New Year, New Laptop!

<sub>Today is the day I break in my new laptop.

Never before opened, never brought out of the box – and it is more than a year old.

It was time to replace the laptop a year ago, but the one I had running was like such a comfortable close friend, I didn’t want to relegate it to simply being the “Quilt-Cam” laptop in the basement at home.

It was running well, and had everything I needed on it.  I mean EVERYTHING.

All of my programs would have to be re-installed, especially the Open Live Writer that I use for writing blog posts offline (I love that capability when I am flying or somewhere with limited connectivity such as the cabin where a phone hot spot is required to connect) and I was dragging my feet because I wanted to do ANYTHING else rather than reload programs, and go back to the beginning of having to physically hyperlink everything within a blog post.

This program saves all of my hyperlinks so that when I type a word….the link is already there once I’ve set it.

But new year, new laptop.  Now that the mystery is done, And I’m starting a new year, it’s time.

Technology changes so much over the course of a couple years.  Where my old laptop had 3 USB ports, A memory card reader slot, an HDMI port….this new one has ONE USB port and right now it is occupied by the dongle for my mouse.  “You can get a multi-port extension” for that I am told.  Great.  Now instead of things just being included in the laptop, I have to carry “accessories.”

“But this model is so much LIGHTER than the old one.”  Yes, but you should see my bulky bag of accessories that now fills my backpack so that I can have the mouse and the phone cord and other things hooked up at the same time.

In the past I’ve used ALL of the ports on my laptop as a charging station for my smart watch, my phone, my Bluetooth speaker, my external battery pack….Sometimes less ISN’T more. 

Taking away my USB ports is like taking away all of the cup holders in the car and calling it “streamlined.”  They better never mess with my cup holders!</sub>

_{Hello from Virginia!}

_{I did end up coming to the cabin yesterday afternoon after finishing up at the eye doctor.  And oh, happy day – For the first time in I don’t remember how many years, I do not need a new prescription in my glasses.  There was only a slight change in my astigmatism, but not enough to warrant new glasses.  So like the old laptop, these glasses will hang around for another year.  I’m glad.  It’s the best news I’ve heard with my eyes in a long while.}

_{I have an appointment with the retina doc at the end of the month for a check up on the macular telangiectasia thing….hopefully there has not been much progression there as well.}

_{So this ice thing you see above?  I crossed the NC/VA line coming into Mouth of Wilson, and the New River is frozen up!}

_{Standing under the overpass, looking in both directions.}

_{Goodness!  I’ve never seen anything like this in the south.}

My evening, in stitches!

I have had loads of questions about this quilt, so I’ll throw in some nitty-gritty for those who are new. (And there are many of you since our On Ringo Lake mystery started!)

The blocks were made as samples while teaching a Dear Jane workshop when I lived in South Carolina.  I’ve been in North Carolina now for 10 years.  I lived in South Carolina for 5.  So you can only guess how long this project has been hanging around.

Yummy chocolates from Meerkat Shweshwe

I used one shirting print as background for the whole thing. The blocks are a combination of chocolate shweshwe, double pinks, and the background shirting print.

The setting layout is my own design.

The hoop I’m using is 14’’.  I am using YLI thread in pink, and Roxanne betweeens size 11 needles.  And of course, my TJ lane thimble which I love and am never without.

The Baptist fan design I am quilting is marked with a stencil and a chalk wheel.  Unlike traditional hoop methods where quilts are quilted from the center out, Baptist fans are quilted from the outside edge of the quilt in toward the center in a spiral, or from bottom of the quilt up to the top in rows.  The quilt needs to be basted really well so that excess fabric fullness isn’t pushed and trapped in the center of the quilt as as you work from the outside in.

I machine baste my quilts by long arm machine, and remove the basting with each area I quilt as I go.

You can see more how this quilting design works by clicking the Tips & Techniques tab at the top of the blog and check out my article on Freehand Baptist Fans.  The pencil drawings will show you how the fans are worked around the quilt.

These two!

Sadie and Piper!

It was “FREAKING” cold yesterday when I took Sadie for her morning walk, and her winter coat was up at the cabin, so the thunder shirt provided a bit of insulation as we braved the frigid temperatures.  We were joined about half-way through our quick cold jaunt by Piper who comes running when she sees us out for our “nusiness.”

When we reached the house, she was happy to get treats along with Sadie.  Such a funny dog. Those EARS!

My plan while I’m up here – I’m kitting up a couple of “On the Go” projects for hotel room stitching over the next couple of months.  I’ll have some stitching time in California next week, and at the end of the month I’m headed to Florida (Oh yes, I planned these warmer area trips at this time of year specifically!) and I’m excited to see what I can accomplish while out and about.

if the pieces are all cut out and baggied up, they don’t take much room in my suitcase and it is amazing what you can get done in the evenings after workshops are over.  Adventures in hotel sewing resumes again!

And of course, there is some sewing that is begging to be attended to while I’m here as well.

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Photo shared by Kevin H.

Doesn’t this just look like our On Ringo Lake colors?

We can start out the new year a whole lot lighter if we will only let go of the things that weigh us down!

Time to hit the scraps – have a great Wednesday, everyone!