Previously On This Week: 30 April

Looking back at this week last year there aren't any posts worth revisiting so instead I'll highlight one of my Blog Pages.


Just click on the image to take you to the original post:

2013 FINISHES

ICYMI

I am a Twitterer (a person who send tweets on the Twitter service) but I really don't have a clue how to use it properly.  I do know enough, however, to realise I had a Twitter-ific (a slang term used to describe something terrific you find on Twitter) experience last Wednesday. ICYMI (short for "in case you missed it", the abbreviation may appear in a tweet that is a repost from the same person, just in case their followers missed it the first time it was tweeted) I've done a screenshot for you.

How thrilled am I?!!!

Closely followed on Saturday with this Facebook feature by Aurifil

My goodness Tatty's been a very popular dog all round this week with features all over the place.  Catch my original post here.

And me, well I'm beaming from ear to ear.

 

 

 

   

     

Pattern Available Now

   

A quick post to let you know the FPP Panda I tested for Juliet @The Tartankiwi is now available here on Craftsy and for a short time it's free.  Hurry over and download a copy.

Enjoy your weekend :D

Updated 9.30 pm, 26 April 2014

Juliet has posted about my block along with her own and third version by Suz @All The Good Ones Are Taken.

Updated 9.18 am, 29 April 2014

The Panda pattern is no longer free - but it's still very reasonably priced at $2.95.

Updated 12.41 pm, 2 May 2014

I do not receive payment from Juliet @Tartankiwi for testing her patterns, nor do I receive commission on any patterns sold via her Craftsy page or any other sales method.  This post is purely informational and of no direct benefit, monetary or otherwise, to me.

Updated 5.39 pm, 14 February 2015

Anyone with questions about Juliet's patterns should contact her directly via her blog.

Updated 11.56 pm, 14 July 2015

Juliet's patterns are currently available here on Etsy and also here on Payhip.

 

 

 

Previously On This Week: 23 April

No words just a few links back to posts from the same week in previous years that are still relevant or might be fun to revisit.

Just click on an image to take you to the original post:

Tuesday, 23 April 2013

Can't Get To The Quilt Exhibition In Brooklyn? Take My Photo Tour Instead - Room 1 of 2

 

Wednesday, 24 April 2013

Can't Get To The Quilt Exhibition In Brooklyn? Take My Photo Tour Instead - Room 2 of 2

 

The Wrong Way To 'Like' A Facebook Business Page

Are you going the wrong way about liking Facebook pages?  I was.
Don't know what I'm talking about?  Let me explain ...

Like most of us bloggers I have a Facebook Business Page - you can find me here @made by ChrissieD.

Here's how to 'like' a Facebook page the wrong way:

If you have your own fb business page and you've 'liked' my fb page while working on fb as your business page then you didn't really 'like' my page at all and I don't have a clue that you've ever been so kind as to click 'like'.

I've had my fb business page for 2 years now and during that time I've been happily clicking 'like' on all your lovely pages and enjoying reading about you in my feed.  Just like me, what most of us don't realise is that if we click 'like' with our fb business page hat on then this 'like' doesn't count and not only does it not increase the 'like' count for the other business but the business page owner isn't notified of your 'like' either.

I only heard this information nugget last week, did my research and discovered it was true.

Here's how you should be 'liking':

The only way to make a fb business page 'like' count and to increase the 'like' numbers on someone else's fb business page is to click 'like' with your fb personal page hat on.

Issues I have with 'liking' correctly:

1:  I've been trying hard to run my business on facebook separately to my personal fb page and I've enjoyed having both a business news feed and a personal news feed.  This last week I have given in and gone through my business 'liked' list and replicated all my 'likes' on to my personal fb page.  I've no good answer to the news feed issue - my suggestions are to either be very selective with who you choose to 'like' or to hide news from anyone that you're not so keen to see regularly, neither method is terribly satisfactory.

2:  Most of us don't know the real names of the other bloggers we follow so how will each of you know it's me visiting when you see a 'like' from Chris Dodsley - I've got round this by leaving a comment on the page that looks like this:

This way my fb business page link also appears in my comment and you can click through and return the 'like' if you want to.

The good news:

Within minutes, actually more like seconds, of hitting those personal 'likes' the 'likes' started to flood back, it's quite heartening really to see how willing people are to reciprocate the 'like' when they know you're following them too.

Take time to leave a few likes now and again and it helps us all to be more visible.

Please feel free to leave your own experiences, hints and tips in the comments section below and share my post and spread the word.

Click the images below to read my other popular blogging tutes:

Personalising Your Blogger Comment Message

The Dreaded Comment 'Word Verification' & How To Remove It

Most Clicked Link Of The Week At:


Featured On:



Click this link to see all my Tutorials, Hints & Tips

   

A Foundation Paper Pieced K-9 Friend

I've joined a new Bee and the instructions for our first block were to create an alien/sci-fi character block.

The Queen Bee loves dogs so I thought I'd go with a canine theme, the obvious candidate being K-9 from Doctor Who.  A quick internet search and I found a foundation paper pieced 12" finished block version of K-9 by Caroline @Trillium Design.  You can get hold of her pattern here on Craftsy along with several other Doctor Who blocks, and it's currently free.

I've made K-9's body using Robert Kaufman Quilter's Linen Grey and 2 grey Kona solidswhile his collar is Kaffe Fassett Jupiter-Red.  The background fabric is Dear Stella Designs 172 - Piper ZigZag (Orange).

Some of the sections were just one piece of fabric or had large areas that weren't sewn in place - so I used a basting stitch and stitched around the edge of each section to hold the cut fabric in place - you can see what I mean in the photos above and below.  

This meant a lot more work once the block was complete to remove the paper and any visible basting stitching but I think he was worth it.  

I ironed the section seams to one side in a way that makes the body and head be higher than the other sections to make him look more 3D.

I'm not a Doctor Who fan - though I've watched it for 50 years and if pushed I'd have to say my preferred Doctors are Jon Pertwee and Christopher Eccleston.  These days I sew while watching it under sufferance with my husband and daughter, can't for the life of me understand what all the fuss is about but 'horses for courses' and all that.  

Jon Pertwee/Christopher Eccleston/K-9 with Tom Baker

I hope the Queen Bee likes him, he is kind of cute in a robotic sort of way.

 

 

   

     

Exploring Brooklyn, NYC

After our NYC Metro Mod Quilt Guild meeting back at the start of April, a group of us headed down into Brooklyn to see the Quilters' Guild of Brooklyn Quilt Exhibition at the Marriott Hotel at Brooklyn Bridge.

I didn't bring my camera so I've just got some pppp (pretty poor phone photos) to share but hopefully, they'll still inspire.  Here's just a snapshot of the exhibition which is heavily biased towards my more modern tastes and also to people I'm friends with ;D

 



Now for my friends' quilts:

Bernadette Forward - who blogs over at New Quilts On The Block

Robin Strauss

Above and below quilts by Christine Janove, who taught me to quilt (read about my very first quilt here) and to whom I'll always be immensely grateful x

Here're my friend and ex LQS staffer, Robin Strauss (you saw her Global Rising quilt above), teaching a Dresden Plate class that we just had to take part in - Robin you were wonderful, hope our heckling didn't put you off ;D

Now that we'd made the trip out to Brooklyn two of us decided to take the opportunity and explore further so we went in search of the Brooklyn General Store.

What a find, you can see from the pics that it's a little gem (as always I asked permission to take photos).

A range of all fabric types and weights, yarns, notions, books and they do classes too - I won't list all the brands, you can check them out on the website - strangely their Facebook page is a personal page and not a business page and I'm not up for 'friending' a business myself, I prefer to 'like', but if that's your thing here's where you can find them on fb.

A peep inside the classroom (below).

You know that working in a fabric store I'm always interested to see how other stores operate from

how they display the fabric - seemed to be mainly in colour groups and some by type;

cut it - the minimum cut is 1/4 yd and they tear the fabric (giving you a truer crosswise grain line) but if, like me, you prefer to avoid misshapen fabric edges and like your fabric roller cut, then they'll do that for you too;

price it - prices were on each bolt and looked like the majority of standard quilting weight cotton was around $12 to $13/yard

swatches - forgot to ask :(

It's an all round nice store, good atmosphere, and the staff answered all our myriad of questions.  One thing to note is that I believe the classes fill quickly particularly the serger sewing.

Downside - it's a bit of a trek to get to, 128 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231.  I checked it out on Google maps and if you're visiting Manhattan and using the subway it's a 33-minute journey from Macy's, Herald Square - that's 22 minutes on the F train then an 11-minute walk to the store.  So maybe it's more of a local destination store than one for the general fabric tourist?  That said if you do make the journey out I don't think you'll be disappointed and there're some great places to eat and drink between the subway and the store too.

And if you're wondering what I bought ...

Two Morris Modernized in Aquamarine - (it's killing me typing modernized instead of modernised in connection with something as English as William Morris), Kaffe Fassett Shot Cotton in Raspberry and Three Sisters Etchings - Dobby Dot in Aqua.

Have you ever been to Brooklyn?  Is it on your bucket list?

For details of other fabric, yarn, trim and notion stores that I've visited around the world along with the NYC stores I love, exhibitions and events I've attended and wonderful people I've been lucky to meet click the links below or in my side bar :D

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.