Parents are Giving Away Their Kids’ Personal Data Instead of Protecting Them

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Barbara Frank

The British government is sounding the alarm that posting photos of your children online not only violates their privacy, but sets them up for a future where they’ll be unable to control their “digital footprint.”

To make matters worse, many toys as well as communication tools such as Amazon’s Alexa are gathering personal information on your children, information that can be sold to anyone from marketers to law enforcement officials.

I believe some children will be very unhappy to learn, as adults, that their photos and other personal data have been amassed by people and organizations all over the world since before they were born, when their parents (usually their mothers) posted their ultrasound scans.

The Brits are wise to warn parents about this. I wish the U.S. government would issue similar warnings to American parents, many of whom post literally thousands of photos of their children on social media. Remember, even if you “limit” who can see your children’s photos on Facebook, for instance, Facebook can still sell those photos to anyone they want. You agreed to that when you signed up for Facebook, you know.

Parents, you’re supposed to be your children’s protectors. Get a clue!

60-Degree Triangle Table Runner #3

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Barbara Frank

So here it is, the table runner that started my fascination with 60-degree triangle patchwork after I bought a $3 kit with no instructions at a garage sale last summer. I still love this fabric!

As I noted in previous table runner posts, I didn’t want to cut into this gorgeous geranium fabric until I knew what I was doing. So I made the other 60-degree triangle table runners first.

I’m glad I waited. I’m really pleased with how it came out. I used the directions in the video I shared in this post, but instead of quilting it simply, I free-motion quilted it with black thread in the middle and white thread around the perimeter, outlining the flowers as I went along.

Also, unlike the previous table runners, I chose to use binding around the edges of this one.

Of course, I’m about to decorate for Christmas, so this runner will be put away for spring. But just think how lovely it will look on my table in five months or so. Most likely, by then I’ll have forgotten that I made it, so it will be a nice surprise when I find it again. 😉

Oops, I almost forgot, there were enough triangles left over to make a hexagon table topper:

I think I’ve satisfied my urge to sew with 60-degree triangles, at least in terms of table runners. But if I stumble onto an especially lovely border print, I’ll probably make another table runner and table topper, just for the fun of it.

Homeschooling Makes More Sense Than Ever

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Barbara Frank

I stumbled onto yet another article about the advantages of homeschooling. I’ve been pushing that concept for many years, but I never tire of reading articles by others who have learned what our family learned: that your kids will turn out just fine without school. Enjoy!

60-Degree Table Runner #2

Posted on November 23, 2018 by Barbara Frank

I used the second piece of border print fabric I referred to in my last post to make another table runner and hexagon table topper. I purposely chose it because of the type of print it is. Unlike the first fabric, it doesn’t have several different rows of motifs. Instead, it looks like a field of flowers. In fact, it was very similar in style, if not color, to the table runner in this blog post, which I had found on my Internet travels and loved.

I did find a video using similar fabric, but it has no dialogue and is very brief:

Nevertheless, it showed me what I needed to do. Here is the table runner I made:

And here is the hexagon table topper made from the leftover triangles:

(If you like this fabric, it’s currently on sale at Hancock’s of Paducah.) Both table runners are quilted very simply. That will not be the case with the third table runner, which resulted when I finally cut into the geranium fabric. Stay tuned for my next post 🙂

60-Degree Triangle Table Runner #1

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Barbara Frank

It all began with a quilter’s garage sale this past summer. I found a table runner kit for $3. I could see a cheerful red geranium border print folded into a plastic zipper bag along with batting and backing. The title on it said “60 Degrees of Separation.” It looked like a fun project, so I bought it.

When I got home, I discovered that the directions were missing. No wonder the kit was so cheap! I did a little detective work online, and while I couldn’t find that exact pattern title, I did stumble into the world of 60-degree triangle patchwork, and I was hooked.

I decided to practice before cutting into the gorgeous geranium print, so I went on the lookout for border prints, which are needed in this process. I asked three different older female employees at Joann Fabrics and not one had ever heard of a border print. Sigh. Fortunately, a few days later, I was at the Nancy’s Notions booth at the Quilt Expo in Madison and found 1+ yard border print pieces for only $6.50 each. I limited myself to two.

Unfortunately, I was so excited to get started on this new-to-me concept that I neglected to take “before photos” of the fabric pieces. Just in case you don’t know what a border print looks like, here are a couple of examples currently on sale at Hancock’s of Paducah, one of my favorite shopping sites on the Internet:

Usually, a border print has decorative and stripe designs running the length of the fabric, i.e. parallel to the selvages. By cutting the fabric into strips, then cutting the strips into 60-degree triangles, you can make kaleidoscope-like designs and turn them into table runners. Leftover triangles can then be turned into a hexagon-shaped table topper, making good use of almost all of the fabric.

This excellent video by Laura Ann Coia explains the process, and is what I used for my first two table runners. She uses a free pattern you can print out instead of a pricey plastic triangle template: