I'm back

My apologies for being absent so long.  A series of events have prevented me from posting for awhile.  The problems with the internet of course.  Then a quilt top I wanted to have finished for Father's Day.  Next was a day or two of typing answers to interview questions for an online newsletter.  I didn't realize how much time it would take to type answers to few questions.  I struggle with my grammar, spelling, and punctuation.  Then along came a bought with poison ivy.  I'm still itching from that.  I've been looking all around the neighborhood for Jewel weed (Touch me nots) and can't find any.  I've been using a baking soda paste since I can't find those flowers.  Anyone know where I can get some seeds?  I want to plant some in my back yard. 

 Oh yes, there was one day when I did something I haven't done in about 25 years and it felt wonderful!  It was just one small step in my journey back to a simpler life.  I went to see a Broadway musical with my daughter and Ladybug.  The last time I went to a musical was when my daughter was not much older than Ladybug is right now.  Why did I stop going?  Well, quilting commitments took up all my time. 

We went to see Shreck at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.  On a weekday night.  Even Ladybug really loved it.  When she is taken to see a movie she usually falls asleep half way through it.  She didn't do that with the musical though.  When it was over she asked if we could go back in and watch it again.  

She also enjoyed looking at the art hanging around the center.   Oh my goodness, the show was great!  It also brought back so many memories of the life I had before quilting commitments.  It was only one small step but that step is going in the right direction.  We are actually closer to the stage than the photo appears. 

Here is Ladybug trying to read the information about the actors.  No, I don't think she can read but she sure was intent on looking at it.  Maybe she's keeping a secret?  Can she read?  No, I don't think she can read yet but she has discovered the letters she practices writing can be found everywhere. 

Ok, on to some quilting stuff.  I finished this quilt.  It came out really squared. 

I used a dark thread to quilt a design on the plain blocks then went back with a matching thread to quilt around the design with meandering.

I did slightly wavy lines on the pieced blocks. 

I did a leaf and curl design on the setting triangles.  With a matching thread.  It gave texture without overwhelming the top design. 

I did a swag design on the inside border and a leaf vine design on the outside border.  I did the binding by machine. 

Here is a look at the back.

Ok, the quilting design is not much different than any other quilt I do regularly.  What was so time consuming about this one?  Well, the borders were much smaller than the top.  See how the border curves compared to the center area?   It was also an on point setting top which means more fullness to be worked into the quilting design.   Quilt tops like this take much more concentration to get finished as squared. 

When I say squared it always sounds wrong.  The quilts are actually not square but rectangle.  I refer to squared because the sides come out even instead of one side larger than the other.  I'm writing some tutorial posts to put on my other blog that will show the steps for quilting tops like this one. 

I have another quilt I'm working on and hope to finish it today.

D cup quilt top

I was asked "What is a D cup top?" and I thought I would answer here instead of in a comment reply.  I can use this post as the first one in a tutorial about doing D cup quilt tops.

You've read me type-talk about quilts with friendly borders.  Friendly borders are when there is so much extra fullness to the border that it waves a lot.  Well a D cup top is the opposite.  The borders are much smaller than the center area.  See the curve in it?

Think of a bra.  The fabric part that is next to your chest is flat and hugs your body.  That would be the border.  The fabric part that goes over the breasts has extra fullness to cover it.  That's the cup size.  Of course you know that part already but how is this quilt a D cup top?

When I get quilt tops with borders smaller than the top, I grade the fullness in the center by cup size.  An A cup is a little extra fullness in the center and is easily quilted out.  B cup is a little more fullness in the center but still manageable with quilting.  C cup is more fullness and is somewhat difficult to quilt out.  D cup is the maximum amount of fullness in the top I feel confident I can work out with a quilting design.  Anything larger and I would ask the owner to fix the borders.  I can expect a D cup top to require a lot of fussing and fiddling to get it done.  Extra hours of work but no extra pay for it.

On occasion I do quilt some tops that are larger than a D cup but those are usually inherited tops the owner simply wants quilted so it can be cherished.   Or they might be tops done by a handicapped person who has done the best they can already.  Or the tops might be done by a senior, senior.  I have one customer I quilted for, for many years.  I quilted one for her a few months ago and she is 92 years old.  

I shouldn't have waited so long about getting this one on the machine.  It's due to be finished by Friday, including the binding and a hanging sleeve.  Instead of spending time on the computer figuring out the problems or having company stay all day three days in a row, I should have started on this quilt.  Now I'm paying the price for waiting until the last minute.  Really, I should have checked it sooner.  

I can finish it on time.... only if that's all I do for a few days.  No cooking, no cleaning, no gardening, no company.  I let the answering machine pick up for me and I put a "do not disturb" sign on the front door.  My only computer time will be to briefly check my email or to write a quick blog post.  If there is something urgent in my email, I answer, otherwise it will wait until the quilt is finished.  

I'll write the tutorial posts about quilting a D cup top as soon as this quilt is finished.  My supper is ready and there is more quilting time before bedtime.  

Computer woes

I will be writing all my posts on my other blog for a few days until I am able to straighten out my computer problems.  Whatever is happening all over the internet sure is giving lots of people grief.  I don't know if it's a bad virus or solar flares or what.  No one seems to be completely immune to it's effects.  Come visit me over there.

Still here

Thank you to those who offered suggestions to help with the computer problems.  For the moment I'm still able to get into my blogs.  I've started using Google Chrome but I still have problems.   Sending and receiving mail is not working right.   I'll work with this until I get more time to look into Firefox.  

On a brighter note, my Morning Glory vines were born yesterday.  Aren't they the cutest little things?  The rain helped.  Once these come up they start growing like crazy because they are classified as a flowering weed.  We all know weeds do grow very fast.  I want them to completely cover the front porch.

I have to set priorities this week no matter what I'd rather be doing.  Garden work will have to wait.  Computer work will have to wait.  Cooking will be switched to pre-made frozen stuff I put in the freezer for just this reason.  What reason?  Well, there is this quilt I said I'd have ready by Father's Day.  Normally I could have one this size finished in a couple of days.

When I was ready to put it on the machine I noticed the top is a D cup.  When will I ever learn to check on these before the owner leaves?  It's going to take some concentration and extra time to get it quilted.  Then I will bind it and put a hanging sleeve on it in time for the owner to pick up by Friday afternoon.  

I will keep photos of this one to use as a tutorial on how to handle a D cup top.  My readers may be growing tired of all the garden posts and ready for some quilting.  I sure hope my plants don't die before I get them planted.  

I surrender!

It should be an easy thing to do.... sending a quick email a few minutes before I start my day.  Well, let me tell ya, nothing is ever easy or quick for me.  Yesterday I had sent a message to a couple of people just to confirm that emails are getting through at last.  I've had trouble for several days and I wanted to be sure. 

Ok the test emails go through and I get a reply from them.  I believe that means I can send the emails again.  So I start sending the messages I had spent time typing a few days before.  One is an online interview for a newsletter.  It has attachments of photos of my work to go along with the interview part.  Shouldn't be that difficult.... right?  Attach the photos and send.  An easy process.

No such luck for me!  Just look at all the bounced emails.  I'm glad I sent a copy to myself each time.  What's weird is that I got my copy just fine but the ones going out to others didn't go through. 

Becoming more frustrated I think.... maybe an update for the ATT email would help?  I spend a few minutes looking at the information I find.  It looks safe enough.  I can't do anything with my email the way it is right now so why not?  I click to get the update.  So what happens?

My dang computer freezes after several different frames try to open at once.    I can't close it.  I can't go back.  I can't go forward.  I can't turn off the computer either.  I wait for almost an hour for it to unfreeze..... nothing.  I know I'm not supposed to but I pull the plug from the wall.  Wait a couple of minutes then plug it back up.  It would be no different than if the power went out for a few minutes. 

I go through a thirty minute routine of letting my computer boot up and getting to my email.  The new email should work..... right?  Yeah, well, it still bounces back messages to me.  I keep trying..... and keep trying.... but still get stuff bouncing back to me. 

I try several different ways to send the messages.  Forwarding, re-addressing, etc.... still having problems.

I try something different... can you see the box at the bottom?  I get blank pages opening up. 

Ok, I think maybe I must be doing something wrong or else it would work.  I decide to print the instructions so I can have a hard copy in front of me as I go through the steps.  Well gosh dang it!  The printer is low on ink and prints only part of it.  So now I have to spend time figuring out how to refill the ink.  I've never done it for this new printer.  I decide not to do the ink because I have enough occupying my mind right now. 

I keep trying to send the emails.  I open one of them to check to see if the address is right.  Yes, it's right.  So why the heck won't it work????

I'm still getting those darned things from "mailer daemon".  Doesn't that word look like "demon"?  Well, that's what it feels like to me.... like a demon has taken over my computer. 

Ok, now what do I do?  I can't email the people to tell them I can't email them.  A couple of customers are waiting to hear from me.  Margaret is waiting for an interview reply.  People have sent comments on my blog.  And I can't let anyone know I'm trying.... really I am.  So the only thing left for me to do is admit defeat and say

I SURRENDER! 

Technology has finally gotten the best of me.  I'm not sure I want to keep trying anymore.  It would not be so bad if sending emails was the only problem I had right now.  Nope, I have trouble with all kinds of things.  I have a camera I know nothing about except to point and click like the old film type cameras.  I have an mp3 player I've never been able to make operate.  I have a fancy new house phone, yet I can't figure out how to make the answering machine in it operate.  When I simply plug up my camera to put photos on the computer, no less than 7 different photo storing software programs all open up at once.  I can't get them to stop fighting with each other.  I'm trying to create patterns for portrait quilts and can't make heads or tails out of my notes to go along with Photoshop Elements software which I don't understand how to use.

Ok, the list of technology problems would take up way too much time for me to describe them all.  I'm at the point of deciding whether or not I should close down my blogs and give up the internet.  Along with getting rid of anything technology based too.  No fancy phone, no mp 3, no tv.... and most of all.... no computer to mess with my mind.  I've spent all my savings on garden stuff so there is no money for taking the computer to the 'puter doctor.

I say it again.... I SURRENDER!  Hmm.... if you are waiting on an email or a comment reply from me and happen to be reading my blog... I'm sorry.  I'm trying, really I am.  Ok, maybe updating to Foxfire or Google or something instead of Internet Explorer would help?  Does anyone know how I can get that?  

I think I'll turn off the computer and go eat a gallon of chocolate ice cream.