When I last posted, it was at the beginning of my final year as a middle school teacher, and boy, did that last year of teaching public school get the best of me. I knew I had neglected this blog, and I was kicking myself (um, because I paid the bill, too…). So, let me catch you up.
I retired from teaching public school in May, so now I have some income that is allowing me the chance to take some risks and explore new things – a little more teaching of sewing, starting my own YouTube channel, beginning educational consulting, a Teachers Pay Teachers store (because I have a lot of good stuff to sell other ELA teachers), and a new career in insurance/employee benefits.
I also have 3 adorable new cats (after tragically having to put down our old furbabies when they both got really sick). My kids are all adultish (19, 21, 24 and almost 26), and my family is in a good place. We’ve done some work on our house which included revamping my main sewing area, and a lot of reorganization in general. There is nothing like the chaos of painting and installing new flooors in most of the downstairs to make things a but crazy.
Now, as we head into fall, and things are starting to settle into a new type of routine, I want to be more deliberate in the tasks I engage in, and that includes sharing my sewing. I have been thinking about what a sewing YouTube channel would look like for me for quite a while, but I didn’t pull the trigger on it until the very end of July.
My very first video was the Ruby Star stash dive. I decided just to pull my collection of Ruby Star fabric and, while reorganizing it, talk about how I like to organize fabric and put patterns and fabric together for projects. My second video was showcasing the many projects that came out of that.
I also did a video comparing two of my favorite designers – Alison Glass and Tula Pink. Here are some of my Tula projects below.
I have published about a half dozen videos so far, and there’s a lot of trial and error involved. It’s fun, though, so I will keep trying. I’m open to suggestions as to what people might want to see.
Eventually, I will figure out this new way of life, but in the meantime, it’s nice to be doing something different with my days. I’m working on some more new content both on my blog and on social media. If you are new, welcome! If you have stuck with me since the beginning, thank you.
