Tuition and Computer Updates

There was a major Bernina Q-matic update out this week so I sorted out the latest version onto my system as soon as it came out. I walked a pupil through the same process but we ran into some difficulties, despite following the instructions. The issue turned out to be that you have to use an under 8GB usb stick which nobody has these days. We figured it out in the end. It looks like there are quite a few changes which I will have to get to know and possibly make some instructional videos to explain them. 

I had a DIY Quilting pupil here midweek and we spent the day experimenting with computerised quilting, ruler-work and freehand. 

I seem to be developing a quilt idea without having worked out exactly where it is going (as usual). I ordered a rainbow collection of plain fabrics from Doughtys and a rainbow selection of flock vinyl for T-shirts also arrived. I got Nella to design me a set of SVG format concentric circles using Adobe Illustrator and I cut them out using the Brother Scan-n-Cut. I now have 7 sets of increasing sized circles without the maths-brain to work out quite what to do with them:)

Nella arrived home from Uni by train and we had to come up with an itinerary for our trip to Barcelona next week! It has been 4 years since I have travelled abroad so I feel like I have forgotten what to do. Annoyingly, the flights there and back are ridiculously early which is a tad stressful but hopefully we will pack a lot in without getting overwhelmed. To me this means we should aim to spend a lot of time in cafes…

Compter Casualty

When I was editing my latest Q-matic videos last weekend my computer told me that its memory was full and so was its external hard drive. Immediately I started deleting stuff that I thought I did not need anymore but it made no difference so I contacted Apple support. After wasting several hours trouble-shooting it was deemed necessary to take it to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store. I spent 6 hours there on Monday! It turned out that it had got clogged up with too many backups so the computer got wiped then reinstalled. Hopefully everything was saved on iCloud or at least stored on the backup - I guess I won’t know until I am searching for something.

That stressful experience of the Mac Meltdown took me a while to reset the rest of my week. I eventually rescued and sorted out my videos which was a relief. I celebrated by making a couples of cakes - lemon drizzle and an everyday fruitcake:)

I got a customer quilt done and spent the rest of the week trying out some ideas for my possible quilt idea, including some couching with cord and different threads. I have a scrap of an antique Indian tribal bodice that I want to recreate in my own way. That piece of fabric is sort of what inspired Rainbow Warliors so we will see what happens next.

I ordered a disco-ball plant pot so felt the need to make it a macrame hanger which took about 2 hours more than it should have after I got the hank of yarn in an utter tangle. I need a plant for it but have an awful habit of letting plants die so maybe I will put an artificial one in it, especially if I mean to hang it up. 

I decided to have a relaxing Saturday making a By Annie gadget bag. Of course it would have been cheaper and easier to order one from Amazon;) Firstly I had to quilt a piece of Soft n Stable on the longarm the day before then figure out the under-illustrated instructions. They were not that complicated really - I just could not follow them! The finished bag is really nice but I would change a few things if I did it again. The main thing was that the layers were far too thick and I broke a few needles. Getting the binding on was really tricky - I think it could have been wider and I did not enjoy finishing it off by hand. We will see if I can face making any more as potential Christmas presents but now that I have worked it out I really should;)

A Productive Week - Mostly!

 It has been a snowy week which is a bit of an affront for March but not unusual for NE Scotland. I wrapped up in thermals and woolies because we had no heating (again) at the start of the week and it was actually warmer in my fridge-like workshop. After all of the excitement of the Glasgow exhibition I made myself catch up on admin which I swear takes me 20 times longer than the average person;)

Suddenly, I found that some quilt ideas were bubbling to the surface. I wrote some notes about the ideas, realising that I probably have several options and don’t necessarily have to work on them all at once. I made a note that a quilt should not exceed 60” square but we’ll see how that pans out! I am trying to tell myself that I do not have to make a super complicated competition entry but I do need something to put in a show just so people know I have not “retired”. 

One of my ideas is to make some sort of reverse appliqué with silver lamé underneath, like big shisha mirrors. I had to search for fabric backed lamé online and was concerned that it was no longer in existence - turns out it is called “Emperor Foil” and I found plenty. I have also ordered 25m of gold and silver rickrack braid - need I say more? Anyway, I made a couple of samples which also involve hand stitching. At its most basic a 60” square project requires 100 x 6” blocks so I will think about that a bit longer. 

I decided that I needed to make a couple of small things so I made a handful of USB key fobs because they are so quick and easy. I then felt the need to make another mini camera bag but could not remember how to attach the zip heads onto continuous zipper tape so I had to go away and investigate then make a youtube video all about it. I also made a video about using decorative thread in the Bernina L890 loopers after failing to understand the instructions in the manual. Because I was on a roll with filming, I made instructional videos all about the Bernina Q-matic Mask feature and how to design lettering. The issue with filming is that it can take ages to set up, remembering how everything works and charging plenty of batteries. Mind you, editing takes even longer because I just keep the camera running even if I fluff up or get into a muddle. I should do a blooper video one day with all of the huffs and swear words.

My entire weekend seems to have been taken up trying to sort out my computer. I know the videos take up a lot of space but I should have plenty of storage, yet my Mac Mini says it is full and so is its 2tb external hard-drive. I have trashed so many files that I have probably lost something important, cleared all cookies, attempted to upload everything onto iCloud, and run a first aid check but it is still full, grinding to a halt, cannot update and keeps crashing the wifi! I have wasted hours on this so will see if it is possible to take it to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store to sort it out. I had planned to simply do some stitching on my coat and finish editing my videos but that hasn’t happened - sigh…

Scottish Quilting Show - Glasgow 2023

I have to admit that I was both excited but also dreading the Scottish Quilting Show at the SEC in Glasgow. It is a long time since I have had to set up a booth and do a talk. I had my checklist of things to take and felt very well prepared yet I managed to leave behind 2 big quilts! Luckily, I had spares so there were no gaps on the wall. I was glad that I had decided to take the old Mac computer with a rolling slideshow to let people see some of my other quilts and projects. 

It took me a sweary morning to hang my quilts and bunting* using a staple-gun and I was so pleased that Aberdeen Sewing Machines came and set up the Bernina Q20 on its 5ft frame. I can’t believe that I used to haul longarms to FoQ for several years and shudder when I remember the hassle of setting up the Yurt on several occasions!

Once my stand was organised I joined 3 other judges to select the best quilts out of 116 entries. It was an intense process that took us over 5 hours. It was like writing school reports at warp speed and by the end of the afternoon I doubt that my handwriting was legible. The judging team “clicked” and our choices all aligned so I think we selected well. There was a great variety of quilts, of differing standards and ideas but it was super to see so many entries. I took lots of photos but my internet connection is poor so I have not uploaded all of them, I’m afraid;)

I had not realised that I had to give my talk every day and to my disappointment the slideshow that I had made about competitive quilting and saved onto a USB stick got corrupted and would not play. In true primary school teacher mode, I just ad-libbed and felt like I was doing a stand-up comedy show. By day 3, Fergus managed to send me a new copy of the presentation. Despite the technical hitches, my audience was very appreciative. 

The show was a huge ego boost - it was fantastic to receive such positive feedback and admiration. I have never shown off a collection of my show quilts before and they were extremely well lit. For the first time ever, BzB was hung double-sided and many visitors actually thought they were looking at 2 entirely different quilts. I spoke to all sorts of people including some who had never made a quilt or even seen a longarm machine before. It was lovely to catch up and also make new friends in the quilting world. I was impressed by the dynamic representative of the Scottish Women’s Institute who was clearly not terribly into “Jam and Jerusalem”!

It was a most enjoyable 3 day show - friendly, accessible and fun. I stayed with my friend, Ellen and we had a great time chatting about all of the trips and shows we have done together over the past 15 years. It definitely gave me a much needed boost of confidence and reminded me why I am a Quilter and that I need to get on and make something new and exciting, even if it is not for a competition;)

*Either Pythagorus lied about hypotenuses or more likely, my maths is inadequate. I did not have enough bunting to create the 2 central swags that I had planned but at least nobody got tangled up in the end!