. I can’t show the entire project, but here is a teaser:

This is decorative chainstitching done on the coverstitch machine with Spagetti 12 wt thread. (That’s not a typo—that is the correct spelling.) The fabric is part of a Kaffe Fassett line from Free Spirit.

This project has a lot going on. I first had to do the decorative stitching on the coverstitch machine. I then moved to the serger to piece the units and assemble them. Finally, I went to the 880 to do some quilting, both decorative—using the built-in stitches—and free motion. Normally, I would do my quilting on the Q20, but this project specified the use of domestic machines with the Bernina Stitch Regulator. I haven’t ever used mine, so that was a good learning experience. (The BSR is a foot assembly for free motion quilting that attaches to the machine and plugs into the back of it.) All that’s left is to do some quilting using the embroidery hoop and program.

I didn’t receive the second part of the instructions for this project until just before lunchtime yesterday. Fortunately—and this is why I have the equivalent of a Joann Fabrics store in my house—I had the threads that were specified in the instructions and didn’t have to wait until my next trip to town to get them.

******

I do buy fabric online occasionally. I placed an order with KnitFabric.com for some material to make shirts for Susan’s grandsons—the boys requested them and were very specific about what they want—and the order arrived yesterday. This tag was on one of the pieces:

I love that they do this. Fabric.com used to do this, too.

While I was shopping, I ordered some fabric for myself, too:

This is a French terry and I think it’s probably destined for a Jalie Nathalie top.

I Love Loops

The binding is on the jelly roll quilt. I’ll be sewing that down over the next couple of evenings. I basted the Correspondence top together with its backing and batting and it is on the Q20. I had only a few minutes last night to try out some quilting on it. I’ve decided to do a double loop pattern—what I am calling “double bubbles”—and I like it so far:

It’s a loop meander with a twist, and it will go quickly.

I started the class sample—a table runner—for the Bernina event. This one is a bit tricky, because I don’t have the same machines that we’ll be using for the event. For example, the instructions call for decorative chainstitching to be done using the L890 serger/coverstitch combo machine. I have the L860, which is a serger only, and I have a Janome 3000cpx coverstitch machine, so I’ll be doing the decorative chainstitching on my Janome. I’ve used the L890 machines so frequently at the store, though, that I know how to set them up for what we’ll be doing in class.

Once the table runner is constructed, it needs to be quilted. The class will use the Bernina 770 or 990 machines with the embroidery module for the quilting portion. I have a Bernina 880 and it does have an embroidery module, but I need to get a quick tutorial on using it from the store owner. I don’t want my first attempt at using my embroidery module to be on a class sample.

In any case, the end result will look the same. What is important is that I can teach the concepts. I am reminded of the interview with Marianne Fons and Liz Porter where they talked about the first quilting classes they taught. The store gave them the topics they wanted covered, so Marianne and Liz went home and taught themselves how to do those techniques.

I’ve had some conversations this week with the class coordinator at Sew Expo. She said that last year, the knitting and other non-sewing classes were really popular, but this year, they are struggling to fill them. Go figure. I think that next year, I’ll submit proposals for a mix of both sewing and knitting.

********

Apparently, Joanns had a big sale on patterns last weekend. I wondered why nothing was on sale last Thursday when I stopped in. They usually put one brand of patterns on sale every Thursday-Sunday. One week, the McCall’s patterns will be on sale, the next week Butterick, etc. It sounds like all of the Big 4 patterns were on sale last Friday-Sunday, but I don’t go to town on the weekends so I missed it.

I wonder if this will be the sales tactic going forward?

********

It’s been cold here, albeit with brilliant sunshine every day. We’ve been waking up to temps in the negative teens. The husband doesn’t work outside when it’s this cold. Machinery doesn’t like to function at these temps, even if he’s willing to tolerate the conditions. He did a concrete cutting job up at the hospital last week and the general contractor wants him to come back and do a bit more work there, but he can’t do it until after 5 pm today because the equipment makes a lot of noise and vibration.

He put an extra heat lamp in the chicken coop because there was some jockeying by the roosters to see who got to sleep under it. He claims that the two of them behave themselves when he is in there, but when I go out to feed them and collect eggs, Dave chases Little Roo around the coop. Thankfully, no bloodshed yet. I hope it stays that way.

This Quilt Needs Some Binding

I finished quilting the jelly roll top. The border was done in ribbon candy and I used Amanda Murphy’s Every Daisy ruler set to quilt flowers in each corner:

I stopped in at the quilt store yesterday morning to get thread to finish the hexie wallhanging—I found the color I needed—and binding fabric for this quilt. I also came out with fabric to make the sample for the Bernina event scheduled at the end of March. Bernina dealers have at least one or two “events” every year, which are day-long classes designed to allow people to come in and use the machines to make something. It’s a great way to try out a machine you might be thinking of purchasing.

Stores have the option of bringing in a Bernina educator for these events or having someone from the store teach them. I taught the serger event a couple of years ago, and last September, I was a class angel for the Bernina educator who came in to teach it. I’m teaching the event at the end of March. The pattern is for a table runner. I don’t think it will take me long to put it together.

In between the quilt store and a Costco run, I stopped at the farm store to get some bales of pine shavings. We use those in the nesting boxes. I also picked up a copy of this year’s chick schedule. Apparently, designer chickens are all the rage. The chick schedule has several pages full of fancy chicken breeds. I had to look to find the dates for the New Hampshire Reds and Brown Leghorns. I guess the more common breeds are no longer popular. 🙄 We’re aiming to get chicks around the third week of March.

I’m not ready to think about planting, but people are asking me if I’ve started seeds yet. Even if we could get to the greenhouse easily—which we can’t—the amount of daylight isn’t yet sufficient.

And I still have so much sewing to do between now and spring planting. I’m putting my nose to the grindstone this week and trying to knock out all of my to-do list. At some point, I’m also going to have to think about what clothes I need to make for spring. I have a distinct lack of dresses in my closet, which I notice every Sunday when I get dressed for church. I know what I’d like to make, but some of those items require pattern drafting. I need a solid chunk of uninterrupted time to tackle that, and I also have to be in the right mood.

I suspect I will come back from my Sew Expo trip with some fabric. I plan to stop at Pacific Fabrics in Seattle and I know there will be a some apparel fabric vendors at the show. And from the “Too Little, Too Late” department, I see that Joann Fabrics is carrying a new line called Draper James. This line actually has quite a few really nice apparel fabrics in it. Why did they wait so long??????

Sewing and Growing

I taught a sewing class at the community center yesterday morning. I do these periodically and donate the class fee to the homestead foundation. They are always a lot of fun. I set up a couple of sewing machines and my ironing board and bring all the fabric and supplies. Yesterday’s class had three students: a woman about my age and two 20-something girls. Each of them made two pillowcases during the three-hour class.

We make the pillowcases using the burrito method, which is always rather magical. Along the way, I try to teach good sewing and pressing habits.

Halfway through the class, the older lady mentioned that she had a sewing machine and had brought it with her, so I asked her if I could look it over. It turned out to be a serger! All she could tell me was that she had bought it at an estate sale. I threaded it up and got it to make a serger chain, but I’d need to tinker with it a bit more to get it to stitch properly.

The pillowcases turned out well. We do simple ones without the flange between the header and body because I’ve found that beginning sewists have enough trouble keeping three layers of fabric together (even with pins), let alone five.

After class, I packed up my supplies and came home. The husband is doing some concrete work at the hospital and went to work yesterday with a couple of our employees. He said it was much easier to work on the weekend when fewer people were there.

I was going to finish quilting the hexie wallhanging, but I don’t have the correct thread color for the border. I’ll get some this week. I started working on the jelly roll quilt, instead:

This one is getting a loopy meander in the center. I know that’s my default free motion quilting pattern, but it’s fast and relaxing. I don’t want to take the time to do rulerwork or custom quilting on this top.

********

The husband has been queuing up seed starting and garden planning videos for our evening viewing, but I’m not ready to think about planting yet. He found an interesting channel called Montana Mid-Valley Farm, which is produced by a young couple living somewhere near Helena. We watched their videos about building a root cellar. The husband says that building one here is on his to-do list for this summer. We’re using a spot in our basement as a root cellar, but it would be nice to have a larger one for more storage. He also said it would make a good fire shelter in the event of a wildfire, although I don’t like to think about that.

In any case, it’s going to be about six weeks before I can get into the greenhouse to do anything. The lettuce in the basement is about ready to cut, and I need to start the next round in the rooting plugs.