Tinkering with Tech

I probably spend as much, if not more time, researching and messing about with Tech than I actually DO anything with it. I have become a serious Nerd about tripod ball heads, cold shoe mounts and “overhead rigs”. What this really means is suspending a camera above a table in order to get a birds-eye view of a project. The main issue is that even small cameras will weigh down articulated camera arms. My solution was to attach a straight arm to a pole clamped onto the table and use a tripod ball head to change the camera angle. 

I made 2 videos this week that I have yet to edit on sewing scrap strips with the Bernina L890 to make new patchwork “fabric”. It all takes longer than you would imagine to make a short instructional video - to practise the technique, make sure the film and sound gear is working, then edit out the pauses and bloopers.

I also had a haphazard list of things to do at some point this week, some of which actually got done. I had bought a mini Dyson second-hand to hoover up fluff around my sewing machines but it did not have a charger. I got a non-branded one from Ebay but the battery kept dying, I was ready to chuck it out when I came across a Youtube video advising me to wash and dry all of the filters. So far, the issue is resolved! 

I have an exhibition coming up in March - The Creative Craft / Scottish Quilt Show in Glasgow. I have a generously sized space but the quilts that I want to take are all large and will soon fill up the wall space. I wondered whether I could make a slideshow of the rest of my quilts and play it on a digital photo-frame. Most of those have small screens which would not have much of an impact. I was rooting around in cupboards upstairs looking for a backpack when I came across the old family iMac computer. It had become very slow and semi obsolete but I wondered if I could use it for a slideshow. I fired it up and experimented with moving some photos into an album and as long as I can find something to balance it on at the show I will be able to show my quilts off on a big screen. I have already googled vintage tea trolleys, antique plant stands, bar stools and fake Greek columns…

When I managed to avoid spending hours pointlessly researching on the internet, I have done some stitching on the crazy coat. I have got the pockets done, even though the prairie points are not facing the way that they were in my head. I made a bit of a hash of trying to do lazy-daisy stitch until I watched a tutorial where the Stitcher used an embroidery hoop, After quite a while my “daisies” became a bit more uniform. For me hand-sewing is awkward and anyone watching would wonder how I could be so cack-handed. Some of the stitching looks awful but I am working on the premise that nobody will squat down to peer at the bottom of the back of my coat to scrutinise;)

Try It and See

One of the reasons that I like Amazon so much is that it is possible to order something, try it out then return it easily if it is not suitable. It is also a very good place to go and look at reviews for stuff. Youtube is also helpful - to a point. I find that there is so much information that after a while there are too many conflicting opinions. For some time I have been hankering after a better monitor for my Mac Mini desktop computer. I had a small, basic Dell but I needed to use external speakers, an external webcam and had to press buttons underneath to change the HDMI port if I wanted to watch TV on the Amazon Firestick. I could hardly see the subtitles from across my room.The other annoying thing was that the text was always a bit fuzzy. 

What I really wanted was a Mac Studio display but it is more expensive than most other monitors. I spent ages researching which monitor to get instead of the Dell but I decided that I really wanted the Mac one. I could not find how I could watch TV on it since it has no HDMI ports. There was no clear information on Youtube as to whether an Apple TV or Amazon Firestick device would work properly so in the end I headed to the Apple Store for advice. After asking all of my questions we came up with a simple solution on how I could use the monitor to watch TV and not have to get up change the volume. I can sit on my sofa watching TV over the internet and use a wireless keyboard / mouse to choose different programmes, adjust volume and pause the action. 

One of the major tasks that I had set myself this week was to come up with a couple of L890 projects to make and film. I thought I could make ruffled denim strips into patchwork and possibly use the coverstitch to make rope bowls. It was not particularly successful trying to make denim ruffles since the fabric is too heavy to gather just by altering the differential feed. A ruffler or gathering foot on a domestic machine would give more pleasing results. Similarly, I wondered if using 2 or 3 coverstitch needles would be a speedy way of rattling through rope bowl construction but after experimenting for a while I decided that a basic zigzag on a domestic machine did a far better job. Although I did not have anything to show for a full day of trying things out in my workshop, it was a worthwhile exercise of discovery. Sometimes you have to have a go at things to find out what ideas works and which ones do not;)

Another time-wasting / useful activity this week included tidying out my tech drawers. Really it allowed me to see how many different mini tripods I own and which items needed recharging. As usual I have forgotten which cameras and mic combos I like to use to film videos so I will probably need to remind myself for at least half a day and maybe I will make a note of what works best. 

I spent a day at Aberdeen Sewing Machines teaching the staff there how to get started with the Bernina Q24. They were delighted by how quickly they could get quilting on a real quilt. I will go back in a couple of weeks to see how they are getting on.

At the weekend I bought another dodgy old lamp that will need some replacement parts. I took Nessie for a partial hair-do but have to go back next week to finish it off because I had let her hair get too long - she hates being brushed so it was a tad tuggy. Freya came to visit and celebrate my birthday by making me a cake and going for a walk on the beach. 

I have added a bit more of my awful hand-stitching on my patchwork coat. I did not originally plan to add so much hand work but that seems to be the way it is going now. I might use the L890 to apply some chain-stitched lines. I still have some Indian ribbon that I have never used so I could add some of that. It will definitely be a “maximalist” type of coat - I just hope will I like it and wear it!

Haggis Collection

I am back home after a quiet week in Norfolk where I spent some time settling Nella back into Uni life and taking my folks out for coffee. Time passes weirdly quickly without anything much happening there. I did some hand-stitching on my quilted coat pieces and some mending on my Mother’s 50+ year old Bernina Record. 

My sister asked me to help run up some haggis-style beanbags for her Cub Scout group. They are going to be used to play some sort of “catch” game on Burns Night. I made a prototype which passed muster so she did the cutting out while I sewed up 4 more haggis friends. I have no idea what the plural for Haggis might be or even if there is a collective noun;) Their snouts are gathered and tied with linen thread then secured with cable ties. I have visions of them spewing rice all over the village hall if they burst!

Nella and I had a road-trip to North Norfolk one dreary day for a change of scene but we did not go and visit baby seals down the coast since we had Nessie with us. 

The journey home took under 10 hours in my lovely Volvo which is really good going. I am getting used to driving up and down - the next visit will be in just 3 weeks’ time for my Mum’s 80th birthday. We used to visit once a year but since Nella went for her Uni Open Day last April, I have already made 5 trips!

Ubiquitous January Sort Out

 I started the first week of 2023 as I usually do - having a big tidy up;) We put the Christmas decorations away promptly then I decided to shift the electric piano out of my room at last. It didn’t make it all the way up to the top floor but at least it is out of my way and I can watch telly on my computer monitor. 

My inner longarm room needed a good sort-out as it was cluttered up with cardboard boxes. Some were from Christmas and others were machine boxes that I had shifted from under my work table when the other room got flooded. It’s quite difficult trying to tidy up when really I have run out of room for storage but I managed to put some camping gear into the yurt to create a bit of space under one of the longarm machines. It felt like a life-sized game of Tetris but I was quite pleased in the end. 

I had a bit of a nasty cold and Nella was home so I did not feel under any pressure to get back to work. I bought a calendar for the first time since Christmas 2018. I have to come up with some teaching dates but I am finding it difficult to get back into the swing of logistics. Flights within the UK are ridiculously expensive plus who knows when normal train services will resume and who will look after Nessie??

Nella and I drove down to Norfolk on Saturday. She felt that her Christmas holiday had seemed quite short and she was not sure if she was ready to start a new term. It’s good that I can hang around for a few days to take her to the supermarket and get her settled back in. I have brought my crazy-patch coat pieces with me just in case I get time to add some more ugly embroidery stitches. Firstly though, my sister wants me to make half a dozen haggises for her Scout pack to play a Robbie Burns themed game…

A Brand New Year 2023

                                                           #magentamodern

I wonder what will happen in 2023? What new obsessions will fixate me? Since seeing a post on ceramic Christmas trees on Instagram by #magentamodern I have wanted to create a similar collection. I have bought a few books on HAND embroidery so I can embellish my crazy coat. It was meant to be a slow project but it would be good to get it done by my exhibition at the Scottish Quilt Show in March.

2022 was not necessarily what everyone hoped for with a war in Ukraine, strikes and inflation. However, here there were many positives. Nella went off to Uni in Norwich and is thriving. Fergus got back into Music at last and Freya had 2 graduation ceremonies!

There is so much that is unknown about a forthcoming year, things you just don’t expect to happen. At the start of the year that I turned 50 I did not know I would travel to India. At the start of 2020 we did not realise how Covid would turn the world upside-down (and I did not expect to get a Scottie-Dog puppy either.) In 2008 I had no idea that I would still be writing a weekly blog 15 years later!

I don’t have any grand plans for the year ahead but I do intend to get a calendar for the first time in a while as I have been asked to offer some in-person teaching dates. I need to plan a holiday abroad as well as make use of my caravan. I would like to get a bit fitter and by that I don’t mean dieting or jogging - just gaining a bit more stamina on dog-walks;)

I hope to do more filming - anything from documenting my life to making more instructional videos on Youtube. Ideally I would like to come up with an idea for a new show quilt but something still seems to be holding me back. I should try listening to the voice in my head that is advising me that I don’t actually need to have everything worked out yet…