What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Taking photos of sewing machines is not as easy as you might imagine. Quilt Direct had a media and marketing apprentice for a while and she did most of the social media posts but I am now responsible for the “on the fly” studio posts. I had to take pictures of the new Bernina 7 Series Pro machines but they looked grey or had glare because I was not getting the lighting right. There is a bit of a weird phenomenon where videos of the machines can be flickery so I had to turn off their LED lights. I am ...

I spent part of the day making and editing videos! I'm not good at it - well, I'm OK with it, I'm just slow because I'm still learning, and I don't do it often! What the heck would we do without Google?

For those who were unable to attend Quilt Canada 2025 and would like to view my concurrent show, "Celebrating 25 Years of Teaching Quilt Making," here's the link. I still want to make one more video of all the multi-part classes I've taught, and it seems I missed one! So I'll ...

Thanks for the tip on eliminating SO from my vocabulary. That's all good advice. I used those techniques to switch "hit" with touch or select. This, too, will happen, but until you are aware, you can't change a thing! It's like the quote from the other day. 

Quote of the day

Self-awareness is crucial to self-improvement, but most of us are unaware of the little annoying things we do. Getting constructive criticism or someone to film you is key to fixing that. I understand that no one wants to watch themselves on video, but ignore how you ...

I can cross the Facebook Live event off the list! All the prep paid off, and the technology worked like a charm, except for that brand-new camera. I could NOT figure out how to focus. Guess what? I'm returning it and will buy the more expensive one. It was a cheap camera, and I understand it doesn't have the bells and whistles, but it was a hassle to set up. All the settings had to be reset each time I turned it on. I'm prepared to bite the bullet to have an idiotproof camera. The cheap one ...

I have a question to ask, and I don't mean to offend anyone by asking—that is not my intent. I'm merely curious. Is there anyone out there who uses scented laundry products? That could be detergent or dryer sheets. I'm curious because the scent is too strong for my nose. And I think that's just because I've become so used to NO scent that anything out of the ordinary becomes too much. 

Even walking in the neighborhood and smelling the dryer sheets from vents, if someone is drying clothes, is too much for my ...

Yesterday was supposed to be a "lost" day, but it turned out completely different from what I had planned. I had to get the car serviced and the tires changed. Yes, it's a bit late in the season for the tires, but with the weather, it wasn't a big deal. 

The appointment was scheduled in the fall when I had the last service. About a month ago, I received an email to confirm that appointment, but I happened to be away, so I ignored it. It was in the back of my mind to call them and confirm ...

I haven't purchased anything yet, but I'm going to! Thanks for the recommendation on the Garmin tracker. I guess the bottom line is that I won't be going back to FitBit. 

So here's the silly thing about charging devices. It is highly recommended not to charge your devices 100%. I don't understand the technology, but something about the battery (obviously) and how charging to the max is not good for the battery's life. 

WAIT -- I can Google that to find the answer. OK -- have you Googled anything lately? If so, have you noticed what ...

My long anticipated Art & Stitch retreat week was a success! The amount of preparation that I did paid off and I managed to pull off the illusion of being an expert on a complex digitising program. The folk who came along all gelled nicely as a group and all went home as far more confident users of the Q-Matic with Art & Stitch computerised quilting system. 

It was a beautifully sunny week here in Devon (nearly Cornwall) so it was a novelty to have a mid-week day off. I did not head for the seaside but pottered around at home then ...

This week I have been glued to my 2 computers in every spare minute! Last June I was meant to teach a week’s retreat all about the “Art and Stitch” software for Quilt Direct but it was postponed due to low numbers as it is a tad niche. I was almost ready with the preparation then shelved it all thinking I would have months to finish it all off. Obviously, I got side tracked by moving and DIY so my good intentions kept slipping. Hence, I have spent hours finding, revising, copying, and checking all of my files! The ...

I travelled back to my cosy Devon cottage on Tuesday via Stonehenge, according to the Satnav and that seemed to take ages, although it was scenic. I was back at work for 2 days this week where I dashed around making cups of tea for visitors, attempted a sewing machine inventory, basted a customer quilt and answered the phone, plus loads of other things;)

At home I painted what I could reach of the grubby upstairs landing. It is pretty small so that did not take long. My long awaited garden furniture set arrived from Temu. Instead of being 4 ...

Brooke (personal trainer) couldn't be at the gym this morning. That presented a BIG dilemma. Do I just say I'll pass this week and perhaps do some stretching at home, or do I get my butt up and go to the gym? 

Well, I went to the gym! While I may have been in great shape and somewhat flexible years ago, that has slowly disappeared. I needed to sit down to put my shoes on; I could barely get myself out of bed. Walking downstairs was becoming troublesome, getting up off the floor - totally unelegant. None of those ...

Oh dear - Murphy's bone is rawhide! We've never had issues with her, but I've heard horror stories of other things getting stuck in a dog's gut. Hmm -- what are my options - she only seems to like to chew rawhide. Antlers - suitable for a quick chew, but not lasting. She doesn't like them. 

I don't know what her problem is these days, but she is worse than Velcro. You can't sit down without her there, trying to coerce you to pet her. And one hand is NOT enough - it has to be both! Oh ...

Oh my --- you know what they say - what happens at the retreat, stays at the retreat, but I have a couple of things to share. The first is all about the water. Yes, we had a considerable discussion about drinking water - how much is too much? How do you test it? Do you need salt? All kinds of things. 

And this might be too much information for you, but here's the scoop. In the past, I would have been lucky if I had drank one of my water bottles daily. (sip, sip!). My water coach was only here for ...

Oh my gosh -- two excellent stories about using the good stuff or getting rid of it - read the comments from yesterday! And yes - it was a thing to pick that china pattern! But so much of it never got used. I'm excited to see Tammy using it every day, and I bet you think of your grandmother! 

So here I am in the big room at Springhouse Retreat and blog writing. I've been up for a while but haven't started sewing yet as I have some work to get done. That was a challenge as I'm ...

 There are a couple of things to clear before I start on today's topic. 

1. The USB stick --- good grief - this was a challenge, and it was only when someone sent me a picture of how it opened that I got it! DUH!!! There are days when I wonder how I make anything happen, and then there are days when I amaze myself with my creativity! Oh shoot -- I didn't take a picture of how it opens, but the ENTIRE top of that white square turns, causing the connector to pop out. There were little arrows on the ...

I did it!!! I completed a computer task. All of the USBs were dealt with except the missing one. All the files were moved to OneDrive, and everything was deleted from the USBs except for the locked files. I have no idea how that happens. And what about the two PowerPoint presentations that say they can't be deleted because they are open in PowerPoint? Seriously? 

I will try to delete them again today, but I don't want to waste more time. In the future, USBs will be TEMPORARY storage places, and the files must be deleted once I ...

Well, I seem to have some major computer issues this morning. They actually started yesterday, and the biggest problem is with Microsoft Outlook. I've always had issues with that program, and it doesn't disappoint. 

I've had to reboot my computer twice, and it's not even 5 AM. Yes, I rebooted many times yesterday, so it wasn't like I was irresponsible. 

The issue is that it won't synchronize, meaning it won't send and receive emails. Seven emails, all written yesterday, were still waiting to be sent. I see it is finally syncing, and let ...

Someone mentioned where my feet are located on the floor, and that is a good point. They both need to be firmly on the floor, not twisted on the chair leg and have no crossed legs or ankles. I don't know that BOTH of my feet are always flat on the floor, but I'll be more aware of that. I'm still trying to learn all the things I can and cannot do and to avoid pain. 

And YES- I will follow up with my doctor next week to see what else can be done. Thanks for all ...

I don't think any birds will be visiting my suet feeder today. It's windy, like mad outside, and there's a wind chill! Yeah, I can hardly wait to take the girls for their walk! I'll be bundling up for sure. Thankfully, I do not need to go anywhere once the girls are walked. I have one Zoom class this evening, so I can stay indoors!

Speaking of email woes, this one is a doozy! We have a monitored alarm in our house, which I absolutely hate. If it weren't for insurance, it would NOT be ...

I counted the number of flannel quilt tops in that bag—25! To be fair, some of them are relatively small as they were made for children. But still! And I forgot to mention that I have a few bolts (5?) of flannel fabric that has to be used up! So yes, 2025 is the year of eliminating flannel from Studio B. WAIT—I also have a large flannel kit. That should be added to the mix. I wonder if there are more flannel kits? 

I'm happy to report that another flannel quilt from the 2024 pile is loaded ...