Comments Conundrum!?

As a newbie "blogger", I am have been learning MANY new things - but the most frustrating issue has been trying to figure out how to allow ANYONE to comment on my blog without the need to login or be a Google user!

Well, after many days of researching this issue and discussing it with other bloggers in the New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop - I came across this tutorial! This tutorial took me through the steps on how to add a Disqus comment box to my blog... It is a FREE service AND it automatically does all the coding for you when you tell it you want to add it to your Blogger site! It also imports all of your old comments so you don't lose them...

Easy Peasy!!!

Check it out below - leave me a comment! And look - you CAN leave me a comment as a guest too!

Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop ~ Day 2!

Welcome to day 2 of the New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop Hosted by Plum & June! Thank you so much for following our hop!

My name is Marcia, and I appreciate you taking the time to stop by my blog, Cozy Capatiller. The blog name came about b/c a few years ago I started clowning and my clown name is Flutterby… So I kind of like the whole branding thing and it just fit my style anyway. When I was a little girl, on my report card every quarter, the teachers would all comment on how I am a “social butterfly”. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized that my teachers were actually trying to politely tell my parents that I talked too much! HA! You can learn more about my clowning and other ventures on my About Me tab...


My wife and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary this Thanksgiving! Abbi is by far the most supportive person on the planet! She makes me a better person just by having her in my life. We love sports and we love to travel! And we deeply love our fur babies, Nyagwai’ and Ranger… Sadly, we lost Nyagwai’ to a heart attack just a few weeks ago while we were on our most recent vacation. I am sure he is playing with many new friends while he waits for us at the Rainbow Bridge…

Nyagwai’

Ranger

I am new to blogging, but I am also a new quilter! I started my blog in April this year ~ but I only began quilting in October of 2013! As most quilters know, once you start, you either love it or you don’t. If you love it, you develop this deep addiction that others who don’t quilt just don’t understand! Honestly though, don’t you just love taking some fabulous fabric, chopping it up, and creating amazing pieces of “usable art”!? That was my best compliment to date! A friend who received the first quilt I made on commission told me that they think it is “a wonderful piece of usable art”! I call this quilt “Running Through My Mind”.



I took many months making a quilt for my mom, Linda. It’s the first queen/king sized quilt I made! Let me tell you, it was quite a challenge! It may be a while before I try to make one this big again! Just the size of it – but I did the whole thing myself, I even quilted it on my domestic machine – a Viking Opal 670. I call this one “Lilies For Linda”.



Last month I entered my first ever quilt challenge – the Modern-Traditional Mini Quilt Challenge. So this quilt is my first ever challenge quilt AND my first ever mini quilt – measuring just 20” x 20”. I call it “Down the Dresden Trail”.



For more information on all of these projects – and several other completed works, please visit my Show & Share page.

I may be a new blogger myself – but I have been reading blogs on and off for many years! I suggest to all bloggers, especially b/c our world is becoming so highly digital and mobile, that you all check the mobile settings for your own blog! I write most of my blogs at a desktop computer, however, I read blogs while on the go! Which means I am either reading your blog posts via a tablet or a cell phone. You would be surprised how many blogs I come across that do not have a mobile view set up and if they do, the pages just don’t load properly. Many don’t have a header at all! So this is my blogging tip to you today – go and check the layout of your blog’s mobile view… Mobile readers, like me, would GREATLY appreciate it! The best mobile layout shows your posts in a very short preview format instead of making your mobile readers do lots of scrolling to find your posts. Think of your blog like a book and give your mobile readers a "table of contents" view to select from! The less scrolling the better, and it makes your mobile view load faster too (and this will make mobile readers adore you)!

I want to share a quilting tip also, but it sort of feels funny for me to share one b/c I have only been quilting for about 8 months myself… I have learned SO MANY things that it is really hard to pick one to share. But I am actually surprised at the number of quilters who do not label their finished work. So if I have to pick one tip, it is a reminder to label your quilts! There are tons of labels, from hand written, to embroidered, and then there are ones like mine that are printed on fabric using a printer! They can be very basic to very extravagant… But pick one that suits your style, and start labeling your work! I wrote a blog just the other day (QR Codes = Everlasting Life) about my label ~ well, more specifically, the QR Code I use on my printed labels… Check it out! Maybe it’s something you’d like to do as well!

I would love to hear either a blogging tip or a quilting tip from all of you! Please share! I am one of those who believes that the day we stop learning is the day we stop living… So what tip do you think every new quilter / blogger should know? What was the best tip you got when you first started?

I want you all to continue on your way to visit my other fellow blog-hop spots. These sites are all great and they will have more tips to share with all of you – but before you go… I wanted to share one more fun fact about myself! I know I mentioned above that we LOVE to travel! Well, in the past 5 years, we have been to more than 20 countries across 3 continents! Some of our favorites have been: The Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, and Spain. When I proposed to my wife, I said “I can’t give you the world, but I can show you the world.” All of this travel is me making good on my promise! Our next trip will take us back to South America and we will get to travel through the Panama Canal! We can’t wait!

Now, go! Go forth and visit these other fabulous blogs:

Jill ~ Pie Lady Quilts	Jennifer ~ Never Just Jennifer
Chelsea ~ Patch The Giraffe	Alice ~ Blossom Quilts
Daisy ~ Ants To Sugar	Megan ~ Sew Stitching Cute
Rachael ~ The Floral Suitcase	Stephanie ~ Late Night Quilter
Elizabeth ~ And Pins	Kelsey ~ Lovely And Enough

Until next time my quilty friend ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

QR Codes = Everlasting Life

I have had several people ask my what that funny looking black square is that is in my header image (above ^ ) Some people have even suggested that I remove that to "clean up" my blog header...

I think if maybe I share with everyone what that code is and my purpose for it, it may change a few minds - and maybe even convince some of you, my amazing quilty friends, to start using them also!

What is a QR Code?

Back in October 2013 when I first found my love of quilting, one of the first quilt artists I discovered was Jaybird Quilts. She is probably the cause of my hexie addiction - but that is a whole other story! Anyway, her very first pattern I ever "clicked" on while at her blog was Science Fair.

I had found this post about Science Fair and I was currently designing a quilt for my mom... At the same time I was taking a beginner quilting class from the amazing Marija Vujcic (Fabric Of My Life). The very next day in class, Marija was discussing labels on quilts and the purpose of labels. She also discussed the many types of labels and as soon as she mentioned "Some people even print their own labels" - I knew what I wanted to do!

I wanted to print my own labels! And then I thought about that QR code for Science Fair... And I realized, "Hey! If I print my own labels, I can include a link to my Facebook page so people can see pictures of a quilt while I was making it!"

This image above was the label on my very first ever completed quilt - a turtle rag quilt... So far, every single item I have completed to date has gotten a label on it which will forever link it to my Facebook page...

This, of course, was before I started my blog! When I started my blog about six weeks ago (April 29, 2014) - I began realizing, I can do something even BETTER than just link my work to images - I can actually create a CUSTOM QR Code for each project and I can forever link them to a blog post specifically about that project!

So there it is! That is why my header has a QR code in it - that QR code will take you to my Facebook page... But all projects that will be completed from now going forward will be linked to my blog - specifically to it's own "creation story". I am now forever giving every project I complete Everlasting Life!

I would LOVE to start a trend of quilters doing this! We live in a digital age and it's only getting more digital as time goes on! So while you may not have your own smart phone, you can bet that people seeing your work may have one - or know someone with one... I often will pull out my phone and scan random QR Codes that I see just out of curiosity! So people will also do this when they see the code on a quilt... What an amazing way to learn more about that quilt! Right!?

Tell me your thoughts! Share my idea! Send people to read this and ask them to do the same! And then ask them to give me props for starting a linking trend between our work and the stories behind our work!

Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

Official Kick-Off ~ 2014 New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop

Hello My Quilty Friends!!!

Today is the first day of the this year's New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop hosted by Plum & June... Today on the hop you will find a fabulous group of quilt bloggers! Please stop by and check them out... Tell them I sent you!

My blog will be included on the blog hop schedule next week… Be sure to come back next week for a fresh batch! We have TONS of new bloggers to share with you!

Sarah @ Smiles Too Loudly	Afton @ Quilting Mod
Vera @ Negligent Style	Jessica @ One English Teacher
Michelle @ Michelle Bartholomew	Barbara @ Suzy Homemaker
Katie @ Good Golly Ginger	Mary @ See Mary Quilt
Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs	Laurel @ Drowning In Fabric
Jana @ Jana Machado	Linda @ Talking Lunch Box Quilts
Karin @ Leigh Laurel Studios	Rebecca @ One Wee Bird
Kim @ Ties That Bind Quilting	Anne @ Hudson Valley Quilts
Yvonne @ Quilting Jet Girl	Diana @ Red Delicious Life
Jen @ Bower Bird Patch	Terri @ Childlike Fascination
Cynthia @ Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

Why didn’t someone tell me I was a “No-Reply”!?!?

Recently, I signed up to be a part of a Newbie Blogger Blog Hop. The first couple of weeks, all the participants were reviewing and critiquing each others’ blogs and pointing out things that might need fixing. There were TWO things that were “broken” with my blog and I wanted to make sure to fix them. 

FIRST was the dreaded “no-reply blogger” post. I had been commenting away on many blogs for a couple of months, but I had NO IDEA that my comments came over to the blogger as “no-reply”. What!? People warn you about ignoring no-reply bloggers, etc, in their giveaways and everything. But how am I supposed to know if I am a “no-reply” blogger!? No one ever told me that I was before! 

Here’s a hint: If you have been posting on many blogs and you NEVER get a single reply to your post – 95% chance is because YOU are a “no-reply” blogger!

No one had ever mentioned this to me! Ever! I didn’t even know I need to be aware of it! MOST good bloggers WANT to build a relationship with their readers – so if you DO NOT get a reply for ANY blog you have ever commented on, chances are they couldn’t reply – it’s not that they didn’t want to reply!
There are several great blogs out there already on how to 1-make sure you are not a no-reply and 2-fix it if you are a no-reply… Here are some of the ones I found especially helpful:

• From My Carolina Home
• Piecemeal Quilts
• SewsNBows

SECOND was hearing that some people who don’t have a Google account can not even comment on my blog! Why would Google even make it so people can’t comment on my blog? The whole point of the blog is to interact with my readers, regardless of whether they use Google or not. We don’t live in a Communist State nor should any email provider have a Monopoly over nor dictate who I can correspond with!

Piecemeal Quilts mentions some of the issues in their blog, and how to fix it. I also did a search and found another one which mentions how to edit some HTML code… Chances are that if you are using Blogger to host your blog, it is b/c you like how easy it is to use without having to know any code at all! So I am guessing, you’d rather not get into the nitty gritty of editing HTML code… But most of these fixes they share do not fix PREVIOUS blog posts to allow your reader to comment. Unless of course, you manually go back and edit the code for EACH post. That can be time consuming!
At this point, my debate becomes, should I just move my blog!? And, hey, maybe I will end up doing that! But for now – I decided there is a better way to fix the issue – which also fixes all the previous posts I have made.



For now, I do not have an unmanageable number of people commenting on my blog. I decided to change my settings to allow “Anyone” to comment. This does of course mean that you can get some spammers… So to police the spamming issue, I set my comment moderation to “Always”. If I ever decide to host a giveaway, I will change it for those types of posts – but honestly, if I plan on replying to all your comments anyway, then moderating my comments shouldn’t be too much work…

I am certainly no guru when it comes to the ways of the blogging world! But I was shocked to find out that I had BOTH of these issues happening to me… So I felt compelled to write about it and warn others out there. It IS worth looking into and fixing! Especially since the fixes are quick and easy!

Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

Weekend Pride

This weekend started off REALLY slow! Saturday was one of those days where I just wasn't in the mood to do much of anything. So, well... I didn't! It was relaxing!

Well, come Sunday, I was looking at all the blocks I have. I am participating in three BOM's and a Quilting Bee. Plus I have a block swap that I need to finish up my blocks for because those are due this month. Then there is also the Grandma's Flower Garden which I began while we were on vacation. So I have BLOCKS everywhere!



Sunday was a day where I just spent sorting, cutting, and hand-piecing MORE blocks! HA! Sounds funny, I know - but I am two months behind with one of the BOM's - so I was getting all those cut. Then I spent part of the day hand-piecing more of the flowers for the garden.

I also spent some of the day reviewing notes for the Newbie-Blogger Blog Hop which I am participating in! It's a huge hop and you should really come check it out! It starts on June 4th...I have learned so much from this group of Bloggers and I feel very fortunate to be able to participate with this group.

Anyway, some of those notes have prompted me to make some changes to my blog, and I have a few more underway. It's been a great learning opportunity! So please check back on Wednesday so you can check out our blog hop!

And my greatest source of pride this weekend - I was randomly selected as a winner of a box of Aurifil thread!!! I got an email from Pat Sloan and my block for the Aurifil BOM which I have been participating was randomly drawn as the winner... It is my first time since I began quilting that I have won anything!

I have two projects that I still need to quilt - I am hoping to get to those this week. So tell me... Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the projects you have underway? I think the nice thing about BOMs is that you only have to make one or two blocks a month. Granted, it takes a long time to finish an entire project - but it leaves you time to work on other things throughout the month/year also.

If you have finished a BOM, share a link with me! I would love to see!

Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

Grandma's Flower Garden

This past week I was on vacation - we took a cruise from Montreal to Boston and had a blast! But what do you do when you are taking a train. We traveled from home to Montreal and then back home from Boston all on a train instead of flying - so much cheaper! It can get quite boring just watching out the window - mind you, most of the scenery is very beautiful! But I mean for people like me who like to work with our hands...

Not too long ago, I read a list that mentioned the 100 things every quilter should do... I am a self proclaimed "modern" quilter. I love asymmetrical designs, and new methods that simplify old techniques... I love so many of the new "modern" fabrics! I just want to buy a whole bolt of them all! (If only I could afford a warehouse to keep them all in!) But I still place great value on learning the "traditional" methods. I think there are so many forms of art (language, dance, quilting, photography, etc) that have been inundated with new methods and techniques. I feel I owe it to my ancestors who quilted before me to at least LEARN how to do it the way they used to do it! Especially since my Great-Great-Grandma Alice Hoover was a teacher (& quilting instructor) back in the 1800's!

Well, number 15 on the list of 100 things every quilter should do says "Try hand quilting". To me, this means not just quilting by hand, but also piecing by hand! So I figured since we would have many hours on the train, what better time to try and teach myself how to hand piece! Of course, I can't pick an EASY project to begin with... NO! I had to pick one with Y-seams... Remind me again why I have this addiction with hexies!?

I also figured I would "test" myself and try to do all this without marking my quarter inch seams... Crazy, I know - but apparently I like a challenge!



All in all, I am patting myself on the back... For my first ever effort at working by hand, I am very pleased with my progress so far!I am in love with the fabric I am using. It is "Mini Confetti" by Dear Stella... I had bought a fat quarter bundle that included all the colors of the fabric, so it was perfect for this project (IMO)! I think the only thing I would have changed - next time I will mark my seams! I have done a really good job, but I feel like I could be much faster at the process if I had marked the seams. Then I wouldn't have to concentrate so hard to ensure consistency throughout...

So tell me - have you done a hand piecing/quilting project? Do you ever plan on doing one? I have actually really enjoyed it! And oddly enough, I am already thinking about my NEXT hand pieced one! I KNOW! I can't even believe it myself!!!

Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

Cutting to Catch-up!

I started several "Block of the Month" (BOM) projects earlier this year. I thought it would be a great way to work on new projects throughout the year and have something to look forward to each month! So far, it has been great. The first couple of months, I was waiting UN-patiently for the new month to begin so I could get my new pattern for that month's block! Then, a family emergency and several weeks away from the sewing room put me behind schedule...

This weekend became catch-up time and I found myself needing to make several months worth of blocks to get caught up! First, I had to FIND all my fabric which I am using for each block... That was a chore in itself! We have been reorganizing the house - how silly that when you re-organize, at first you can never find anything because it is not where you "normally" put something... But your new normal is in a new spot... UGH!

Anyway, after I finally found my fabric, it was time to pull out the rotary and get to cutting!

I love seeing all the stacks of cut pieces and ready to go... To me this means I am so close to finishing several blocks! Chain piecing is a lot of fun - and I like to see all the fabric come back together as it creates something completely different than it was before! I think that is one of the many things that draws me to quilting! What about you?


Here are just a few of the completed blocks

Well, I am off to prepare for a train ride! You know what that means??? LOTS of time for hand stitching! Gotta get my supplies together and ready for the trip... Is it bad that I will have my quilting stuff ready to go BEFORE I even bother to think about what clothes I need to pack???

Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

Meet more "Newbie Bloggers" like me!

I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am selected to participate in a brand new blog hope set to begin in the next month or so! This Blog Hop is designed for new bloggers, like me!, who have been blogging less than 2 years and share our love of modern quilting. I just sent in my request to be included today, and they will be deciding by the end of the month the final list of blogs to be included...



Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

Tiny Spaces

 I like to consider myself a crafty and innovative person! And reading through many blogs and online groups/communities - I know that people are always looking for ways to do things easier - so am I!

One of the biggest problems (for me anyway), is trying to figure out how to work on those full-size - even Queen / King size quilts - like how the heck to you BASTE it when not only do you have NO extra room in your house - not even a single spot on the floor large enough to spread a quilt of that size out!

I came across a few tutorial videos about "wall-basting". I thought, "WOW! This is my answer!" WRONG! My house is so small, I don't even have a single WALL big enough to baste a Q/K size quilt on b/c any decent size room in my house needs a door, right? And of course the door is right in the middle of the wall thus eliminating any spans of good usable wall space for basting a quilt!

My dining room - notice all the doors... UGH!

Well, recently I turned on of our bedrooms into a ginormous walk-in-closet! What woman can't use one of those, right!? In doing so, I used some of those "ClosetMaid"  organizer thingys to add shelving and rods without the need to drill tons of holes into my walls...

You probably have a great design wall in your craft room, right!? Most quilters do - well, being that I am also new to quilting, I didn't have a great design wall yet... I love the idea of those insulation boards/panels and putting batting on them - so I had an epiphany! I hope you like my idea!

Post by Cozy Capatiller.

This link will take you to my Facebook page where with each picture I give a description/instructions on my process...And how I was able to turn that dining room in the picture above into THIS:

       

All I do now is slide my table over - move my fabulous new moveable design wall panels from my sewing room and hang them in my dining room - and they straddle my doors - so I can now baste that Q/K size quilt on a smaller than 6' wide wall!And then when I am done, I can take it all back down again and still enjoy a dining room...

What innovative ideas have helped you through the quilting process??? Do you have any ideas that you came up with that may help and want to share??? Please leave me your thoughts and comments below! And if you love my idea and use it, please share pictures with me! I'd love to know if this idea helps you out at all! And as always, please link back to me so others can find my tutorial as well!

Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

Modern Traditional Mini Quilt Challenge

 Some of you may already know this about me - but I am a newbie quilter! Seriously - I only started quilting this past October and prior to that I had done only minimal sewing during my lifetime - I mean I can count on one hand the number of hours I had spent using a sewing machine prior to my first quilting class!

 When I saw on Jaybird Quilts blog that she would be a judge for a Modern Traditional Mini Quilt Challenge, I decide to give it a try! Being a newbie quilter, I don't have a fabric stash to choose from, much less anything specific to the requirements of the challenge - so I had to go order some fabric before I could begin my mini quilt...

Anyway, here are a few pictures from my adventure with this challenge! I LOVE my final piece - it truly just makes me smile! It was so fun to make and play with all the fabric and different patterns I could create. And the free-motion quilting - oh boy did I have fun with that! I hope you like it!

"Down the DresdenTrail" ~ Original Design by Marcia
Free motion quilting by Marcia on Viking Opal 670
Modern Traditional Mini Quilt Challenge #dsttchallenge

Please share your input! I would love to hear it!

Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

Flight Path Icons

Do you like my new buttons for my social media links? You know, over there on the right side listed under "Flight Path"... Well I just wanted to let you know that I got those from Craftiments here: http://www.craftiments.com/2012/08/free-social-media-icons-in-pantone-fall.html - stop by if you are looking for some free icons for your blog!

Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{

What!? How did I get here???

Wait! What!? This is a blog site... I don't have one of those... How did I get here!?

So, something I have noticed that is quite common in the "craft" world, is that many people have a blog... I have tried for a really long time to not spread myself out into ALL the social media sites and have tried to stick with just one - unfortunately, not everyone uses social media, so I am realizing that I may be missing a large part of the population who may appreciate some of my work and ideas!

So after a long time of NOT going "public" - here I am! Public! We can call this my "Coming Out Party" for all the world to see... I am happy you have found me, and I hope you enjoy what I have to offer in my little space here on the blogosphere... I eagerly await your input and correspondence!

}|{ Marcia


Let me share just a little sample of some of my work ~ more can be found on my Show & Share Tab!

This is a self-designed turtle rag quilt. It was my VERY first
completed quilt. I designed the layout of the turtle shell to be
true to the shape an actual turtle shell. I had no clue what
I was getting into then - I didn't know what Y-seams were...

"Lilies for Linda" ~ I designed this
quilt for my mother... Obviously I was
influenced by JayBird Quilts "Science Fair"
Again - more Y-seams... What is wrong with me!?

 

Label on "Lilies for Linda"

"Making Strides" ~ my first charity
quilt. I made this one for a silent auction
to raise money for "Making Strides for
Breast Cancer". This is just the quilt top.

Feel free to find me on Facebook by clicking here!

I look forward to getting to know you all out here in the Blogging World!

Until next time my quilty friends ~ PIECE!

Marcia }|{