I spent a lot of time back and forth with texts and phone calls to my brother Rick in Utah getting help with my laptop woes ---night before last the consensus was that there was no other alternative than to put my laptop back to factory settings.
The first thing I needed to do was save my pictures, so I got ftp running to my website server transferring all of those and it took ALL. NIGHT.
They finished yesterday morning before I had to check out of that hotel and get over to the Ann Arbor guild meeting, luckily.
The rest had to wait for LAST night.
Through a series of key strokes, we started the process. While I sat and sewed hexies and watched “The Color Purple” ---it reformatted, and reformatted and reformatted – it was still doing its thing when I went to bed about 11pm, and I awoke at 5am to see that it had finished during my sleep.
I’m missing some programs, including my Photoshop which I use for editing photos, but I think I can get by until I get home to reinstall everything else!
I’ve downloaded the Faststone image viewer, and with learning the basics that I think I’ll be able to get some photos up here in short order! ((Don’t even talk to me about Picasa ---I just don’t like that program! I like my Photoshop!))
Class slide shows are photo heavy and I’m not ready to do all that editing without my Photoshop so how about we try this out with a great quilt from my visit to the Great Lakes Quilt Collection?
You can tell from the picture at the top that these quilts were chosen from the collection of Kitty Cole who donated her quilts to the museum.
Rosemary ooohing and awwwing – checking out the fabrics!
This quilt was JUST a beauty----so much motion and such a variety of fabrics!
YUMMY!!!
The fabrics in this quilt, especially that butterscotch polka dot border date it to about 1880. I especially loved that blue gingham that plays on the “light” side of the pineapple blocks. Such a fun and happy spark!
CUTE square in a square inset border!
I wish I could have gotten a full upright view of this quilt…the perspective is off in the photos because you cant get ABOVE the quilt to shoot straight down on to it – but what a fun scrappy mix!
Today I’ve got a group of ladies gathering for a Star Struck Workshop! It’s going to be a wild and crazy day of strip piecing and diagonal sewn corners here in Lansing. Whoowhooo! bring it on!
27 comments:
My head is swimming with all you had to do re your laptop - I wouldn't know where to start!!! Love that quilt - and what care they are taking of the history and heritage. Thanks for sharing.
Hooray for brothers and husbands who work with computers! And that's a dead gorgeous quilt. It looks very Bonnie.
That pineapple IS amazing, Bonnie. You're right about it having so much movement!
Sorry about your computer woes. I'm with you on the Photoshop vs. Picassa. I do all my adjustments in Photoshop. But, if I need to quickly resize a whole lot of photos, I use http://www.rw-designer.com/picture-resize . It's a free download. The default size they use is 400 but you can change the number. I usually use it at 1800. Read the instructions, it's really easy to use. Then I take those images into photoshop to make other changes. I used to batch resize in photoshop, but I find this easier.
especially love the mix of fabrics in the quilt! knowing that those are the originals, and that the maker tossed in checks, tattersails, and whatever she had--using them right along with the expected traditional fabrics and colors--gives me a totally new perspective on fabric choices.
so glad that we got to "view" this quilt along with you.
Love that she used the same fabrics in the first three rounds around the middle square. I don't think I've ever seen it done that way.
Love it! And I also like that the centers are all the same. If all the fabrics were the same it would look boring. But this little bit of repeat in the blocks really brings it together. It looks to me like the border is a reverse of that. She must have loved that navy/pink combo.....as do I.
Thanks for sharing and glad you got your computer fixed....we all love your brother!
What a lovely pineapple. It's reassuring to know that our work is treasured and preserved. ( And that we don't have to depend on computers to do it.) Thanks for all you do Bonnie. We are also fortunate to have dedicated teachers who help keep our art alive for the coming generations.
Now that I've looked at it again and had a few more sips of coffee, I realize the border isn't a reverse of the block centers....a little quilt dyslexia...he he
I am totally making one of those scrappy pineapples. I love the butterscotch border color - need some of that. I also love that she didn't stress over her points on the square border - or maybe she did and just finally said "whatever". That is my new philosophy - do my best work and then let the chips fall where they may.
Would something like Carbonite help you. My one son swears by it. Keeps all his stuff backed up - automatically I believe.
I love how all the centers are the same for a few rounds. Makes me wanna get started on Pineapple Crazy soon. Probably in January with everything else. I am almost done sorting the last of the scrap bins. :D
Thanks for your lecture yesterday in Ann Arbor. It was great to see your lovely quilts in person. We appreciate your efforts. And this is a lovely pineapple. I think the MSU Museum is a really underutilized source for the study of old quilts. Beth does a good job and I wish I could get more locals to their programs.
Not only did Kitty Cole make all the centers the same, but she also used the same pink for all the corner triangles which makes a pink square where all the squares meet-also looks almost like a hidden spool block at the block intersections. Love those secondary patterns! The angle of the first picture of the quilt looks like the light fabrics are "slithering" across the quilt!
I have to say, this is one of the most beautiful pineapple quilts I've seen. The colors are so bright and fresh. Love the use of scrappy whites too. Always wanted to make one of these.
quit showing me these things!!! I may have to actually break down and paper piece a pineapple... and ppcing is NOT my favorite thing :o)
There is life after reformatting. I had to do the same thing after a Windows update a couple of months ago. It's a pain, I know. I would buy a Mac to avoid this if it were not for the fact that I would have to buy all new software programs that are Mac compatible. That is where the real $$$ pit is.
I like that too, it adds an interesting element of continuity to it, that almost seems to make the other fabrics "move" more in contrast, if you know what I mean.
Exactly what I was thinking, Jainy--especially that border. So Bonnie!
Bonnie, you always amaze me. I hate reformatting and all the time it takes and all the re-installing and re-setting up. I probably would have shut down until I could get home, but you, you just soldier on--for us! Thank you. And that pineapple quilt is wonderful in so many ways.
I, too, hate Picasa. I use www.picmonkey.com to edit my photos. You may want to give it a try and see if you like it.
Hope everything runs fine with the laptop for you now!
I can see why they picked this one for you, it is scrap happy!
Glad you are getting the computer going again. Sounds like brother Rick deserves a new quilt! ;-)
What a great idea Betty has. Rick definitely deserves a new quilt. The pineapple quilt is just beautiful and so Bonnie!
I am over the moon with this quilt, Bonnie!
How about if I just take Rick a pie when I'm in the neighborhood? : )
Bonnie, you are the first person other than me who doesn't like Picasa!!! I just have never been able to make it work for me. I need to save my pennies (that would mean less fabric for the stash though)and just pop for the Photoshop program. I was so sad that I had to miss you in Lansing. I live over near Grand Rapids but had family obligations that kept me away. (Grandson was in the football playoffs!!!) It's really a bummer when computers decide they don't want to work properly. Good luck getting everything back in order.
Aren't computer savvy brothers the best! My baby brother lives in TX (I am in IL) and I cant tell you howmany hours I spend on the phone with him trouble shooting my computer!
I know you would have liked to get a full on shot of this quilt, but look again at the shot of Rosemary ohhing and ahhhing the fabrics. I love the way the lights just seem to squiggle across the quilt.
I have also heard great things about Carbonite but also thinking a stand alone hard drive would be great to put all your slide shows on since you could use any computer to show it on and it keeps it off your hardrive.
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