I’m almost caught up with my miniature watercolors. I set a schedule of one painting every three days. September and October had so many things going on that I got behind in painting Now, I’m only two paintings behind and I think I’m finding a way to do decent landscapes. I still need more practice.

As the self-appointed repairer of the vending machines, I failed to get the soda machine out of its “out of service” mode and had to call the person who sold us the machine. Because he was going out of town, he couldn’t get to us until Oct. 31st.

He got it working and I spent another hour testing and resetting the slots. He also gave some tips on keeping it running such as getting dust out of the cooling unit and cleaning out the junk that was stashed in there “in case we need it.” The machine is working better and I should be able to maintain it.

I’ve been teaching sewing to students from the city’s alternative high schools. We have two, with limited curricula for students who don’t do well in standard classes. They come to the maker-space to try things like woodworking, leather craft, sewing, stained glass, and pottery.

I’ve taught them to make pillow cases and stuff sacks, utility aprons with pockets, and our latest project – bags to use to microwave popcorn. When I teach them, I show them and explain each step of using the sewing machines, how to measure and cut fabric, and how to mark the seam lines by using a piece of masking tape as a guide next to the sewing foot.

One of the teachers also made a bag.

When I take project pictures with these groups, I only picture the hands of the students since I don’t have parental or guardian permission to film them.