Teen Sewing Class @ Midtown Library

September 13, 2026

Yesterday, seven people braved flooded streets to sew together at the Peachtree (Midtown) Library. Three of the students had entered blocks for the Block Party exhibit at the June quilt show. I taught the girls how to turn their blocks into pillows with an envelope style closure. We even provided pillow inserts so students could go home with a completed project. The smiles on their faces as they proudly displayed their finished pillows made all the effort to get to the library in the nasty weather worth it.

The teen/adult sewing group was started by Miss Pat some time ago. The group previously met at the Buckhead Library and the YMCA on Moores Mill Road. I helped out by providing notions, fabric and machines. This has expanded into instructional support and teaching since the group began meeting at the Midtown location. Miss Pat, one feisty octogenarian, has mentioned repeatedly that I should think about taking over the group one day “since she’s not going to be around forever.” Now, the library has asked me to fill out a volunteer application so I can go through the process to be able to reserve meeting space on behalf of the sewing group. I did as requested. Now, we’ll see if the library can find one Saturday a month for us to actually meet.

Two years later…

September 11, 2026
A new passion project

This lovely lady has required a lot more work than originally thought. Sitting in a box untouched for more than two decades certainly didn’t help. Her serial number dates her as a 1934 model from Singer’s 3rd production run. This means she was among the first 30,000 Featherweights Singer produced. The company reportedly made in excess of 2 million units during this model’s production years.

She now has all of her parts – including the school bell. Many thanks to the technicians at the FW Shop who helped troubleshoot the persistent growling issue, folks in FW FB groups who helped source parts, and to the eagle eyes running the SQTM yard sale who saved an unsold FW case for me. It takes a village.

Farewell summer

September 7, 2026

Labor Day – the unofficial end of summer for most folks – even though the September calendar clearly shows we have about two weeks left before fall officially arrives. Cook-outs, Art in the Park @ Marietta Square and the 50% off sale at Tiny Stitches are Labor Day traditions. I participated in 1 of these 3 activities this year. 🙂

My visit to Tiny Stitches netted two lengths of really nice backing fabric for less than Hobby Lobby sale prices. The shop hosts a 50% off sale 2-3x per year to move out older fabric lines. I try to go if I’m in town.

It’s been quiet the past few days, I began to wonder where everyone had gone. My favorite burger place was even closed for the holiday. You’ll be relieved to know that I found the missing folks at Publix around 4 p.m. when I went to pick up a rotisserie chicken for dinner. The store was packed AND Publix was out of rotisserie chicken! This meant going with Plan C – comfort food from the freezer case. Paired with a salad and watermelon, it was yummy! Sadie & I will celebrate summer’s end with a homemade pup cup for her and a turtle sundae for me.

Later, I’ll pack our therapy dog visit bag. Tomorrow we’ll see if the decision to start this year’s therapy dog visits 20 minutes later was the right thing to do. It made a huge difference in last week’s commute. We’ll see if it continues to holds true. Summer’s over, so Atlanta traffic should return full-throttle tomorrow morning. That’ll be the true test.

This evening, I’ll celebrate summer’s end on my screen porch reading and doing a little cross-stitch with Sadie at my feet.