my favorite photo editing tools

I'm a huge fan of photoshop. When we first left Vancouver and I found myself with no jobs, no friends and a massive hill and knee high snowbanks to deal with in order to go anywhere my first reaction was to load photoshop and teach myself a few things. After about 3 years of playing I'm still in love, know a lot more than when I started, and thankfully have moved again to somewhere with less snow.

All that rambling introduction is to tell you about a few photo editing tips I've picked up recently that have really made a difference to the quality of my pictures. Styling wise I still need help. Somebody really needs to teach an ecourse on styling for quilt blogs!

The first is a really easy trick that can be done in photoshop and photoshop elements. Open your image, then make a copy layer of it. Change the blending mode of the second layer to screen, adjusting the opacity of the second layer until it feels right. Easy!

A bit more advanced, but still super easy (and way easier than doing everything yourself), is using actions. I've downloaded tons of free ones but have found that I only really use 2 very often. These are boutwell magic glasses from totally rad actions (available in their test drive pack) and 123 pop from Isabelle Lafrance Photography.  123 pop is available for photoshop and photoshop elements, boutwell only for photoshop.

rollover to see the effect of boutwell magic glasses

If you haven't used actions before they're pre-assembled bundles of photoshop edits that will give a specific effect to your photos.  Boutwell Magic Glasses does an amazing job of sharpening images, while still keeping those lovely out of focus bits, well, out of focus (it's not that magic!).  123 pop lightens and brightens and really makes colours stand out.  I love using these 2 together!

Let me know if you download any of these or if you have any favorite photoshop tricks of your own!

happy weekend,
c

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my favorite basting method

Admittedly with the longarm I haven't had to baste anything in a while, but back in the day this was my favorite method of basting.  It's one no one really mentions and I'm not sure why, because the results are excellent, especially for larger quilts.

It's not something revolutionary, though your back may think it is.  It's table basting.

That's right, no more crawling around on the floor!

Of course the essential part to this is tables.  Most quilt shops have classroom areas with large tables all of the same height and when there aren't classes in progress, most will loan out the space for basting!  No quilt shop nearby?  Try a community center or church or other organization that you're associated with.  But a quilt shop really is the best, and not just because you can do a little shopping.

Move the tables together until you have a surface large enough to accomadate your quilt back, then baste just like you would on the floor, minus the sore back and knees!  Of course there are a few things you should keep in mind.  If you're planning on taping your backing, ask first to make sure that's ok.  And use good quality painter's tape that you know will come off easily.  Some places won't allow tape, if that's the case extra large bulldog clips will often work or you may have to invest in some clamps from the hardware store.  Or just find another place that lets you use tape!  Also I've only ever used pins when table basting.  If you want to spray baste I'd also ask about that before starting.  The shop owner may be concerned about residue on the tables or have staff whose lungs, like mine, can't handle stuff in spray cans.

One of the best reasons to table baste at a quilt shop has to do with batting.  Working on a large quilt at home it's almost impossible to get the batting perfectly smooth.  Well, at a quilt shop everyone is going to be coming by to see what you're working on.  So there'll always be an extra set of hands to help you give the batting those few extra tugs that get rid of all the creases and fullness.  I've found this really is the secret to basting that works and doesn't need constant re-adjustment when you sew.  And hey, talking to other quilters is just fun - even if they love brown and batiks, you can still learn from each other!

xox,
c

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