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Introduction Letter from the Editor Sharla
Hicks Well this is the first issue of Computer Quilting BYTES
and it is coming on the heals of my becoming my own Web Master at Soft Expressions
and transferring all computer data and operations from my pretty hot 166 Pentium
to my new REALLY souped-up 300 Pentium. I am still amazed at the speed
difference of the processor--of course--the 128 MG of RAM doesn't hurt either. My
Goal for my Website and this Computer Quilting BYTES Newsletter is to provide
those with similar interests an objective source of comprehensive Computer Quilting
information on the Internet. The newsletter is also that little shove I need to
keep up-to-date about the computer quilting world. What makes me qualified to
do such a thing you ask? Let me introduce myself--I have been an arts and
craft lover practically since birth. I am mostly self-taught but occasionally
had the privilege of being tutored by two incredible mentors. The first was my
Grandmother, Mabel Jones, who also loved anything that involved using her hands,
a needle, crochet hook, or sewing machine and was so eager to share that knowledge
with me. She even entered my knitted slippers in the Jerome, Idaho County Fair
and I won the First and Second Prize in my category (part of the reason I enter
juried quilt shows). The second, was my Fullerton College Art Instructor, Don
Hendricks who believed in my art. He nurtured and feed my demanding brain and
walked through the baby steps I needed to accept my own art talent. He gave me
the courage to believe in my art! Both are no longer with me, but I honor them
by carrying a piece of their souls in my heart. I have remained an earnest and
eager student over the last 45, almost 46 years (painting, drawing, photography,
macramé, house plants, gardening, especially flower gardens, sewing machine
arts including clothing, machine embroidery and finally 16 straight years of taking
on quiltmaking and computer quilting with the tenacity of a bull dog). I have
been teaching quilting for 16 years and computer quilting for 6 years in both
a classroom setting and hand-on computer labs set up in the Laguna Art Museum
in 1994, and at Road to California Quilt Conference Quilt Showcase: Crossroads
in 1996, 1997, and 1998. (Note: check out the FAQs article for common questions
I get in the lab and classroom) And I have written 7 books in a series called
Computer Quilting Made Easy. I have a special love for anything to do with
art quilts and most especially creating art quilts with the sewing machine and
now add in the computer quilting angle--although I will say that this computer
quilting bug and writing 7 books for the Computer Quilting Made Easy Series has
slowed down my own REAL quilt creations--something I hope to rectify this year.
Sound like a familiar story? I recently discovered that what I am at heart
is an educator and therefore, whatever I learn I share, that explains why I have
been a quilting teacher for the last 16 years and loved every minute of it! In
the true spirit of an educator, I am making all attempts humanly possible to present
all the information and reviews about Computer Quilting Software, Books, etc.
as objectively as I can. I do not believe that any one software or book is the
answer for everyone. Bottom line, I want to have you make the best informed decision
you can, the one that is right for you!! That is the real reason I wrote the Computer
Quilting Made Easy Series--I have had moments of wondering and self doubt--but
now I have decided to sit back and enjoy the ride. Bottom line, I really do like
writing--sharing--educating! The books and my website are an extension of
me, the educator who enjoys the educational process of informing, organizing,
teaching, writing books and class handouts, sharing, encouraging, pushing, giving
an occasional arm twist and last but not least acting classroom psychologist--including
baby sitting those sewing machine who I think have souls with quirky personalities
at times. I look forward to the continuing process of honing my Website
and hope you find it a continually evolving site of objective information.
- For more information about me, look at my Website bio and quilt
gallery.
- WANTED:
Virtual Quilts for New VIRTUAL QUILT GALLERY Page to be added to this Web Site.
Send me your virtual quilts saved as a SMALL--jpeg or gif graphic. Include
your name, date made, what program you created it in, your experience level as
a quilter/computer quilter and your e-mail for comments. I will add the files
until I run out of my allotted Web Site space.
NEW
to Soft Expressions Web Site And
I Need Your Help!!! NEEDED--Additional
Names for Computer Quilting Teachers, Computer Quilting Events and Shops supporting
Computer Quilting. Check out the New page that I have
included on my Website, Events, Teacher and
Shops supporting Computer Quilters. The listed shops have shown an interest
in supporting you, the computer quilter. Unfortunately the list is still short!!!
I need help to create a comprehensive list of who is supporting computer quilters,
PLUS, computer quilting teachers, special events and anything else relevant to
Computer Quilting. Thanks ahead of time. -
- Soft Expressions
Link Page gets new, easier-to-use Look and as always many new additions!
- In keeping with educational format that I have created in the Soft
Expressions Website, I have reorganized the Link page into an easy-to-get-to,
what-you-think-is-interesting format (how's that for a hyphenated string of words!).
I have continued to search the web and added additional resources that include
outstanding information on using your printer, scanner and more in our Computer
Quilting. Be sure to browse on into your next gem filled Website using our new
format and find some very informative locations, and check out the new category:
- Computer Quilting Sharing Links--Hints
and Tips for Printing on Fabric, Inkjet Inks, Photo Transfer and more
- As
always we welcome and invite you to share with us your favorite Computer Quilting
Sites that you would like to see added--especially ones that are going to increase
our knowledge in Computer Quilting and exquisite Quilt Galleries!
 Foundation Factory
is the latest Quilt-Pro Systems release and is a Block Library Program only (no
drawing tools) that is geared to, what else, foundation pieced blocks and printouts,
AKA as paper piecing. It even includes the options to open your favorite Internet
browser directly from Foundation Factory.
The programs opens directly to
35 Library Folder Buttons (airplane, shoes & stocking, traditional blocks,
etc..) with 500 plus blocks. Selecting a button opens the picture for each block
making it very easy to make a decision about which block to use. Double-clicking
on the block choice opens the Block Print Screen. The Print Screen addresses all
the choices needed for printing a foundation block like Flip Vertical, Flip Horizontal,
Mirror for iron on, Print grays, Print Dashed Lines, Print Numbers, Select number
of copies to print, automatically prints as many as fit to a page, and prints
across multiple pages for larger blocks. Foundation Blocks can be created in Quilt-Pro
2 and saved to Foundation Factory to be printed when needed. One of the
most often questions I get is, "Does the program tell me how to make the
block?" Well folks, Sewing Help has arrived in Software! Foundation Factory
has Help Sewing Files that include hints and tips for sewing and construction
of a large range of styles of paper piecing. The graphics include photographs
of actual block construction which are very descriptive. Foundation
Factory comes with: - Block library: (518
blocks).
- Border library (28) borders.
- Help Files that act as an on-line
manual
- Quilt-Pro Demo
For
more information about Foundation Factory Operations, Menus, Toolbars, and learning
curve, click here. Frequently
Asked Questions About Computer
Quilting Questions answered by Sharla
R. Hicks, author of the Computer Quilting Made Easy Series. I have been teaching computer
quilting for 5 years in both a classroom setting and hand-on computer labs set
up in the Laguna Art Museum in 1994, and at Road to California Quilt Conference
Quilt Showcase: Crossroads in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Below are some of the most
often asked questions included in my FAQ library of answers. Click
here to go directly to the answers. To go directly
to the FAQ page on Computer Quilting, click here.
Graphic
Format information: Gif, Pcx, Tiff I
will continue research in this area and include more information on Bmp, Wmf,
Pic and other Graphic file formats in future issues of Computer Quilting BYTES. In
browsing the Internet I came upon the following information that may be useful
to some of you who do not understand the various types of graphic files that are
used by the computer. FILENAME.GIF: Images are stored
as "GIF" format graphic files. This "Graphic Interchange File"
format was designed by CompuServe(tm) to allow graphics to be viewed on many different
computers. It is well documented and widely used. FILENAME.PCX:
Images are stored as "PCX" format graphic files. This file format was
pioneered by the Z-Soft PC-PaintBrush program. It is well documented and widely
used. FILENAME.TIFF: Images are stored as "compressed
TIFF" format graphic files. Reducing the scanning resolution and use of this
compressed format saves media space while retaining compatibility with the WordPerfect
(tm) version 5.1 format. The images are of moderate quality. If reproduction is
poor, ensure that the printer graphics resolution setting in WordPerfect (tm)
is set to high, not medium or draft.
NEW Computer Quilting Books on the MarketIf
you have not heard, Houston Quilt Market and Christmas saw the addition of many
new Computer Quilting Books. Soft Expressions also took the Computer Quilting
Made Easy Books to Houston Quilt Market. At market I picked up each book and found
them outstanding. I have added them to my order form. I have revised my Software
Review pages to include a topic called Books Available for XXX and included it
at the end of each review when applicable. And since I need to wrap up this lengthy
newsletter, I am giving you my URL to visit my Software Review Pages and
see what books they are and if they cover your software. Editorial
by Sharla R. Hicks:Added Jan 2000 FYI: We now carry
computer quilting software to meet your needs.Computer Quilting:
MAYBE at a SHOP near you???More than likely Cyberspace and online
catalogue filling in the gap! The biggest problem
computer quilters are facing is the lack of support in the Quilt Shops. I think that Computer Quilters have an even bigger hurdle
to jump with shop owners than art quilters and anyone who is an art quilter knows
what a battle that has been. There are a few exceptions and I want to THANK each
and every shop owner who has had the foresight to realize Computer Quilting
is coming of AGE and needs their support to flourish and grow!! Hopefully as more
and more publications, magazine reviews and computer quilting customers come forward,
the Computer Quilting gap will close. But we must do our part to facilitate the
change!! Request the software, books, and supporting classes over and over
again. Ask the shop owner why they are not carrying the software and
books. Request a special order, this always open a door, with a done deal sell!!
THEN, when the computer quilting products are carried, be sure to buy it from
the shop and then give them that extra thank you for supporting you, the Computer
Quilter. Our voices need to be heard before we can have the same support as other
segments of the Quilting Community!! Do your part to educate the shop owner. AND,
lets not forget our Cyberspace Cohorts who are filling the computer quilting gap
with information filled web sites, discussion groups, chats, quilt galleries and
more. PLUS, thank heavens for ALL the online catalogues daring to go where Quilt
Shops fear to tread. Drop them a line and let them know you appreciate their efforts.
Remember, small thank yous go a loooong way to help those who are giving of their
time, many with no compensation--what a GIFT. This editor note is my thank
you to them!! If you have any thing you would
like to add, an article to contribute, a FAQ, note to the editor, Virtual Quilt,
or other Computer Quilting Information, feel free to contact me. The next Computer
Quilting BYTES will be sent out when I have enough new information to fill a few
pages. So, if you have anything to contribute, it will fill faster and it will
come out sooner than later. ALSO: Send me your
virtual quilts saved as a graphic jpeg or gif, your name and what program
you created it in, your e-mail for comments and I will include it here until I
run out of space. - UNTIL NEXT
TIME
-
May all your time Computer Quilting
be a Joy, filled with right brain escape, and result in that much sought
after finished Fabric Quilt, if not at least a very nifty Virtual Quilt
that you send to me to display in the VIRTUAL QUILT GALLERY!! -
Sharla
Hicks -
Editor
of Computer Quilting BYTES -
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by Soft Expressions: Home to Computer Quilting Made Easy Books
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