How To Cut Plaids for Squares & Rectangles for Quilting With Men's Dress Shirts & Memory Quilts

[@shannoneaster9311]

Although I am not a quilting perfectionist, I tend to be in other areas of my life. I’m so grateful that there are people in this world who are thoughtful and precise in what they do, especially in the medical field. Your attention to detail has likely saved lives in your profession. And, if that quality is also expressed in your quilting life, then it is a natural fit. There is a place for everyone at this table. That’s why seam rippers were invented . Thank goodness! Love and hugs! ❤️

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Shannon! ❤🥰 “that’s why seam rippers were invented”--I agree and I love it!🤓👍🏻

[@melodybowman8366]

Five months ago the Lord called my husband home suddenly. I am beginning to start looking at his shirts since watching you. I love your videos on cotton/poly and using plaids He loved blue and plaids, a lot of which are cotton/poly, and .he wore anywhere from 2x-4x....so thanks to you, I can repurpose them. Thank you, blessings

[@christinahall3318]

Blessings on you for comfort and peace!!!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Oh Melody, I am so sorry for your loss. 😔 Grief is so hard. 😩 All my love to you as you work through the many emotions that come with losing a spouse. I think it's wonderful and brave that you are looking at your husband's shirts for quilting. I'm so thankful that I can have any part in encouraging you or helping you look at those shirts with beautiful and memorable possibilities! ❤️

[@conniemurdoch8528]

I use the “can I see it from the back of a galloping horse?” rule. It’s all in the name.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

I love that too!❤

[@kimbetts4282]

Yes, I do too!

[@marylynneturner5290]

My mother would say that "a blind man on a galloping horse" wouldn't notice whatever I was obsessing about.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

@@marylynneturner5290 lol! 😂 A great phrase--probably felt unhelpful in the moment, but definitely good for a perspective change! 😘

[@valerievesper9216]

“My head is a scary place to be” 😂😂 Me too! I tell my husband he has no idea what it’s like to live in my head. Like that moment in church when you realize you’ve missed a big chunk of the sermon because you were assessing quilt possibilities for all the men’s shirts within your field of vision. 🙄😂

[@gisellejones1139]

LOL Been There!!!

[@christinahall3318]

😂😂😂

[@yoshiew05]

The message still got in. That’s why we have two ears.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Me too! 😂

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

I love this!! and YES---or at the dentist, or doctor, or in line at the store, etc.etc.

[@saraborisch5343]

My dear.......I am very thankful that you are a perfectionist as a Pharmacist. As a retired nurse you are exactly what I would want in a Pharmacist. However, if you have quilting police analyzing your seams and plaids............tell them to get lost. Your creations are what God has created you to make and thus perfect in His eyes.....and they are beautiful! OX

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Aww! Thank you, Sara! 🥰❤️

[@emilou9654]

Kathy you are a delight! I am really enjoying all of the videos. Thanks also to hubby who is doing a fantastic job. Big hugs from Scotland ❤

[@TheToneWork]

Thank you Emi!🎉

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Emi Lou! ❤ I’m so glad you’re enjoying the videos!

[@pgiberti1407]

Thanks for your well paced videos, sense of humor, and inspiration!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you so much! ❤ Thank you for watching and commenting! 🥰

[@lisascenic]

I love seeing how much pleasure you get from your craft. In the theatrical scene painting studio that I manage, we have to find a balance between getting things done efficiently, and not being sloppy. When one of the team starts obsessing over a tiny detail, I like to say that no audience member is ever going to notice it. And then I say “and if they do, they win a prize.” I have no idea where this comes from, but it keeps us all relaxed and laughing over our sometimes-very-exacting tasks.

[@stefflcus]

Relieved to see someone else talks to themselves the way I do while doing a task. "Child!" 😅Thank you for letting us a little inside your head.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

I do it all the time, Steff!! So you are definitely NOT alone in this! 😘 And you’re welcome-hope you enjoyed a glimpse of the craziness in there! 😂

[@sherryfaires7931]

I am a visual learner, so your lesson worked great for me! Enjoyed this tutorial and you! Thanks, Cathy!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Sherry!!❤ I’m glad it was a good one for you! 👍🏻

[@Siennaflower]

Even though I don't quilt, I have an engineering mind, and I find your discussions very interesting. I realized on your topic today that what makes gingham "act like" a plaid, as you said, is that with both, you have to be more concerned with the straightness of both the x and y axis. This is what differentiates them from fabrics that only have a design that needs to be straight on one axis, or on none. Then you rely on the grain. ❤️

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Exactly. Perfectly put! 😊🤓

[@DianaSmithMB]

This it the video that started me wanting to do a quite with shirts. I love plaids. People ask me what is my favorite color and I always say, any thing plaid.

[@karenmeerdink8592]

Love your style and way of thinking!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Karen! ❤️

[@lindamasson3094]

Thank you for giving me some confidence in using plaids. I watch you on a small screen. It would be nice to see the fabric shots up closer once in a while. Love your channel!

[@PaperDiva67]

Your plaid series just keeps growing! I love it! Thanks ❤. It’s great that you showed how you can flip over the plaids. When you mentioned that you can correct errors while you are piecing , I thought about how you can see exactly where you need to cheat over or under, as you are feeding it under the needle. Your little story about your girls cracked me up😂. Mine do that to me too, and I react in the exact same way!!!! It’s great to be a Mama in those moments 🤣!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Adrienne! ❤ and yes, being a mom to teenagers is a whole thing! 😂

[@PaperDiva67]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts I actually liked the teen years even more than I expected. It’s wonderful to watch them grow and see their personalities bloom 🌸!!

[@loribrock991]

Lots of great tips. Thank you so much. I’ve been avoiding some of my plaids and now I’m ready. BTW, I love the longer video. I watch while on the tread mill, and 45 mins gets me to my daily 2 miles. Keep those longer ones coming. 😊

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Aww!, thank you, Lori! ❤️ Good for you for being on the treadmill for 45 min!!🤓👍🏻

[@mygrommi]

I avoided buying plaid shirts when I first starting collecting shirts for quilting, but thanks to your bravery I finally fell down the rabbit hole and now I have several gingham shirts but have not yet used one. I did cut up a micro gingham shirt this week. Thanks for the video - very helpful. 😊

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Renea, it's time to get them out and use them!! ❤️🤓👍🏻

[@quiltingtothenines4254]

I strive for the illusion of perfect. Thank you for the video.

[@131dyana]

Thank you what you showed was a great help. I won't be afraid of plaids anymore.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Hooray! My work here is done! 🤓😘

[@kimberlyhangs977]

I am so glad I found this during Covid. Such a lovely, explanatory, calming, encouraging site.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Oh my goodness, thank you, Kimberly!!🥰❤️ I’m glad you found me too--so happy to have you as a part of my YT community!

[@raymondgabica4696]

Ambition is a blessing!

[@stitchinginthebarn8307]

Whooo boy did you have a lot to say about plaids! And this is just the 1st lesson. I loved every minute of it really! This is like the best "don't fear the plaids" workshop! You have made them so approachable and relieved the perfection stress over them. Thank you so much! Y'all have a great week!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thanks, Michelle! 🥰 And yes ma'am, I did (read: do.) I might hold off on the 2nd lesson for a bit, so that I don't beat everyone over the head with it! 😂 But I'm glad it feels more approachable and less stressful! ❤️

[@TheQuiltingLunchLady]

Parkaaaaayy! When you said butta all I thought about was the commercial. Thanks again for a great video, your instructions were solid.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Ok I laughed at “Parkaaayy!” 😂Thanks so much, Christine! 😘

[@connieking9873]

I love all your videos but this one shot to number one. I love plaids and have frustrated over my blocks so often have sidelined a lot of my shirts for this reason. So thank you for doing this video

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Connie!❤️ I'm so glad you love this one---and I hope it pulls your shirts off the sidelines and gets them back in the GAME! ❤️

[@poppies1215]

I was always a fussy cutter when it came to matching plaids especially in learning garment construction. Why on earth I ever made my first outfit with plaid wool still intrigues me. Perhaps it was the challenge to seek perfection in that first attempt at matching. I have since declined plaid challenges and now am readdressing that “nerd” within me to try it with quilting and shirts. Just can’t wait to see what patterns I will produce in the selection process. “Go figure” lol! Thanks Cathy and Paul for another rewarding and instructive video🪡🧵💖🌟

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Pamela!🥰❤️ I cringed, and laughed, at your story of plaid wool garment-making-that sounds like something I would do!!😂😂 (except I don’t make garments!😱) I too, love the idea of matching up plaids (especially in clothes) but just keep realizing more and more that it isn’t necessary in quilting! Thank goodness! 🤓😊👍🏻

[@sarahbishop422]

In the UK in the summer girls can opt to wear gingham dresses as part of their uniform, and I’ve always loved dressing my kids in them, I’m thinking now I can upcycle them into lovely quilt blocks

[@teresacesario6247]

Super helpful video! Covered so many details!!

[@connieking9873]

I don’t know how I missed this video. I thought I had seen them all. Just what I needed. I am easily frustrated when my plaids are off so had stopped using them for awhile. I am paying more attention when cutting my shirts. They are so much easier to have good plaid. Purchased material is another story. Some I just need to get rid of. They have been printed off kilter it wasn’t how I was cutting. Thanks for this video

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

I'm so glad this one was helpful for you, Connie! ❤️ I, too, have worked with bought fabric that the plaid was "off kilter" and it IS irritating!

[@nevafitzgerald2402]

Good morning ,good to see you!! Oh ! Here we go !🤷 Cathy I found that the sticky lint brush from dollar tree works good picking up those little threads. Because I'm the seam rippers best friend lol❤ thank you for another great video❤

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Neva! I do have a sticky lint roller, a lint brush, AND a sponge-like thing called a thread picker but for some reason I never keep any of them nearby in a video! 🤦🏻‍♀️😂🤷🏻‍♀️

[@janetdinatale9861]

“I don’t want to be fussy about anything” 😂😂😂

[@doloresnash287]

In quilting you want to press not iron. Meaning place the iron down on fabric then slightly pick it up and press the next section. So no back and forth motion but more of an up and down motion. It took me awhile to get in this habit. This helps prevent stretching or misshaping your fabric.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

So true! And I've actually talked about this very thing in another video--when I referenced "ironing it like a shirt" and did the extreme ironing motion, it was meant to be a laugh at myself for defaulting at ironing! 😘

[@annerankin1191]

This will be so helpful for so many people who refuse to buy plaids and checks! I want to be inside your head! I think we would ricochet around together very well!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Anne. ❤️ I agree--it would be fun bouncing around in there together! 😂

[@Ldsks7591]

Great info!

[@glynisreynolds446]

Woven gingham is far better than printed gingham - they never seem to print it ‘straight’ and no matter what you do it is hard to get pieces that look straight 😳 Great explanation 👏👏🇬🇧

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Glynis! 🥰❤️And I agree!!

[@marymazur700]

Hello this is Mary Ann from South Jersey I find your video very very interesting I am interested in the plads because I'm making St Patty's Day quilt and of course some of the fabrics are platplads and also my half-brother just passed and he always where plads would like to make a plaid flag thank you for sharing your information I do appreciate it thank you have a nice day

[@TheQuiltingLunchLady]

Yes, I am running into this myself on a printed checkerboard. So I decided rather than getting all wound up about it, I am cutting the fabric at an angle so it won’t bother me so much.

[@glynisreynolds446]

@@TheQuiltingLunchLady great idea 👍 I hope I remember that 🤔🇬🇧

[@jenedelwilcox6647]

It's interesting how our minds work differently. I would make my first cut the length of the sleeve, as this appears to be the straightest. My eyes go wobbly sometimes trying to line up the ruler on a plaid . Thanks for the demonstration.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Jen, for sure the length of the sleeve is the straightest, but it also cuts the size or number pieces you can get out of that sleeve---but it is a great idea, especially if you have smaller piece sizes! 🤓👍🏻 And yes, my eyes go "wobbly" too! 🤪

[@annekortleve1478]

I always look forward to your videos, learn something new every time

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Oh I'm so glad! ❤️ Thanks for watching and commenting! 🥰

[@christinahall3318]

Real friends don’t look for mistakes they just see the whole!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Preach it! ❤️

[@RobinHarris61]

🎶This is gonna be a loooong video. Cutting shirts for quiiiilts that we sew. Making sure they are straight, to make them look great. While Paul is filming the show.🎶 😁🥰❤

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

😂😂Robin!! This cracked me up!! ❤️🥰 I’ll let you know when we need a jingle for the channel! 😘🤓

[@RobinHarris61]

Lol, I was hoping you'd enjoy my addition to your song.😁

[@marybeth4002]

I was completely swallowed up when you demonstrated with the red gingham❤❤❤ Don't know that I heard what you were saying (I'll have to replay) because I was so busy dreaming what I would do with that fabric. It's the cat's pajamas ... Meow 😻

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Mary Beth, that gingham shirt was a XXL TALL!! I have so much of that fabric and I LURV IT! ❤️ I could put red gingham in almost every quilt I make!!

[@anjamaas7140]

Thank you so much for your time and explanation! Maybe I'm giving it a shot

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Anja, you should!! It's easier than it looks! ❤️

[@pamelahill7164]

I have started collecting plaids and saving up for a quilt to make and this video I great because I didn’t understand before on how to cut them to look right and now I do thanks to your video

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Oh yay, Pamela! ❤️ I'm so glad that the video was a help to you! 🤓

[@katehenry2718]

Keep a lint roller handy. Quick swipe gets the teensiest bits of threads or crumbs off a block... and the ironing board, the cutting board, the FLOOR under everything. My quilt room floor is painted plywood so I can push-pin layers of quilt steady while safety pinning stable. The ply is not perfectly smooth so it catches threads and dust that a broom or vac cant get. Roller WORKS )))

[@yoshiew05]

My quilts live on people’s beds not entered into a show so I’m not the totally straight quilter. I was not looking forward to the next quilt as the colors are not to my preference. It is so I can practice HST. Then I found 2X shirt in GINGHAM!! Zing! Now the colors totally work together and are cheerful.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

That's so wonderful!! Gingham is the BEST.❤️

[@bethliebman8169]

Is some of the source of plaids being uneven due to woven in plaids being stretched out or plaids printed onto fabric in an untrue manner? I hadn't realized that there was bowing involved. I do always say that one shouldn't make the perfect the enemy of the good. Nice shout-out to Karen Brown. I enjoyed this video. Take care.

[@karenneiman856]

Thanks for helping me to have a better idea of what could be acceptable and why; I am trying to learn to relax and enjoy and keep reminding myself that done is better than perfect. Knowing the 'why' is so helpful to me. I believe that Karen Brown might have been quoting Bonnie Hunter, an American quilter who has written at least two books on 'leaders and enders'. It is such a great idea on how to use up scraps and make more blocks while sewing other projects!

[@kimbetts4282]

You did have A LOT to say today! Does Paul sometimes scratch his head and ask " Cathy, darlin'....do you have any thing else to say?" (In my head i hear that in a slow Southern drawl....being my brain is scary too!) 😉 I love it ♥ There's always something new to learn. Just as I was saying out loud if you steamed that whilst it's still damp it would probably straighten you said it, when you were talking about the orange plaid towards the end....yes I talk to you out loud too 🤣 Did I spy with my little eye a clothes pin doll on the shelf? ♥

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

There IS a clothespin doll on the shelf, Kim! she's me--from quite a while ago, but I still really like her. ❤️ And girl, I KNOW you talk to me out loud---if I have one viewer who does, it would have to be you! 🥰😘 (and I mean that in the sweet way!) I DID have a lot to say---but Paul is far less Southern sounding than me! One of these days, y'all will get to "meet him" for real and you'll see for yourself!

[@kimbetts4282]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts goodness gracious Cathy, I'm laughing so much I nearly had an accident 🤣 It would be fun to see you both together. Perhaps you could put Paul to test and question his quilting knowledge? I'm sure he'd pass with ease. I have three Kokeshi dolls, one for each of my daughters. One from my grandmother, who collected dolls and I have added two more. They're beautifully made pieces, individual just like your clothes pin dolls 🎎 Little wooden dolls fascinate me and as you may have gathered I'm quite taken by them ♥

[@kimbetts4282]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts post scriptum...the way I heard Paul talking in my head was like Clark Gable talking to Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind "Now, Cathy,....."🤣

[@sewhappysarahr8912]

I am a very loosy goosy kind of artist, but if a line is not parallel to its neighboring line, it makes me loose my mind (also crooked bumper stickers, why bother if you can't get it right?). Thank you for this video! Maybe the next time I use plaid, it won't drive me completely crazy!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

You're welcome, Sarah!! 🥰❤️ And my goodness, YES, with the crooked bumper stickers....WHY?!?! 😂

[@sueharber2496]

Such a useful video Cathy - I was shouting out to you that you had the pin under your ruler when you were cutting the red gingham 😂😂

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

LOL! Sue---I wish I had heard you! 😘 And thanks!!❤️

[@maureenhaggard6897]

Great video. I love working with plaids but you do have to be more forgiving about the crazy janky lines..and that suits me just fine. Crazy janky....Great expression.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Maureen! ❤🥰

[@gisellejones1139]

As a plaid and check lover for as long as l can remember , l automatically and naiively used them in the first quilts that l made without really thinking.Of course l ran into TROUBLE , so l figured out a way around it by following the lines on the fabric; often fussy cutting to achieve the best result.l even used them on the backs of some quilts which l try to avoid now.On one baby quilt l actually camouflaged by putting my label on in a certain spot....worked like a charm!!! So it really was o ly later that l realized that an awful lot of quilters avoid them like the plague.ln those days l used to cut everything with scissors too...PS , you can pick to your heart's content...l'm the same.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Fellow thread picker---I feel the love! ❤️ That an "awful lot of quilters avoid them like the plague" is EXACTLY the reason I want to do these plaid videos! Because I love them, and find them really beautiful and compelling, I want other quilters to feel free to use them and enjoy it! 😘🤓❤️

[@pennyskelton1851]

I need some help. How do you remove the wrinkles from the pleats in the cuffs and back?

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

They won’t come out until you wash (the quilt) but they DO come out when you wash it!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

You can wet the sleeves thoroughly and iron them (which helps) and you can also starch them (which helps) but in my experience they don’t truly come out until the quilt is done and washed and dried! 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@annierizzo3034]

Another great video. Was wondering if you settled on your friends wedding quilt colors yet? Or did I miss it? 🤔 God bless

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you! Haven't settled yet---but when I do I'll let you know! 😊👍🏻

[@jadrankacarmichael5392]

Good morning from England

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Good morning, Jadranka!

[@karonwostenholme6533]

❤ love your videos. You are so sweet x

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thanks, Karon!❤️

[@AvivaHadas]

Plaid definitions, I've hear the ones that are less regular called "complex plaid." & I LURVE that orange & yellow shirt. & I 100% agree with keeping it in big pieces! Maybe because I am a contrarian (I see both sides of a lot of issues😉) but I'm looking at my pile of pressed waiting to be trimmed scraps and am thinking about on purpose cutting them askew (I fussy cut off grain). But I am also seeing printed on cotton plaids and wondering would it even be noticeable (I only noticed your variance when you pointed it out). Only time will tell, when I am cutting I will let my mood/memory dictate. I'm thinking askew for 2.5 squares so that all of the plaids won't be 'perfect' adding a bit of whimsy/faux frugalness. But for the bigger pieces - no straight grain is your friend. (Aside - the way you measure with the mat and not the ruler hurts my brain.😘 That whole yellow shirt)

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

All of this! Yes you contrarian, I'm unsurprised that you would intentionally fussy cut off grain (and I say this with kindness and friendship) or take 2.5" squares and cut them askew as a design choice---but I love that you do you. (and also your quilts are beautiful.) 😊

[@AvivaHadas]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts My son is also a contrarian - its interesting to see from a different point of view.

[@AvivaHadas]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts Ruby Star Society is hosting a free sewalong. They are using their wovens, I have some & as I was pressing them, I was thinking about your shirts.

[@dianeroome972]

Hi Kathy and Paul! Such a great video. It is interesting to see that you prioritize straight of grain over cutting the plaid pattern straight. If the pattern pieces are, for example, 2.5" squares, does it matter if not exactly on SOG? Will the quilt still lay flat? Kinda think I am a fussy cutter, which might mess up final result. Or would good coverage in quilting cover that up? Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I just love your venacular: in language and quilting style.

[@jennjennedington279]

Those woven plaid shirts are on grain with the plaid lines because those threads are how the plaid is created - but a printed on plaid will not necessarily have plaid lines on grain. But not to worry about being a fussy cutter messing ANYTHING up: the quilting holds everything in place and straight grain just doesn’t matter like it does in garments.

[@dianeroome972]

@@jennjennedington279 thank you so much for your answer. It takes a village to make a quilt sometimes! Oh, would that not be wonderful, if we could all gather together, like an old fashioned quilting bee, and have a retreat? !!!

[@jennjennedington279]

@@dianeroome972 please invite me it sounds absolutely wonderful!!!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

YES! That WOULD be wonderful! 🥰

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Grateful for your quilting and sewing expertise and for a better answer than I would have offered! 😘

[@raymondgabica4696]

"compensated", great volculabulary. (Little Women word,)

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you!

[@bunnyclark4231]

This video was just in time, got thrift store plaid shirts for 50 cents last week. ( sale)Will probably get more this week for a quarter( sale)

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Bunny, that's fantastic!! 🤩 I love it when I get a bunch of inexpensive shirts, and I love it when I find the info or teaching I need just when I need it! WIN-WIN! ❤️

[@katehenry2718]

Cut with scissors RIGHT ON the thread of the red/white. Rotary can't. PIn the cloth at one end on the ironing board not cutting board AT the line you want. Pull gently to get the fabric straight. Cut ON the line starting from unpinned side. It will be perfect even if the cloth stretches a little. Iron it straight later. Same on big plaids. Find THE thread, then cut ON it. SEW ON it. ))

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thanks for the suggestion, Kate! ❤️

[@MsRoosmarii]

I would cut the plads so that the stripes would repeat themselves. Starting from the edge I would find the next line where the same stripe starts an cut there. Never mind the measurements, just count the stripes.

[@janethompson6724]

Crazy Janky 😂😂😂

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

I know, right?!😂 The things that just roll out of my mouth!🤦🏻‍♀️😂🤷🏻‍♀️

[@donnawest4713]

Wonky!!

[@tadeyishu]

Noooo, this way madness lies, so lets press lining up the x/y acsis, cut the block's over the lenght in a straight line, then pieces together with perfect seams, then if i were to do straight line quilting.... nope id purposely cut everything wonky and call it a (design choice).. problem solved 👍

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Ok, I laughed. And then I laughed again! Thanks for the great comment. Also, I would love to have an actual name to call you, because "Tadeyishu" seems less personal, if you are willing. 😊