Are you a "No-Reply" blogger?

The following is courtesy of Pleasant Home blog.  It is specifically relevant to Blogger blogs, but I'm sure other blog types (WordPress, TypePad, etc.) have similar settings.

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Are you a No-Reply Blogger?

What is a NO-REPLY blogger?

1.  Annie leaves a Comment on Linda's blog, asking a question.

2.  Linda has all Comments sent directly to her email, so when she checks her email, she reads Annie's question.  Linda clicks Reply. Oh, no! Up pops Annie's name but instead of her email address, it says NO-REPLY. Argh!

3.  Annie doesn't have an Email associated with her blog. Which means that no one can reply to any of the comments or questions that she leaves.  (This is especially disconcerting if Annie has won a give-away!) 

You may not even know that you are a NO-REPLY blogger.  No problem.

Follow these instructions to see if you are a NO-REPLY blogger: 

Sign in to Blogger and bring up your Dashboard or Profile Page. Click on EDIT PROFILE. 

Under "Privacy," there should be a check mark in the box for SHOW MY EMAIL ADDRESS.

then ...

Scroll down to the section titled "Identity." See the box labeled EMAIL ADDRESS. Your Email address should be shown in that box.
 

If there is no email in that box or if you don't have the Show My Email Address box checked, you are a NO-REPLY blogger.

But what if ..."I don't want my personal email out there for the whole world to see...."

That's OK, you don't have to. You can set up a "generic" email address to be associated with your blog. (You just need to remember to check it often, especially if you leave a comment or ask a question on another blog). 

The majority of experienced bloggers will agree that it's good blogging etiquette to have an email associated with your blog. Especially if you're going to be blogging, commenting, asking questions, participating in Give-Aways, etc.

Here's your assignment for the day. Check your PROFILE. Are you a NO-REPLY blogger?
If so, you can either use the email you already have, or set up a new "generic" email and put it in your profile as described above.  Note: A new email in your profile will not change the Email address you use to sign in to your blog.

If you do not have a blog, just be sure to leave your email address in your Comment, if you want a reply. 

Many thanks to Jodi of the Pleasant Home Blog for the tutorial above. She even has a "No-Reply Blogger" button that you can use on your own blog if you like.  I often wish I could reply to some of my Commenters, but have no way of doing so. This is an easy way to make sure you receive replies.

Have fun blogging!

Book winner!

We had our drawing this evening for the winner of a copy of Martha Sielman's new book, Art Quilt Portfolio: People & Portraits.

Our Commenter #18 is Cathy Permutter!  Cathy, please email me within 3 days and let me know your mailing address.

Congratulations, Cathy!

Praise for the Goddess Sheet

I know I've talked about the Goddess Sheet before ... such an indispensable tool in our quilting and art studios.  Anytime you need to mix fabric, fusibles, and heat, this is the best I've found.

I already had the original Goddess Sheet (10-3/4"  x 16-1/2") and the Big Goddess Sheet (17-3/4" x 24").  But I recently "discovered" the Fat Goddess Sheet (21" x 27") and boy, what a difference it makes!

I actually had it in my supplies, but had not used it ... I kept defaulting to my Big one because it was already on my work table.  (You know how lazy I am!)  When I finally pulled out the Fat one (that just doesn't sound right!) and used it, I couldn't believe what a big difference those extra inches make. And, of course, it was made the perfect size for fusing fat quarters, which I hadn't even thought about.

This picture doesn't have anything to do with Goddess Sheets ...
I just liked the image of the "goddess head" and put it here
to entertain you.  ;^)

Now I realize that I don't ever want to "make do" with just one or two of the Goddess Sheets ... I need all of them! Yes, I've used parchment paper, it works too ... but it gets wrinkled, torn, and very quickly unusable.  I've decided that ultimately I will save money by just using the Goddess Sheets.

I became obsessed with them when I fell in love with Mistyfuse (which I love by the bolt).

So thank you, Iris Karp and Mistyfuse, for both of these essential tools.  Now I'm considering (would "coveting" be a better word?) the little Hobbico Iron for spot-fusing ... hmmmm.

Book Giveaway: People & Portraits

I just LOVE Martha Sielman's series of art quilt books.  I had already pre-ordered her newest one, "People & Portraits", but then received an extra copy from the publisher for review.  (They needn't worry about my review ... the book is absolutely gorgeous.)

Here's a link to Martha's website.

So now I have an extra copy, and will give it away, FREE to a Commenter.  The winner will be chosen by my Random Number Generator (aka "Fifi").  The drawing will be held this coming Monday, April 8, so please leave me a Comment if you would like this book.

And now for the review ... Well, I'm always impressed with Lark books in general, and with anything put out by Martha Sielman.  The combination of the two makes for a beautiful reading and browsing experience.  The paperback cover is sturdy and the pages are very high quality, so that the pictures (after all, that's what we buy these books for!) are large, sharp and clear.  As far as I can tell from the images of art quilts that I've actually seen in person, the color reproduction is spot-on.

There is a clear Table of Contents that is broken down by artist and by gallery type ... Happiness, Contemplation, Community, Icons, Family and Friends, Work, and Play.  I love being able to compare and contrast the individual works in these categories.  In addition, there is an alphabetical Artist Index, plus 21 well-written profiles of major artists.

Of course, I long for profiles on each of the other 100 artists, but you can only cram so much into a beautifully-produced art book, retail priced at $24.95!  Martha has done a masterful job of selecting the artists, the art, and the photography for this book ... not to mention the writing.  I am a happy owner of this new treasure, and it's definitely a "keeper"!

Connie Fahrion is featured this month in Quilting Arts Magazine

Connie Marie Fahrion, of my FiberVoices group, has a new article in the current issue of Quilting Arts Magazine (April/May 2013).  Her article on creating innovative paper quilts using coffee filters, paper towels, paints, inks and dyes, is lots of fun and gives a wonderfully different take on art quilting.  Check it out!

See the Quilting Arts Magazine information here.

A Farewell

On March 10 the world lost a kind and gentle soul, as well as an incredible artist, when Oscar Silva passed away in his sleep.  I can't think of a better tribute than that written by his great friend and partner.  "We have lost a talented and clever artist - he will no longer urge us to look at objects for the art that is inherent in their very structure - no longer to push the limit - we are left a little hollow by his leaving us."

I didn't know Oscar well, but whenever I ran into him (usually at art openings), he was so kind and generous that I always wished to know him better.  We always think "there's plenty of time" ... when there isn't, always.  I am among the many who will miss him dearly.

Below are a few of my favorite fiber and mixed-media artworks by Oscar.  He may have been best known for his use of his own hand-made paper, rug canvas and hardware cloth, as well as unusual found objects, especially objects from nature. His creative mixture of "hard and soft" elements is one of the things about his work that intrigues me most. Please see his blog for much more.   http://www.oscarsilvaartist.blogspot.com/

Art of Meditation
Oscar Silva

Milagro
Oscar Silva

Red Sky at Night
Oscar Silva

Prophet
Oscar Silva

Asiatic
Oscar Silva

Wood Nymphs
Oscar Silva

Nomad
Oscar Silva

Seed Quilt (detail)
Oscar Silva

September, 2012 exhibit of
"The Charismatics of Fiber"
Oscar Silva

Please see Oscar's blog for much more.   http://www.oscarsilvaartist.blogspot.com/  (I hope it stays on-line even though he has passed.  It is a wonderful exhibit of much of his work, and his written statement about each piece is often a work of art in itself.)

Acts of Kindness are not always easy.

With all the political and social tensions in the country today, I sometimes feel overwhelmed, confused, and angry.  It's often my cat who brings me a level of peace and tranquility, just by climbing onto my lap and loving me. 

Our pets are more than "just animals" ... they are deeply loved members of our families.  The pain of losing a beloved pet is bad enough when we know what has happened ... disease, injury, or old age. 

But when a pet disappears and you never find out what happened to her, that has got to be the most awful feeling.  A few weeks ago I witnessed a dog being hit on the busy, high-speed I-10 between San Antonio and Houston.  I actually screamed out loud (luckily, I was alone in the car), and drove for miles to find an exit and go back to find out if it survived.

By the time I got back to the dog, she was dead.  I foolishly (!) crossed the freeway on foot to get to her.  She was the most beautiful black-and-white collie ... maybe a border collie.  Her fur was rich and luxurious, obviously very well cared-for and loved.  I struggled to pull her farther off the freeway, so that her body wouldn't be hit again, and removed her tag in order to notify the owner.

Then followed a full day of stressing over not being able to reach the owner, and questioning my decision to remove the tag from the collar.  The tag had the dog's name and the owner's address and phone number.  When I couldn't reach the owner, I began calling veterinarians and groomers in the area, trying to find someone who knew the dog ... all to no avail. 

On my way back home later that day, I drove to the owner's home address in the small town near where the dog was hit.  (Thank goodness for GPS, as I'm hopeless with maps.)  No one was home, so I wrote a long letter explaining what had happened, and where the dog's body could be found.  That night I had nightmares about not being able to rescue her.






I later received a phone call and several texts from the owner.  She was devastated at the loss of her beautiful pet, and said that she was "an escape artist" but had never gone onto the freeway before.  The lady was very grateful to have been notified, and for the return of the tag.  Although I'm still upset over not being able to save the dog, I feel better that at least the owner knew what happened, and was able to retrieve and bury her.

It's not the kind of "random act of kindness" that I enjoy doing, but it may have been the most rewarding.

QuiltCon 2013, Part 2

Here are the rest of the photos of quilts that were juried into the first QuiltCon, held in Austin, Texas.  It was a beautiful show, with exciting quilts and many great vendors.  Please let me know if you enjoy seeing this little slice of the event, and how you feel about the Modern Quilt Movement.

Impracticality
Angela Walters

Impracticality (detail 1)

 

Impracticality (detail 2)

In Defense of Manmade
Thomas Knauer

Is There a Court Jester in the House
Lynn Douglass

Kelsey's Crosses
Modern Quilting Bee
quilted by Mary Workman

Log Pyramids
Liz Harvatine

Overgrown
Alison Glass

Paper Shredder
Pamela Johnson

Pods
Heather Grant
quilted by Angela Walters

Pods (detail)

Rainbow Rocks
Kathleen Baden

Red Concentrate
Lavialle Campbell

RonQuilt: The Ron Swanson Quilt
Monica Solorio-Snow

RonQuilt (reduced for viewing purposes)

Self Image I
Chawne Kimber

Spin Dr
Angela Walters

Spin Dr (detail)

Sunrise I
Erika Mulvenna

Time Travel
Barb Forrister

Trajectory #2
Megan E. Dye

You Rule
Brigitte Heitland

You Rule (detail)

QuiltCon 2013 - Modern Quilts, Part 1

I finally finished processing the photos I took at QuiltCon last week in Austin.  It was a wonderful (if short) road-trip with my friends Sharon Dixon, Barb Knoblock, and Betty Baker, who drove in from Houston.  Only TWO people-pictures, I promise!  The rest are quilts.

Standing in front of the QuiltCon quilt:
Me, Betty, Barb, and Sharon

Lynn Douglass, Sharon, Barb, Betty

 Here are some of the modern quilts that were on display ...alphabetically by title.  I tried to include the quilter's names when possible, but didn't realize until too late how many were quilted by long-armers, and neglected to get all of the names.  If you have information on the names of the quilters (as opposed to the quilt top makers), I will be most happy to add them here.

A Very Long Conversation
Rossie Hutchinson

Add It Up
Jacquie Gering, Katie Pedersen and Angela Walters

Bang! You're Dead
Jacquie Gering
quilted by Anne Christopher

Broken Cogs
Jacquie Gering and Angela Walters

Broken Cogs (detail)

Broken Diamonds
Kati Spencer

Cancer Sucks
Austin Modern Quilt Guild
gift for Cindy Crowell

Coded Paragraph
Joel Ignacio

Coded Paragraph (detail)

Connected to Jon
Sew Connected (group); quilted by Angela Walters

Couldn't Keep it to Myself
Denyse Schmidt

Curried Plums
Debbie Grifka

Don't Blink
Caro Sheridan

Don't Blink
(reduced in size for viewing)

Double Edged Love
(Best In Show)
Victoria Findlay Wolfe
quilted by Lisa Sipes

Double Edged Love (detail)

Fifty Shades of Groovy
Leslie Tucker Jenison

Fifty Shades of Groovy (detail)

Flying Saucer
Lisa Alexakis

Hope as the Anchor of the Soul #3
Denyse Schmidt

Hope as the Anchor of the Soul #3 (detail)

Hope as the Anchor of the Soul #4
Denyse Schneider

Hope as the Anchor of the Soul #4 (detail)

Hurle Burle Marx
Daniel Rouse

What do YOU think, so far?  I must admit that I wasn't in love with the Modern Quilt Movement when it first emerged a couple of years ago, but I was surprised and pleased at how many of them at the show that I did like.  It's definitely a different take, although there still seems to be some confusion and disagreement over what constitutes a "Modern" quilt.

MORE pictures tomorrow ... please check back ... and please leave me a Comment on your opinion of the Modern Quilt Movement.