Success!
At about 1 pm, Thais and I went to the airport. It was time for her to leave. I was staying however.
Monthly Archives: June 2015
Garment fitting workshop: Saturday
The workshop was lead by pattern designer Liesl Gibson who is the head designer for Oliver + S and Lisette (in Butterick patterns). Basic instructions for making a paper copy of the pattern bodice piece.
Then, how to make a large bust adjustment.
To make a small bust adjustment, the pieces would be overlapped instead of spread apart. Additional pieces of paper were taped and dart lines redrawn. 
The new pattern pieces were used to cut a muslin fabric bodice, darts and seams sewn then a personal fitting by Liesl.
What followed were more adjustments and sometimes starting over to make a different size (that’s what happened to me; the process went much faster the second time).
More sewing.
More fit checks.
We went to dinner at MAFIAoZA’s, then back to work. It was a 12-hour day. In the evening. Anna Maria’s husband, six children, and a couple of friends came to the shop to entertain us. Some played guitar, and everyone sang for a couple of hours. We all kept on sewing and pretty much had to be kicked out at 10 pm.
Garment fitting workshop: Friday
The reason Thais and I came to Nashville was a weekend garment-fitting workshop at Craft South, recently opened by Anna Maria Horner. 
In the sewing world, Anna Maria is rather well-known. She was warm and welcoming. Exciting.
Inside the shop:
Our work stations. The sewing machines were new Janome’s (Japanese for “eye of the snake” – like a needle).
Tonight was mostly orientation for the 15 participants.
We all went to dinner at Urban Grub.
Nashville: day 3
Breakfast at Biscuit Love (also a former food truck): Oh my, fantastic food! The Lily was best: biscuit French toast with lemon/mascarpone, blueberry compote and house syrup.
The Gulch is an area of the city undergoing “urban revitalization” – a dynamic mix of commercial office space, retail space, restaurants/entertainment, and more dense housing units. Lots of great ideas Thais could take back to work.
Lunch at Edley’s.
Nashville: day 2
A tour of Traveller’s Rest, built in 1799, by Judge Overton, a good friend of Andrew Jackson.
The original house:
Later additions increased the size considerably and created a new front entrance.
Our guide, Miss Ethel, a retired school teacher.
Lunch at Mas Tacos, a successful food truck now brick-and-mortar.
Excellent tacos!
Downtown was impossible to deal with, in our opinion, because this week and next was CMA Fan Fest.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream: limited flavors but great tasting.
If a city has an architectural salvage place, a visit is required.
Nashville: day 1
This must be the right place, Music City USA.
Thais arrived a couple of hours later.
I was so glad Thais had a plan for seeing the city. We explored a few neighborhoods
and had dinner at
So delicious, but glad I ordered the medium spicy version.
And now … fun is about to begin
Yesterday, I shipped my mountain bike to Roanoke Virginia.
Tonight, Justin dropped me off at the airport to catch a red-eye flight to Nashville Tennessee.
Project Ride Smart: last day
After three days of classroom instruction and three days of blacktop drills, the final three days are street rides in the neighborhood which are still teaching opportunities. For the street rides, extra LCIs are hired and each leads a group along with volunteer riders from the school community and local bike clubs.
Today we were one volunteer short, so Elle handled the red group on her own and stayed on the bike trail in the park which begins right outside the back gate of the school. I got to ride with Jeff’s yellow group. Yay!
I must add how freaking hot it was. The blacktop drills were the worst. On the street riding days, at least you were moving through the air – somewhat of a relief.
RLEHS Sunday Social
Maceo did a great job as today’s speaker, it was great that so many members of his family came to support him.
Catherine Green won the Throwdown with her grandmother’s recipe for Fig Bars. This was her first win and I was thrilled!
One of my favorite families from my Westside Charter School days – the Tomlinson’s: Anna Marie, Julie and son, Sarah, and Ken.
Saturday in E Nicolaus
I got ready for the RLEHS Sunday Social Throwdown. I made both of these recipes. The fig jam went into little containers for the Guilty Giveaway (a legal version of a raffle. Yes, raffles are illegal unless you have a permit.)
Labor-intensive but incredibly delicious. 66 little cookies!
A quick sewing project.
Meanwhile, outside Justin sprayed weeds
and located long drooping branches with no walnuts on them
and lopped them off.
Because Justin fertilizes regularly, his trees are lush and beautiful.
He also checked on his recent irrigation installation for one of his neighbors.
arletelouise 