I went to Vac and Sew this morning and I was right. The bobbin case was scratched up and had holes in it, just like I thought. The thread kept getting caught in the bobbin and caused a bird’s nest mess, the needle would break and then scratch or punch a hole in the case. I had a similar problem with my Brother machine a few years ago. It was an easy fix, $22. for a new case as opposed to having it stay in for a spa day. Wow, the prices on that have gone up!!

Just a reminder that if your needle keeps breaking, it’s most likely that the bobbin case has needle strikes, holes or shaved off sections on it. It’s easy to check and cheaper to replace. Take it in and have it checked.

Now, I will be working on my sewing for 2 weeks while waiting for it to come in.

I have joined a couple of challenges online and I thought I would share them and maybe we sew along together.

3-YARD CHALLENGE: Start Date: Jan 15. This is a year-long challenge where you make one 3-yard quilt a month, or as often as you want. https://materialgirlfriends.com/2024-sew-along/

STARS LIKE SPAGHETTI: A Patriotic Mystery from Quiltygirl. https://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/. Starts Jan 3.

FOUND ANOTHER ONE! This is from Prairie Moon Quilts and is the 2023 Final Countdown! A list of 3 final tasks before 2024 starts! https://prairiemoonquilts.com/other…/the-final-countdown/, Continue reading to find out!

Please post if you have a challenge that you would like to share with the group!

This is what I have been working on the past few days. I emptied out a drawer full of 7.5 x 3.5 inch bricks and sewed them together to make 6 inch blocks. Put 4 of them together and you have a 12 inch block. BUT, before doing that, I cut some 2 inch skinny strips together and will sew them to the inside of the block, thus forming a star. Maybe a little wonky, but fun and a good way to empty out a drawer. Well, almost. There are a few pieces that didn’t make the cut!

I plan to use up a bunch of skinny long strips to make the star in the center.

Sorry, my storage is full and I can’t post any more pictures at the moment. Here is a link to the pictures at Scrappy Quilters on FB, https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScrappyQuilters/?multi_permalinks=2525528337598569&notif_id=1682868298711411&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif

Hello!

Calling my friends worldwide: I will start a project, collecting blocks in 8 1/2″( seam allowance included), colors: blue/yellow ( Ukrainian flag), techniques: everything is allowed… I will sew and quilt one or more quilts ( depending on how many blocks I will receive), donate them to refugees ( children?) from Ukraine coming to Europe or whatever the future will lead me to. I am soooo absolutely devastated about the news that I want, no… I need to do something and the only thing I can do is quilt and ask for peace!

Your Claudia

My address: Quilt-Studio and Galerie Alte Brotfabrik

Ritterstrasse 183

47805 Krefeld/Germany

Thank you, let´s go Blue/Yellow!

You all know that I don’t push special projects very often, but this is important not just in a humanitarian effort to support the Ukrainian people but as a show of support for them and their country as they are under attack. I would like to propose as a group that we help them out.

Here is a link that I am personally supporting as Claudia Pfiel lives in Germany and will be able to deliver them to drop off areas close by. She is asking for 8.5 inch blocks in blue and yellow (Ukraine’s flag colors) in support. She will accept the blocks and then make them into comfort quilts and deliver the finished quilts. Here is a link to the information:

#piecingforpeace #ukraine #sewingblocks #blueyellow #claudiapfeil

This is strictly voluntary and I don’t need to know your decision, this is strictly a personal decision. I know that it can be expensive sending overseas, but just a few blocks in a small envelope will help make several comfort quilt for those in need.

Thank you.

Look what Hubby Doug made me! It’s a ironing board cradle to keep my fabric and tops off the floor while ironing. Saw this in Nancy Notion’s for $79 and we made it for under $20! What a clever hubby I have! Now my fabric will stay clean off the floor from kitty hair and dust! SEW HAPPY!

It is 54 inches long and 38 inches in height. I just used some sunflower fabric, about 2.5 yards and if I want to, I can make several more covers to match the seasons! Only took about 3 hours altogether with sewing and sawing time!

How important is it to us that we have room to move around and work.  Do you like a large room with plenty of space for your machines, fabric and other accessories but have a small area? Or do you have a comfy, cozy sewing area that is just right for you with everything right by your side, easy to access?  

How do you organize your space?  Is it allotted out in small areas, like a closet for fabric and a desk for sewing or is it a dream room like we see advertised in magazines?

Is it a whirlwind of surprises hiding under buried treasure or is everything put away nice and neat?  Please share what your room looks like.  Is there anything you want to change or are you happy with it?  Share your ideas with us, sometimes we can all use a change.  

With the horrible heat here in the valley, it has been almost too hot to sew but I did get some organizing done in my closet and now have more floor space in my room just by moving things around a bit.  It’s pretty small to begin with and with a large, custom made table in the middle (hubby made it for me), I have to be creative with my space.  I now have less furniture in there now but still manage to have everything I need ready to go.  It’s a little cozy in there but I like it.  

I hate to admit this, but I share my room with 4 cats and their litter boxes that take up floor space and this has forced me to be careful where I put furniture.  I also have to make sure that I put everything away at night when I finish so I don’t have cat hair everywhere or tools going AWOL. With cats, I have given up on having furniture that will stay nice so I use plastic containers that they cannot scratch up and all my yardage or stuff that they can get their claws into is in my closet that is closed and off limits to any and all kitties. That has worked for the past 10 years.

As for furniture, I have my mother-in-law’s (she passed away many years ago) old Formica table that I use for sewing with my 2 main machines, embroidery and regular, on top.  I have my old office chair that I use, an ironing board that I use for sorting and paperwork as well as ironing.  I also have a cabinet attached to the wall as you come in that stores DVDs and current projects, misc. Then, by the ironing board is one of those small metal cabinets with 12 medium sized drawers that hides a multitude of sins, an old dresser that has my TV on top of it with a lot of stuff for swaps and extra cords, etc for the machines.  

Oh, I almost forgot, next to my sewing table is another dresser that sits in between the cabinet and the table with small drawers on top and the bottom one is deep and I keep other craft stuff in there.  The top drawer is where I keep my scissors, cutters, seam rippers and machine accessories. The second drawer down is for my small templates, rulers and misc.

Then comes my masterpiece!  Three years ago for my birthday, Doug asked what I wanted.  I told him I wanted a table for my room, cutting and storage combined.  I had been drooling over the designs that are available but not able to afford the price and not really happy with any of them as they weren’t just what I wanted.  Well, hubby being thrifty, said that he could make one for me.  I told him what I wanted, the size and everything else.  I wound up with a table big enough to fit the largest cutting mat on, with a bookcase in the front, shelves underneath for storage and an extra 2 shelves on top for more books and etc.

This sits right smack in the middle of my room!  This is made out of solid pine and has a light finish on it, and is massive. This ain’t going nowhere anytime soon, it is solid and heavy.  And I love it, as it’s just what I wanted!

Hi Everyone 

I have spent the last 3 weeks fighting with this issue and studying up on it and have a few hard learned lessons to share. 

Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba3yUNUvC20. The music is really sappy, but a lot of good info and shows you step-by-step. I would watch the ones under it too as they helped me a lot and they have explanations on what to do and why. You can even trace the hacker and find out where he is. Still learning how to get rid of them.

You should connect to the internet for this to your email account and use the On Screen Keyboard. Directions below.

The instructions are: 
1. Ctr Alt Delete to bring up task manager
2. Go to View and columns
3. Click PID, the screen will come back with a list
4. Click view all processes
5. Then go to Start, Accessories, Run
6. Type in cmd.
7. Screen will come up with your user name
8. Type in NETSTAT (doesn’t matter if lower case or not)
9. After NETSTAT, hit space, then type -ANO, then enter
10. If you see ESTABLISHED, then you have a hacker.
11. Go to the far right of the screen and it will give you a number. It will change every time you do this.
12. Use that number and compare it to the screen on task manager. It will be right after the image name called PID. From there you can see what the process is and if they are active or not. Select that row and press END PROCESS. This will shut them down temporarily and you will be free of him for a short time. Some of these might be programs that you have installed and if you want, you can uninstall them.  Some of them might be your own security and antivirus programs that you use to protect your computer. Might be time to change programs.
13. Go to View and click Refresh and your hacker will be gone.
14. Repeat the same process from 5-10 and the hacker will be gone too from your DOS screen.

If you find that the hacker has gone too deep in your files and is slowing your computer down and or not working properly, then you need to do a new install of Windows 7.   PLEASE NOTE:   If you find that when you start to install Windows 7 and there is a partition called DISK DRIVE D, that is where your hacker is.  I would do the following as this partition will  not go away as the hacker has control over it,  start over again.  This time, DO NOT  use that same disk.  If you have a copy of Windows 7, use that or you can go Microsoft website and download it.  I believe that you   can do a free trial from there.  When you have it installed, then  just use the activation code from your CD and you should be fine.  What happens is that the hacker uses your old files to control the computer.   Or you can ask Microsoft for help with one of their technicians.  If you do use that same disk, it will bring over your Windows.old files.  You can delete them as they are just in storage and cannot be accessed anyway.  They are using up valuable disk space.

Here is how to tell if this is me or not:

1.   I am not using my true name Donna any longer and no bylines underneath.  I will only use “Donna” if I am sending a private email.

2.  Check the sender at the heading.  My email address medtran2@sbcglobal.net will be listed.  I AM NOT USING LIVE MAIL OR HOTMAIL AT ALL. I have closed and deleted that account.  I am only using luv2cutfab@gmail.com  and receive all my mail there including my sbcglobal.net account.  It takes Hotmail 30 days to completely close that account. 

3.  Going back to the header, at the very end, you will see the identity of the true sender.  Click on their email address, highlight, send to your blocked  senders list and then contact Microsoft support to report them as a SPAMMER.

HELPFUL HINTS:

1.   Export all your contacts to a file.  It will go to excel as a spreadsheet.  Print and save.  Don’t save your contact list or add new contacts.  SPAMMERS use that to check all your contacts, cut and paste into your send to header and then send to your friends.  Now send all your contacts to your SAFE SENDER list and use from there using On Screen Keyboard.

2.  On Screen Keyboard is very helpful.  SPAMMERS AND HACKERS can tell what you are typing from your keyboard as they already have access to it. On Screen Keyboard is designed for people with disabilities and the SPAMMERS and HACKERS cannot see what you’re doing because it is on screen.  You can access On Screen Keyboard by going to Accessories, Easy Access, On Screen Keyboard.

3.  Use your On Screen Keyboard to log in to your accounts.  Also, to enter your emails when sending

4.  Check your SENT FOLDER OFTEN.  If you see anything suspicious, DELETE. 

5.   IF you think you have been attacked, go to:  Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba3yUNUvC20. The music is really sappy, but a lot of good info and shows you step-by-step. I would watch the ones under it too as they helped me a lot and they have explanations on what to do and why. You can even trace the hacker and find out where he is. Still learning how to get rid of them

6.  Change your signature line now and then or don’t use.   Make up a new signature line but don’t save it in your email account.  

ON SCREEN KEYBOARD:

For the On Screen keyboard, go to Accessories, Ease of Access, and click to open the file. On Screen Keyboard is there and you can pin it to the task bar. It’s designed for people with handicaps. Use that to type in your email and password when logging in as the hacker cannot see what you are doing. When you use the regular keyboard, they can guess from that and hack in from the strokes you are using. Also, check your settings and change your password a lot. Don’t stay logged in as they can attack easily. Set your security settings to the highest and check to see if they have disabled your firewall settings. 

Good luck.

Donna

Hello Everyone

Wow, what a way to start off the New Year!  Can you believe it is almost the end of January already?  I don’t make resolutions any longer but strive to keep a goal.  Doesn’t always work that way, especially this past month, but I have no regrets.

As most of you know, my Mother passed in December and it has been a bit of a roller coaster ride, emotion wise but I am feeling better and am at peace with her passing.  When I said my goodbyes to her, it was truly amazing!  She actually looked younger than 86, hardly a line or worry wrinkle on her.  She looked like she was totally at peace, and had no cares or worries; that they had all just rolled off of her.  She looked like she was lying down for a nap and would be up soon, ready to go shopping!  When I saw her, I had a feeling of peace come over me and I knew that she was okay and a lot happier than she was ever before.  That was a true comfort, a true Christmas present and miracle for me.

I still have my moments but I am working past them.  I started a self-Bible study called “Become A Better You” by Joel Osteen and that has been very helpful for me in learning not to look back but ahead.  Not to have regrets, but to turn those regrets around into a positive rather than a negative and to live in God’s peace and glory and what He wants for me.  I truly believe that I am anointed, creative, talented, successful, and that I have the favor of God; that people like me and that I am a Victor not a victim.   My potential is not diminished or reduced by my past.  That is my Mantra every day and it really is powerful and helps keep me going.  If you have a chance, check out this book and see that it really does help.  I strongly recommend it!

Another goal that I am striving for is to downsize and give away, throw away or use up objects that have no real meaning for me.  I had been planning to do this with my computer later this year, but SURPRISE!  It happened sooner rather than later.  Someone hacked into my computer and made a real mess of it and took control of my computer.  So, for the past 2 weeks, I have been in the process of cleaning, scanning, running virus scans and dumping whatever I could and rebooting from scratch, not once but TWICE!  The second time was my fault, I made the mistake of allowing the scan to include compressing my hard drive and I lost EVERYTHING!  I have gone through all my email accounts and deleted all but one main account that seems to be fine and being super careful about what I download, how I download, etc.  What a MESS!  I am now back online and virus-free!  At first, I was very angry about this situation but I am okay with it, now.  This has given me a lot of pause to think and work this out in my mind.  It does no good to be angry.  At least, I know that my computer is secure, clean, streamlined and ready to work again.  By streamlined, I mean that I cannot believe how many programs “hitch a ride” when you download something and what damage those “innocent hitch hikers” can do.  Just be careful is my motto and SCAN frequently!

As for my sewing, I have done a couple Jelly Roll Race quilts and they are so much fun to make.  I made them both in 3 hours! Very addictive!  So simple!  Here’s a link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bEJLnaZQOU.   Perfect for baby quilts!  Since I have been busy with my computer, that’s about all that I have made for this month.  Though, that doesn’t stop my mind or wallet from adding more projects.  I had planned to show pictures online, but then my computer problem started, so I decided to wait until everything was stable again before posting.

Sorry about not posting much before this, but for a while I literally was not able to post.  Oh, in order to get back into Stash_Quilters, I actually had to rejoin the group (I’m the owner) and have Jill approve me as a member!  I then had to go in and change my email accounts in the group, after a hassle with Yahoo, and change everything in there.  I can laugh about it now, but boy, Yahoo is not the most cooperative business to work with in resolving issues, especially with passwords.  The account I’m using now is an old one and I had forgotten my password, much less my correct username, after so many years.

Anyway, going back to sewing, I did manage to finish my charity quilts for Christmas and worked for 15 minutes or more on different projects.  That too was a goal that I haven’t reached yet.  But I am still going to Curves and Weight Watchers on a regular basis (so-so) and have lost some weight.  Still have a long way to go, but you will see “less of me” and not more when next we meet!   Darn, another tangent.  Sorry.

Last weekend, I talked hubby into going down to Visalia for the day just to get away for a bit.  I was sick of looking at my computer and needed a change of pace for a bit.  It was really a very pleasant day and we did some shopping, of course.  I went to one of my favorite fabric stores, Beverly’s and stocked up on, you guessed it, fabric.  Well, I found out that they are closing the store (it’s a chain) as they are not making any money from Joann’s there in town, and they had everything 25% off, plus 40% off certain items.  Needless to say, I got a good deal!  They have been there for 30+ years, so sad to see them close.  I believe they said their last day was sometime in the spring, that means I need to go and buy more before all the good stuff is gone.  Yea, like I really need more fabric…  LOL!  But they do have thread and other goodies there.

Then, on Sunday, I finally used my gift card to Joann’s and bought the BOM kit called Kalidescope.  It is so pretty,  I’m going to make that for my bed.  Can you believe it, after quilting for so many years, I haven’t made one for my own bed yet!

I will be posting more about our group and ideas and goals for this year in a separate email.

I think that brings me up to the present and not much else exciting happening here.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting.

Donna