Stars in a Time Warp: Finally Caught Up!

I have finally caught up with all the Stars in a Time Warp blocks.  Mother's Day provided an opportunity to spend most of day sewing, so I had a little stack of 4" stars as my Mother's Day present!

 

From top to bottom:  ombre' prints, conversational prints (a weakness in the collection - I'll be watching for more of these fun fabrics!), chrome yellow, purple, paisley and over-dyed green (L) and green calico (R).   If you want to see a closer view of the fabrics, click on the picture for a larger version.

 

The latest Stars in a Time Warp fabric color/style is called California Gold - a chrome orange or yellow in fine lines on a white background.  I happened to have a couple of these in my stash, so it was easy to make two blocks this afternoon.

I have not yet attempted to play with any block arrangements.  Every week Barbara Brackman offers new suggestions on how the blocks might be set and every week I change my mind about what I want to do with my stars.  

I have been keeping tabs on all of the Stars in a Time Warp blog links using my favorite quilt catalog program - Evernote.  OK, actually Evernote is a great program for keeping track of all kinds of things, not just quilts.  The best part about it is that it syncs across all my electronic devices: computer, tablet and smartphone.  I can access my "notes" from just about anywhere!  If you're interested, I wrote a more in-depth post about it here.  I'm finding it handy with the Stars in a Time Warp blog entries, because I can go directly to the blog entry I want to review without having to scroll through numerous blog entries to find it.

A Personal Quilt Inspiration Index?

A portion of the quilt book collection

Being a quilter for almost 25 years, I've accumulated lots of quilt-related ephemera.  Books, patterns, magazines, pages clipped from magazines - all those creative sparks I feel compelled to save.  I've got sheet protectors, notebooks, files, file cabinets, magazine holders, bookshelves - all dedicated to keeping my quilt inspiration organized.  What I'd really love to have is my own personal quilt inspiration index, complete with illustrations, so I could find everything immediately!

When I discovered Pinterest earlier this year, I thought it was a great way to clip and save lots of digital quilt images and websites, so I could easily refer back to them at a later date.  I spent lots of time surfing Pinterest and the web, adding quilt info to my bulletin boards.  One drawback:  I hated the Pinterest interface for iPad, which meant I wouldn't like using it on my smart phone, either.

What I really wanted was a way to save digital quilt information and be able to access it from any location.

What I found is a great free app called Evernote.  The app is available for most types of computer: PC or Mac, iPad, and smart phone.  It's very easy to use and will sync your information across all your digital devices.  The Evernote smart phone and iPad interface is just as clear and easy to use as the the computer version*.  Once you're up and running with Evernote, you can access your info and/or add to your info from almost anywhere!  (*disclaimer:  I'm a Mac user and I have an Android phone, so I can't speak to the PC or iPhone versions of Evernote.)

Screenshot of Evernote interface

Evernote allows you to create notebooks to help keep things organized.  For example, I have a notebook for quilts I've made.  I use that notebook to store info about finished quilts and quilt tops in various stages of finishing.  I make notes concerning the size of the quilt, the name of the pattern, etc.  If I need to purchase batting and backing for a top, I make notes to remind myself what is needed.

The app is very easy to learn and easy to use.  Create a notebook, create a note, add your info (pictures, web address, even notes you type) and save it.  Notes can be moved from notebook to notebook.  If your smart phone has a camera, you can take a picture through Evernote and save it to Evernote.

So far, I haven't found any digital content I'm not able to save in Evernote.  If I'm saving from the web, I just right click, copy and paste.  If needed, I'll take a screenshot and save it.  Evernote has an app called Web Clipper, which is supposed to facilitate clipping digital info, but I haven't tried it.

Although Evernote is free, there are data storage limits.  I have yet to surpass the monthly limit, but if you have huge storage needs, there's a Premium membership for $5/month or $45/year that allows for greater data storage.

I have no affiliation with Evernote, I'm just a happy user.  Barb, of Fun with Barb, brought up the topic of quilt inspiration organization the other day, which is what inspired me to share my Evernote experiences.

Now, if I just had the time, I'd start scanning all those quilt pictures and patterns I have marked with Post-It notes in my quilt books and magazines.  Into Evernote they'd go, and I'd have the beginnings of my own personal quilt inspiration index!