You never know when spontaneous learning opportunities will happen. When they do, it is important to take the time required and let them unfold as they happen.
Today, Dad arrived in town for a quick visit. One of the things he wanted to do was drive back to Fort Worth and visit the “batting place” again. I was more than happy to drive the distance on this one. Currently, I am not in any position to start another new project. There are too many started in my sewing room and too many on the list of things to do someday.
But, spending time with Dad is priceless right now. Watching him learn and grow these past few months is worth the back pain from standing too long, rearranging schedules to accommodate the spontaneity, and enduring periods of forced attention when I truly have other things to do.
I saved my files in the Gerber Accumark Pattern Designer program. I was pressed for time, but I am grateful for Dad’s late arrival to make the progress I had made at this point. The deadline will not move, but I wish I could have just one more visit with Mom. I pray the Lord will understand these efforts need to go elsewhere now and help fill in the time gap for the time spent focusing on Dad and his wants for the next couple of days.
Fort Worth FiberCo, Inc.
FiberCo, Inc. is located in Fort Worth, Texas and while there is not much stuff to see, today we were rewarded on our trip. The gentleman behind the desk is an amazing informational resource and is extremely knowledgeable about the industry. Want to know about batting? You need to go talk to this guy!
Unfortunately, they do mostly bulk orders so that is a downside but if you plan, you might get lucky and find something that will work for your needs. I buy my batting in precut and packaged pieces because it is easier for me to store. I do not have a convenient place to store a full roll of quilt batting, let alone multiple rolls, but I can stash the smaller packages into nooks and crannies in the sewing room.
You can purchase precut and packaged batting from FiberCo, Inc., but it is an entire case. I confess, that I still have not gotten through the last case I bought from Linda’s Electric Quilters in McKinney, Texas. It has been some time on that one. I will not be able to justify the expense of another case of quilt batting for some time, but I am looking forward to trying the free sample I picked up from a previous adventure to visit FiberCo, Inc. with Dad.
Please note that I am not an affiliate of FiberCo, Inc. and I do not receive anything from them in exchange for this endorsement. I am not being paid to say nice things about them. Now, if they were to ask, I would jump on it in a heartbeat. I have nothing but positive things to say about both experiences with them at their location in Fort Worth. I would consider a trade/barter.
Spontaneous learning opportunities at FiberCo, Inc.
You never know when a learning opportunity will arise. You can plan them, but sometimes the right question asked at the right time results in unique and spontaneous opportunities to learn something new and interesting.
FiberCo, Inc. is a batting manufacturing company. At over 50 years in the industry, you can say they know what they are doing. I will tell you, they may manufacture something you are currently using without you realizing it.
Today, after a series of questions (and answers) we were treated with a quick peek at the warehouse floor with the packing machine running. They were working on a big order. This was fun to see. I hope future trips will allow us to peek at the machines used to needle punch the batting. It would be cool to watch the rolling process as well.
To learn about the process is interesting. Since I took the Textile Science course at BYU-Idaho and understand the characteristics of different fibers, I am fascinated by the different fiber combinations.
Anyway, if you are in the Fort Worth, Texas area, visit them and place an order. They ship for a cost. Tell them that I sent you.
Save the trip – Fort Worth Fabric Studio
While we were in the area, Dad wanted to check out the Fort Worth Fabric Studio. Let me warn you, unless you are doing a local pick-up for an order, save yourself the trip! It was only about a 10-minute drive from FiberCo, Inc. so it was not a huge imposition for us to wander over there. We were disappointed, however. This is my fault, I should have researched ahead of time. I am glad we did not drive out just for this purpose, but it was a learning opportunity and a reminder to do the prep work.
They do not have a storefront even though they have a physical address (see the above picture with my Dad). It is an “online order only” gig. They offer free local pick-up, but there is nothing to see. There are no fabric displays or whatnot. Dad and I were extremely disappointed. They did have some fat quarters as freebies for our trip, and an apology. The apology felt shallow, but it was our fault for not researching before making the trip.
Lesson learned: Research places before visiting if it is over an hour’s drive out of your way.
Learning opportunities never cease
Sometimes, I feel I may have an unfair advantage because I have always had my curiosity fed by the people around me. Questions may not always be appropriate, but we can answer them to the best of our ability given the circumstances. Remember the next time your child asks a question that is “inconvenient” to answer, they will find the answer from other sources in our fast-paced and technology-driven world. Answer the question.
When Andrew was in kindergarten, over Christmas break he asked the question, “How do you multiply?” At the time, I was helping a good friend, Lena, tutoring her in College Algebra. She has always struggled with mathematics. He was lying beside me watching me. He was paying attention and listening as well as a 5-year-old can. It was my moment to shine as his mother – to teach him. So I did. I taught this young boy with a severe speech problem, you could understand, how to multiply – the long way. This was to discourage him from asking for more because I knew the tricks and shortcuts, but he was 5. Surprisingly, he picked it up very quickly. I sent him back to school a kindergartner with slurred speech who could multiply. He learned the tricks and shortcuts on his own. This spurred his fascination with mathematics.
Today, I reflect on my father. He is learning to do things Mom always did. Not only is he learning to live without her, but he’s learning the things they had planned on doing when he retired – without her. He could have sold the longarm, instead he’s learning to use it.
Always take the opportunity to teach. Never cease to learn.
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