Really Essential

I received this book this week and am slowly working through it. I have only studied about 10 pages and already I have learned lots about photo software that I never knew, as well as having my vague ideas about reasons for doing certain things made clear.

If you are into playing with printing photos on fabric or photographing your own work for submission to exhibitions it appears to be an essential reference.

Image Transfer

I did my second workshop on this topic for the Home Economics Institute today.

The first part of the day was on using low tech methods: packing tape, book cover plastic, glue and citrus solvent and it went well. We made a lot of mess rubbing off paper - I had made up a number of glued pieces yesterday because they need to mature to work properly.

I had also prepared some inkjet transparencies and we tried transferring the images using gel medium. Then we tried water alone. I had never done this myself, but mentioned it to the group as a hearsay possibility. Bingo! It works really well and I intend to follow up.

The second part of the workshop was about printing on fabric using a computer and inkjet printer. I demonstrated DIY fabric sheets using BubbleJetSet, then we began printing their own images on commercial sheets. I had taken my two laptops, each connected to a printer. The MacBook was brilliant, the PC decided to chuck a hissy fit. It worked OK yesterday - today it decided it didn't have enough memory to run PhotoShop or to complete any printing. EEEK!
We did manage to print an image for everyone though.

Kevin is now playing with a repair program. I hope it works.

Ugh, Computers - Day 2

I managed to purge the laptop sufficiently to defrag the hard drive, even though I only had 4% free space. Then I burnt 3 CDs as backups and dumped a bit more. I am obviously spoilt - the main computer we use (an iMac) has a 200G hard drive, and we have only used 86G.

The laptop is 5 years old and only has a 20G memory. I think I need a new PC, or else to stop thinking of the MacBook as a backup/toy and seriously put it to use. But there is still the need to update the 4D software. I am no longer getting the message that there is not enough space. Instead it seems that I am missing an essential part of the upgrade.

I went to the HV site to try and download the missing bit. More frustration - I am unable to get past the registration page.

Tomorrow I will take the laptop to Bestway and see if David can sort it out.

Ugh, computers

I didn't have a chance to play with silk today. I have spent hours wrestling with a computer.

I need to update my 4D Embroidery software, but I can't do it because there is not enough room on the laptop. So I thought I would defrag the hard drive. Can't do that either; there is not enough space. Needs 15% and it's only got 1% left. I can't understand where all the disk space has gone - I don't have many photos saved there. So now I am going to transfer all my photo files to CD and also back up all the embroidery designs, then restore the system. I hope it works! I have never done this on a PC. Macs are so easy to deal with in comparison.

I can upload photos today, so here are my silk bits. This is the one I made in the Sarah Lawrence class, using her paints and silk knitting she supplied.


Here is the piece I made yesterday. The Moonshadow Mists have not worked - I have no colour except the walnut ink. Maybe I can add some paint or dye, or just leave it.

Top of the Line, You Beaut, Dazzling Diamond . .

Yep, it's unveiling time.

The new ToL Husqvarna Diamond Designer was briefly demonstrated at the Bestway club meeting this morning. The full unveiling will be next week.

I have had an email to alert me that there will be a new ToL Bernina machine released next month. I think there may be a new Janome and a new Brother . . . . HOWEVER, these ToL sewing/embroidery machines cost as much as a good secondhand car.

As computers become more and more powerful the purchase price drops. We bought a Macintosh 128k computer, secondhand, in 1988 for $2200. We have continued to buy Macs. The last one we bought (8 months ago - a laptop with a dual processor that will run Windows XP and my sewing machine embroidery software) cost quite a bit less than $2000.

But the cost of ToL sewing machines keeps mounting. OK, it's a niche market, but consider the buying power of the dollar 20 years ago. And a ToL machine then cost less than $750.