Computer dead

Yes. My laptop has died, or at least gone into a coma. It is currently sitting at the IT woman's desk waiting for her to find time to see if she can fix it, reimage the harddrive, or will have to order me a new one. She says she will not be able to get to it this week, maybe next, and no she does not have a loaner right now.

Ugg...I am going into withdrawl as I type -- on my husband's computer. He is pacing around saying, "It's okay. Take your time. I can wait."

I have very limited web access on my phone. I can only go to those pages that have simplified versions. So I can read blogs on Google Reader, and I can read and respond to email. I cannot, however, visit blogs or comment on them. Sigh. I will try to get on Roland's computer periodically to stay in touch.

I guess I will have to concentrate on quilting.

Speaking of quilting, let me respond to the questions some of you asked. (Skip the rest of this post if you are not interested in making a quilt.) The book I am using is Log Cabin Quilts: The Ultimate Guide to the Most Popular and Versatile Pattern, by Patricia Cox and Maggi McCormick Gordon. I have not done a review of Log Cabin quilt books, but this is a good one. I would certainly recommend it to novice quilters, and to people who know how to threat a sewing machine and want to teach themselves. It will get you through making the top of the quilt, known as "piecing" to us quilters.

Log cabin quilts are also very forgiving. If your blocks come out wrong you can just trim them down a little and keep on going -- just trim all the blocks to the same size.

The second stage of quilting is when you put the the layers together. That can be done by hand or machine quilting or tying. If you want to quilt your quilt you really need, I think, a human teacher and a quilting frame of some sort. You can learn to tie your quilt from a book. I generally tie the quilts I make for the kids' beds. Some people tie with yarn, but I prefer pearl cotton. It is like embroidery floss, only the strands are not meant to be pulled apart. They sell it with the floss. Most people crochet with it.

Have fun, and share pictures if you make one!