Lesson Learned

I'd like to think I'm a fast learner-- that I pick up on things quickly, and learn from my mistakes.  It started at a young age and in my 55 years, I've regularly thought about these lessons as I trot through life.

Take my earliest memory of a hair cut for example.  I learned never to cut your own bangs like my big sister did, especially the day before you were getting your picture taken.

When my baby brother was born, eight years after me, I learned that I did not like folding cloth diapers which we used back in the day.  And I learned that if mom accidentally washed the white diapers with a pair of new red shorts, baby brother would be wearing pink diapers much to my mother's chagrin.

I learned that dressing for a luau party was fun at the time but "flashback" photos tend to crack up the entire family.

This is my baby brother and dad about 30 years ago.  My brother just sent this and it's my new fave picture of my dad who passed away nearly 20 years ago.  I'm pretty sure neither of them are wearing anything pink under those white pants.

For the first half of my life I tried to get out of my hometown and in the second half of my life I learned home will always be O H I O...

 My nieces, all for our which will be attending The Ohio State University in the Fall.

After years of trying to out-do Martha Stewart, I finally learned it's exhausting and the food tastes exactly the same on paper plates as it does on all those dishes that needed to be washed after a dinner party.  I've also learned that ordering food in, or better yet, dining out is awesome and totally stress-free.

I learned that after my retirement, it was really hard to "find my groove" and daily routine without working 60+ hours a week at my former job.  That was much harder than I ever expected it could possibly be.  For a good long time I think the lady at the post office thought I was stalking her with my near daily visits for stamps just so I'd have an excuse to get out of the house and talk to someone.

In retirement, I finally learned to quilt, which is a hobby I always wanted to tackle but never had the time for.  I've shared several of my quilts in this space, each with a great sense of accomplishment.  But with the quilt below, that "Woo-hoo!  I did it!" high that comes with the last stitch faded quickly...

Back of quilt is super soft and not nearly a shiny as it appears in this photo.

The lesson learned here is that one should always prewash their fabrics before sewing, including the backing fabric-- ALWAYS-- because the one time you don't-- things can get very muddy.

 My quilt before washing...

 And after.  Oy.

The quilt is still cool (sort of, I think) but instead of the bright "popping" white that gave it a bit of a three dimensional look, after washing, the gold backing fabric "bled" and the white became a pastel yellow.  Some of the coolness is definitely lacking.  (All this gorgeous cotton quilt fabric is from the best fabric store ever--SewModernOnline.com in Los Angeles.)

But, I've also learned not to sweat the small stuff so my bright "white" quilt is a little less modern and a little softer, shall we say.  And the memory of my brother's pink diapers is fresh in my mind-- That makes me smile.

What have you learned?
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins