Links List #5

Link time again…As you remember I gather these links for the editor of our guild newsletter starting a couple of years ago.  If you find a broken link you can either abandon that search or do a search of your own using the name of the webpage in the link.

http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/gammill_videos.php videos by Gammil for long arm quilters but domestic machine quilters can pick up tips on these videos too
http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/blog.php/blog_id/5348 Using tracing paper or vellum for paper piecing
http://themodernquiltguild.com/2012/01/08/100-days-week-of-shapes-tutorial/ half rectangle triangle tutorial
http://themodernquiltguild.com/2012/04/01/100-days-week-of-tools-cutting-simple-shapes-tutorial/ cutting simple shapes tutorial
http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/zoom.php close up views of award winning quilts
http://seehowwesew.wordpress.com/free-patterns/ free patterns
http://doyoueq.com/blog/2012/12/free-holiday-blocks/ free holiday blocks
http://waynekollingersquiltblog.blogspot.com/2012_11_20_archive.html Nov 20 -27th lessons to make pieced alphabet
http://video.wpt2.org/program/sewing-nancy/ watch full episodes of Nancy's Notions
http://www.studiokatdesigns.com/9-ways-to-maintain-your-creative-momentum 9 ways to maintain your creative momentum
http://seehowwesew.wordpress.com/free-patterns/ paper pieced angel block
http://blog.jwdpublishing.com/2012/11/28/great-quilts-using-the-tone-scale-playing-with-color-series-by-joen-wolfrom/ - more-3864 using the tone scale by Joen Wolfrom
http://frantastic-stitchwitchery.blogspot.com/2012/11/fast-hanging-sleeve.html fast hanging sleeve tutorial
http://thequiltrat.blogspot.com/2012/11/quiltingfree-motion.html free motion quilting tutorial
http://erinrussek.typepad.com/one-piece-at-a-time/2012/11/glorious-autumn-block-party.html fall applique block
http://singers-and-featherweights.blogspot.nl/2012/11/singer-201-de-transporteur-laten.html maintain your antique singer - will need to translate site with a free translator
http://www.ted.com/ inspirational talks by remarkable people
http://craftyjournal.com/warm-fingerless-mitts/ fingerless mitts from fleece
http://www.supermomnocape.com/2012/11/10/coin-purse-tutorial-and-free-pattern/ coin purse tutorial
http://vickiwelsh.typepad.com/field_trips_in_fiber/2012/11/button-tree-christmas-postcards-with-tutorial.html button Christmas tree
http://www.mccallsquilting.com/mccallsquilting/articles/Quilt_Binding___Joining_the_Strips joining the strips on binding - video
http://www.mccallsquilting.com/mccallsquilting/articles/Quilt_Binding___Sewing_Binding_to_Quilt sewing binding to quilt - video
http://www.mccallsquilting.com/mccallsquilting/articles/Quilt_Binding___Joining_the_Ends binding - joining the ends video
http://www.mccallsquilting.com/mccallsquilting/articles/Quilt_Binding___Turning_and_Handstitching binding - turning and hand stitching - video
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1Kl0ZR2l2lDNzhmMzA1MTQtOTAwZi00NmE0LTg3OGMtOTczMzEzMmQxZmYz/edit?pli=1 sun printing tutorial

Enjoy browsing the internet with these links!

Until Later,
Lynn

Links List #4 For Quilters

Time for another list of quilt/sewing related links.  As you remember I gather these links for the editor of our guild newsletter starting a couple of years ago.  There may be personal references to our guild but didn’t take time to change any of the descriptions but did check out the viability of the links and they all worked at the time of this posting.

http://selvageblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/pine-burr-quilt.html follow the links to find instructions for making the Pine Burr Quilt that Diane Harris showed at our October meeting
http://www.quilts.org/winners.html winners at Houston Quilt Show 2012-click on the photos to enlarge them
http://tipnut.com/coin-purse-patterns/ several free patterns to make coin purses
http://weallsew.com/2012/11/08/convertible-mittens-by-stacy-schlyer/ tutorial for making convertible mittens from old sweaters or fleece
https://www.superiorthreads.com/blog/2012/10/bobbin-tension-how-adjust-and-why-its-important/ how to adjust bobbin tension and why it is important
http://threesheepstudio.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-to-do-beaded-blanket-stitch_11.html how to do a beaded blanket stitch
http://erinrussek.typepad.com/one-piece-at-a-time/2012/10/block-10-pointy-point-tips.html tips for making pointy points when doing applique
http://thequiltrat.blogspot.com/2012/10/quilt-circles-without-marking.html quilting circles without marking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDsD5sQOF_A video on the making of Moda Batiks
https://www.superiorthreads.com/blog/2012/10/create-conductive-gloves-make-smart-phonetablet-fr/ make conductive gloves with conductive thread
http://www.quiltviews.com/hes-pretty-smart-that-ricky making faced circles to applique
http://www.frogsonice.com/quilts/denim/ denim quilt pattern
http://veryberryhandmade.co.uk/2012/07/13/tutorial-travel-earringjewellery-wrap/ tutorial for travel earring-jewelry wrap
http://www.ritasquilts.com/enlarge.htm learn how to enlarge applique patterns
http://www.cddesigns.com/PaperPiecing/number.html calculating the number of hexigons for a quilt
http://www.craftpassion.com/2010/04/tutorial-how-to-draw-hexagon-for-quilt-block.html learn to draw a hexagon
http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/ free online graph paper to print
http://www.victorianaquiltdesigns.com/VictorianaQuilters/Library/PrintableQuiltGraphPaper/PrintableQuiltGraphPapers.htm printable graph papers
http://www.quilterscache.com/StartQuiltingPages/startquiltingseven.html learn to draft quilt blocks
http://www.victorianaquiltdesigns.net/GeneralQuilting.htm links to general quilting how to's
http://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/free-pattern-masquerade/ free quilt pattern
http://sew-much-better.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/cord-organizer.html making a cord organizer
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByHoZa8Z1a7CN2NjMGEwNzItNmMwMy00ZDU2LWFiOTMtYWZjZmVmNzZmNzJi/edit?hl=en_GB make a mug-can organizer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eecHfZ-h9dI video on making a coffee mug organizer
http://doyoueq.com/blog/2012/09/this-and-that-quilt-free-pdf-instructions-from-thequiltermag-com/ free quilt pattern
http://ecb.edesignsfashion.com/2012/04/27/how-to-start-hand-sewing-without-knotting-the-thread.aspx how to start hand sewing without knotting the thread
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39zkCcQqWp0&feature=player_embedded#! video by Bonnie McCaffery on Tentmakers of Cairo
http://seehowwesew.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/rotary-cutting-without-the-cheese-please-safety-tips-and-a-giveaway/ tips and tricks for using a rotary cutter
https://www.superiorthreads.com/blog/2012/8/differences-between-thread-types/ differences between thread types
https://www.superiorthreads.com/blog/2012/10/thread-count-quality/ what thread count means

If you find a broken link you can either abandon that search or do a search of your own using the name of the webpage in the link.

Enjoy,
Lynn

Computer Woes

What is a girl to do when her computers get sick but take them to the Dr.  The dreaded blue screen with lots of writing and numbers froze my desktop computer up several times last week so I took it to my friendly and very young computer fix it guys.  I am getting older by the minute and those kids are getting younger but they sure know what they are doing.  It is ready to be picked up this week but will be leaving my laptop for the same job as it has the same symptoms. 
I am so glad we purchased the insurance to cover “Geek Squad” fix it jobs when we got these last two computers.  It has been used more than once and has more than paid for itself.  Will never buy another computer without it as those nasty computer viruses, worms or junk can get in no matter how careful you are even with the purchased virus control programs.  I can take the computers in every few months to have them cleaned of unwanted junk too and that sure makes the computer work faster.

By the way the graphics above were all free domain graphics from Pixabay but I did combine 4 different ones for the top graphic.  I used my Photoshop Elements 11 program and added those virus bugs and worms to the computer graphic and saved it to use here.  Kind of cute isn’t it?

Until Later,
Lynn

Guild Challenge 2012

I know I said I wasn’t going to show you my guild challenge quilt until after we had our May meeting but think there might only be one gal that checks my blog and she stopped in one day and it was laying right where she could see it.  If there are any other of my guild members reading this you can just not be surprised and look at the blog posts on this subject or just pretend you have not seen my challenge when I unveil it.

Here are the rules for this year’s guild challenge called Panel Magic.  Before I list the rules I will explain what a challenge is for those that don’t know.  Each year our quilt guild has a challenge to make a quilt following a set of rules.  These rules change from year to year and sometimes the challenge requires a certain fabric be used too.  Challenges are optional and you can choose whether you want to do it or not.   When I get a chance to dig out my old newsletters I will share some of the other guild challenges we have had in previous years with you. (I have kept every newsletter since we started the guild over 20 years ago and if I can locate the rules I will share them…I know I am a pack rat!)  The challenge is usually geared to make the members stretch their skills and imagination and maybe for them to try something new.  My friend and I volunteered to be in charge of the challenge so we made up the rules and will oversee the unveiling in May – not too tough a job.

OK, now for the rules.
1.  Choose at least one pre-printed panel for this challenge.  this panel can be a large panel, block sized panels or stripe like panels.
2.  You need to choose one or more other quilt fabrics to use on the front of the challenge piece.
3.  you must do more than just quilt and bind your panel.  Examples:  cutting apart and adding other fabric, embellishments, applique, thread work, piecework, etc.
4.  It can be either hand or machine quilted and must include a label on the back.
5.  Keep your challenge a secret until the May meeting where they will be unveiled.
6.  To receive your challenge gift, the challenge must be complete – quilted, bound, and labeled by the May meeting.
7.  Have Fun!!!

As you see they are pretty open ended and everyone should be able to do what they want.  A lot of quilters don’t know what to do with those pretty pre-printed panels so thought this would be a good challenge.
 
This is the panel I chose to work with for this challenge.  I purchased it in Paducah last spring at the AQS show and two panels came in the one cut so have a before and after version.  I say after, but even though I started my challenge last fall it is still not finished, but am hoping to get it finished this week or the next as there is not that much left to do.  I didn’t like the basket being so tall so cut the panel and took out some of the length and seamed it together matching the black diamonds printed on the basket and the outside edges where the basket meets the black background.  You can hardly tell the seam is there now.  I pressed the seam open to distribute the bulk and make the seam more invisible.

 

Here is a photo of the two panels side by side after I shortened the basket on the one.  Didn’t think to take a photo of the shortened basket until after I did some other things to it but that discussion will have to wait until another day as I don’t have time to get the photos sized and everything written up today.  I should have tacked them up on my design wall or another wall to get a straight on photo but was lazy and just laid them on the floor.  You can still see the difference, right? 

To me the flowers are more the center piece of the panel after I shortened it and the basket takes center stage when it is so tall.  What do you think?  Did I improve it by shortening it or should I have left it the same?  Too late to do anything about it but would still like your opinions.

We are deep into our early spring weather here and now our apple tree is blooming, again a month earlier than it normally does.  I have been trying to get last years debris cleaned out of my flower beds and get ready to spread the soybean mulch like I did last year.  I wrote about it on the June 11, 2011 post.  This year John bought some bales of soybean stems and leaves from a neighbor and had it ground when he ground hay for the cows.  I have a huge pile to use.  I really like the way the mulch behaved last year and with the strong winds we get here in Nebraska the one thing I wanted was a mulch that didn’t blow around out of the beds and the soybean mulch stayed put.  I do need to add more to the beds this year as it does break down and decay but that is just adding nutrients to the soil.

I finally have both new computers working (I think) the way I like them and all the programs loaded on them.  What a job!  Guess there are a few things I need to tweak or research how to set before I am completely done though.  They both work great but I would much rather keep working on something I already know how to use than take the time to learn something new.  I can do it but it just takes so much time.

Will be posting several blog entries about the making of this challenge quilt so please come back to check it out.

Until Later,
Lynn

No - I am not lost, no - I am not ill, no - I have not stopped blogging

How is that for a title?  I have been doing a little sewing for gifts so can’t show them yet but even then I have not gotten to spend as much time at the machine as I would have like to.  I usually type my blog posts up in the evening and most evenings I am just too tired so sit in my chair and watch TV instead.  I know, lazy old me!

Today is the first day of Spring and this year it really feels like spring on March 20th.  Normally we are still having cold weather and snow storms occasionally.  Nebraska like other areas of the Midwest is experiencing a warmer than normal winter and now it really feels like spring.  Flowering trees are blooming and everything is at least a month ahead of where it usually is so that means that I needed to get out in the yard and clean out last year’s growth of dead flowers, etc.  I have worked a couple of days but we had rain yesterday so it is just too damp out right now.  My jonquils/daffodils are blooming now as are the hyacinths.

I had help from one my daughters when she and the boys (our grandsons ages 6 and 9) came to help me clean out the storage room in the basement a little over a week ago when they had spring break from school.  John built these wonderful shelves in that room before we moved in and they are great and hold lots of boxes….but….over the seven and a half years we have lived here this room had gotten to be a real mess.  I thought about taking a before photo but was too embarrassed to show you my mess. 

Things have been carried down to this room to keep over the years and besides I had not sorted through a lot of stuff before we moved it over either.  Boxes had been taken off the shelves to retrieve an item and not gotten put back so needless to say it was a real mess.  Why, why, why do I keep so much stuff?

Our daughter S is a good one to come help me as she is good at telling me to get rid of things when no longer needed or wanted when I have tendency to put the stuff back in boxes on the shelves.  She keeps her storage areas in her home so organized and gets rid of stuff she doesn’t need or want right away.  Of course she wanted to get rid of some stuff I said no to also – she would cock her head and ask me why and sometimes I would keep it and sometimes not.  We went through boxes and boxes and filled bags to take to Goodwill Industries.  When we finished that room we started on cleaning a few of the closets upstairs.  Lots of storage in your home is good but can also be bad when you tend to be a pack rat like me.

She was here 3 and a half days and we worked and worked and boy did we make a difference, even though I need to work on other areas of my house like the kitchen sometime soon too.  We had so much stuff to donate we loaded it all in the stock trailer and John and I  took it to Hastings Goodwill right away. I sure didn’t want to change my mind and start bringing it all back into the house! 

It was more than would comfortably fit in the back of the pickup and we didn’t want to make more than one trip so just took the trailer.  When we pulled in to unload I am sure the people at Goodwill were thinking it was clear full and would be a big job to unload but since it was just part of the floor it wasn’t bad.
  
That was a job I have been wanting to do for a while and it was good to have someone else here to help, especially to help me get rid of things.  The boys had fun playing outside and checked in once in a while to see how we were doing.  The little one kept asking me if I was going to sell something or other that was in the Goodwill boxes and bags, then he would say, “I will take it Grandma”.  His mother was not thrilled and talked him out of taking my junk home to their house.  He had his eye on drinking glasses, old stuffed toys, extra electrical cables from who knows what old TV or computer, etc.


Our desktop computer crashed last week too – with the age of it we didn’t want to invest in having it fixed so I had to shop for a new one.  Since we were getting a new desktop we decided to get a new lap top too so they could both be Windows 7 and I would not have to go back and forth between Vista and Windows 7.  This laptop works just fine and John is going to take it to the shop.  He needs something to use out there too.   In recent years all the repair manuals have been coming as DVDs instead of the paper copies of the past. 

Great to get a new computer but I hate to take the time to get them set up like I want, load all my programs and learn a new system.  We did loose a few things but I have saved a lot of the things on this laptop too thank goodness.

Another thing taking some time from my day is that I am learning Tai Chi.  The local office on aging is doing classes in town on Tai Chi for Better Balance so I decided to go since there was no requirement that you be retirement age to attend.  It is for 12 weeks and we are nearing the end with only 2 or 3 weeks left.  I do feel young in this class, think another gal my age and I are the youngest as most of the attendees are in their 70s and up.  One very spry gal celebrated her 91 birthday recently and I would never have guessed she was that old.  I do like doing Tai Chi and it feels so good to move, breath and stretch a little but have to practice and do it at home to remember the moves for each form we learn.  I am hoping I will achieve better balance as the ankle I broke almost 2 years ago is still very stiff and causes me balance problems at times.

These are only a few things that have been taking my time lately and keeping me from stitching.  Hopefully things will slow down a little soon but with the advent of spring and summer I will have a lot of yard work to do too.  Our cows are just starting to have their calves so will get out with my camera soon and post some of the cute faces of the new calves soon.

Lynn

It's Toast!

Took the desktop computer, monitor, and printer to the repair guy today and found out the lightening strike we had on Friday evening pretty much knocked out everything, even though we could still turn it on and do some stuff on it yet. I called my hubby and asked him what his opinion was as they could fix part of it but not all of it and we decided to just get a new desktop computer since they said other stuff might and probably would go wrong with it before too long. After several calls to John we decided what model, etc. we should get, purchased it and I hauled the old one home too in case the insurance company needs to see it plus all the required paper work for them.

I hate getting new computers or having to re-install programs on old ones as it takes so much time and the computers are always different than the old one. I have my stuff saved but it still is a big pain to start over fresh! After our virus problem last summer and having to take it up twice to be fixed and installing everything twice I get to do it yet again. UGG! I guess I should not be complaining as the insurance will help pay for everything as we are over our deductible now for sure.

Keeping my fingers crossed we don't have any other problems with stuff because of the lightening. We have been told that sometimes it is a couple of weeks before some problems show up. This is the first time we have ever had our house hit by lightening so am grateful for the 38 years we have been married and not had a strike on our house.

Took my friend up for her chemo and radiation treatment today too so didn't have to make a special trip just for the computer. My friend will finish her radiation treatments this week but has to take this one kind of chemo every 3 weeks for a year. She is doing well and has a good attitude. She is a young person (under 40) to have breast cancer and is lucky she found it and kept after the Dr. as they first said it was nothing. She has gone through surgery, 8 chemo treatments and 6 weeks of radiation plus this last kind of chemo for a year so it has been a long haul for her and isn't over yet.

I have taken her up (an hour and a half trip one way) a few times and so have several other people so she didn't have to drive when she was/is taking the chemo but she has driven up for most of the radiation treatments. The trips are long when she is by herself I am sure.

Think I need to mow my lawn so will be doing that now before it gets any later. The mosquitoes come out in swarms when it starts cooling off in the evening. We have not had really hot day times anyway.

Lynn

Computer Woes

I am so glad we don't have computer problems all the time as the last 3 weeks have not been fun. As I told you in my last post I had to take the computer to the "fix it guys" and it had to be totally erased and everything re-installed. I did think it was working OK for a while but by the end of the week I could tell it still wasn't right so took it back a week from when I brought it home.

Of course I had almost everything installed and back to how I wanted it. The "fix it guys" determined that they didn't do something right so erased it all again and re-installed it a second time. There went all my hard work!

We got it back Saturday evening and I have started over putting programs, doc. etc. back on. It is going a little faster this time since I remember what I did just last week though. I have yet to find the blocks I saved in EQ6 and the projects for EQ6 don't seem to be in that folder either. Have several back up discs and I need to go through them all again so see if I can find those files.

Wanted to tell you all about the Pony Express Re-Ride that John and our daughter S participated in. Each June the Pony Express riders take the mail from St. Joe, Missouri to Sacramento, California or the opposite direction. They alternate going from east to west each year. John is the trail captain for a 42 mile stretch and the group he has are all very reliable and show up each year.

Each rider will put the mochila on their saddle, ride a mile then exchange it, then the next rider goes a mile. They carry the mail 24 hours a day for the 10 day ride between St. Joe and Sacramento so sometimes or I should say most of the times John's group gets it in the middle of the night. This year however they got it at 3:00 pm so it was nice for them all to ride in the daylight. They had to have it at the end of their 42 mile stretch by 8 pm so had to keep moving.

This photo below I took as we passed this rider from our group. Thought it was cool to see him in motion. Some horses will gallop but others just do a trot or lope.

The next two photos are of John, on his horse Jesse. The first is where he is ready to ride and the second one is of him just starting off on his mile. Jesse has gotten way too fat lately, not sure why but think she got into some of the cow's mineral and it has molasses in it. She is no longer in that pen now as she needs to loose some weight - like humans a horse that is too heavy has more problems with it's legs, stamina, etc.

Most of his riders will ride two legs (1 mile each time) so the horses will get quite a workout. The riders buddy up so several will ride together and have their horses in one trailer. They all are good about knowing when it is that pickup and trailer of riders to take their turns at riding.

Next year is the 150 year anniversary of the original Pony Express so there will be lots of celebrations I am sure. As an added note the official Pony Express uniform while riding is a red shirt, brown vest, jeans and a hat if you can keep it on while riding. The riders get patches for some rides and special events which they put on their vests.

John's dad was the trail captain for over 30 years and when he died a few years ago the family gave memorial money to the Pony Express to have a mochila made in his honor sometime. This was the year. The mochila is a piece of leather that fits over the saddle and has 4 mail pouches stitched onto the 4 corners. This mochila has John's dads name tooled into the leather of the two back pouches and has his birth year and death year on them. It is quite an honor and all the riders were pleased to see it. This mochila will come back here to our area to stay after it makes the trip to California. A tradition for all the riders across the country is to sign the mochila each year so you can see who rode this year. They make a new one each year.

Have a family reunion this weekend then at the middle of next week have our granddaughters ages 9 and almost 8. The oldest is in 4-H this year and she is going to sew a pillow while she is here. We will have them for about a week so this grandma will be tired when they go home I am sure.

I have not had a chance to touch my sewing machine for about 3 weeks and am really getting withdrawal symptoms! Maybe soon I can get back at it.