Converting Websites to PDF

I was reading one of my teaching blogs (I have no idea which one!) the other day and came across a post on converting websites to PDFs. My web browser is Firefox - so I tested out one of the add-ons called "Print Pages to PDF." It worked!

This is a great resource for saving patterns that are posted on blogs. So if you have a few patterns you like, you can convert the webpage into a PDF. Here's how I did it in Mozilla Firefox.

 1. Search "print pages to PDF" and you'll see "Print pages to PDF: Add-ons to Firefox..."

Click on that.

2. This will come up. Click on the green "Add to Firefox" bottom to add this.

3. Right click on the blog page and a pop-up will appear. Click on "Print pages to PDF" then "Print active Tab." 

The webpage will be converted into a PDF!

One thing to note...please respect the blogger who posted the pattern! 









UPDATE: A reader posted the following website that also converts to PDF:
http://kitpdf.com/web_to_pdf/

What Plumbers Could Learn From Us.

When I walked into my house on Friday, the thermostat read a cool 59 degrees. I simply hit the "up" arrow and the furnace came on. A temporary fix. So much for an easy weekend of sewing. I added this to my list of home improvement projects. Ugh. Although I'm fairly handy, I don't enjoy spending my weekend fixing things. My most pressing issue was my leaky bathtub faucet. Plumbing scares me.

I don't know much about plumbing, so I searched online for videos and tutorials but found only the vague or ridiculous. I teetered between overconfident and terrified. Eventually the overconfident (and thrifty) Bia took over. I decided to give it a try. As I slowly disassembled the hot water faucet, I felt my moxie slide. What the heck was I thinking? This mechanism didn't look like anything I'd seen before. I took some pictures and headed to Home Depot. The guy in the plumbing section found the part I needed and began a cryptic, half-hearted explanation. About all I remember hearing is, "Blah...blah...blah, it's really difficult to get it lined up. You'll need a flashlight and a screwdriver....blah...blah...rubber cup and spring." I think the entire aisle of plumbing parts freaked me out. I became a very bad listener.

I came home and with some prying, got the unit apart. I did it carefully, but there wasn't much to the assembly. The main problem was that there were no directions. Nothing at all for me to follow. I slid the pieces in through the hole in the wall and everything fit beautifully. I put it all back together, and after a minor bit of celebrating, headed to the basement to turn on my water. Defeat. I could hear the water running. To make a really long story short, this continued for about two hours. I took it apart, put it back together, took it apart, ran downstairs, turned the water on. Turned the water off. Gave up. Went back. Looked at the cold water faucet. Yelled. Stretched. Punched my fists in the air. At 9 pm, turned on TV and watched John Carter.

I don't know how I managed it, but I got a full eight hours of sleep. Usually I lie in bed visualizing the problem to the point that my brain won't shut off. I now realize why that didn't happen. Most of my projects make sense. I can figure them out. This made no sense. None. Nada.

After two cups of coffee (liquid courage), I decided to hit the tub for one last try. It took an additional 90 minutes of work, and at times I felt like I was playing the board game Operation, but I did it. I figured it out. It took some tweezers and some homemade tools, but I did it. In remote villages in Africa, running water is a great sound. In the little city of Corning, the absence of running water is a great sound. And I heard nothing. It was music to my ears.

I took a celebratory walk in my neighborhood and thought about my experience. Why the heck was this so difficult? Why is there a whole freak'n wall of plumbing parts that all look similar but aren't? And who designs these parts? I think plumbers could learn a lot from us. When sewists and quilters encounter something complicated, we find a way to make it simple. We create templates, tools, and tutorials that we post and pin. We fix the problem. And we love to find and share ways to make the whole process easier. Mostly, it's free. If it's a little more complicated, we might sell something; nonetheless, our goal is to do what we can to help bring others into the community of sewing. We love our sewing communities. And our wealth comes from the joy we get from sharing and helping. 

A few years ago, I paid a guy $130 to replace the wax ring on my old toilet. A month later, my sisters visited me. They helped me pick out a new toilet and the three of us removed the old one and installed the new one. It was sisterhood at its best. Kind of like how I feel when I hang out with my sewing sisters. Everything is better when we work together!

Using Evernote to Organize My Ideas

EVERNOTE, the Evernote Elephant logo and REMEMBER EVERYTHING are trademarks of Evernote Corporation and used under a license.

I'm getting ready to go back to work and spent some time last week in technology workshops. I love technology but only if it streamlines my life. Sometimes a piece of paper and a pen is much faster.

But lately I've been using Evernote to organize my ideas. It's like Pinterest but it's private. So it's in the CLOUD (not stored on my own computer but out there in cyberspace); I have an app on my phone and the program on my laptop. 

What I like about Evernote is how I can use it for sewing and quilting. I love the visual aspect of Pinterest but I don't want to share all of my pins and notes and I don't want to get sued for pinning things that the owner doesn't want pinned. There are many ways I use Evernote, but my two favorite are: (1) storing pictures and (2) storing websites/pictures.

My first foray into Evernote was creating a digital record of ideas. I'm an idea collector and I have bits of paper everywhere - pictures I've torn from magazines and catalogs....in piles, on bulletin boards, on tables, in drawers...and as much as I would like to create a system that works, I've tried and can't seem to stick with anything. But if there is one constant in my life I'd have to say it's this: I am online. Yes, I think I finally found my system!

(1) Pictures - With Evernote, I snap a picture (with my phone), type in some notes, and upload it to Evernote. I have folders on Evernote that help me categorize my ideas. Some include Bernina Feet, Easy Quilts, Sewing Techniques, Home Dec - that kind of thing. When I'm on my laptop and have some time, I go into Evernote and move the picture to the correct file - then I type in some personal notes. For example, I recently saw a picture of a pillow in a catalog and thought, "Freemotion couching foot!" I snapped a picture of it and uploaded the picture to Evernote. It's now in my Bernina Foot folder. 

You can also take pictures of projects and upload them to Evernote. See a cool quilt? Take a picture (always ask for permission!), type in some notes, and upload. Today I was watching Sewing With Nancy and loved what they were doing with machine felting, so I snapped a picture of the tv screen (which, BTW, is 14 years old!), typed in some notes, and uploaded the picture/note. Now when I think, "where did I see that idea about machine felting?" I can search Evernote.

(2) Websites/Pictures - Secondly, with Evernote on my laptop, I can right-click on a webpage and select "Add to Evernote" from the popup screen. I usually select "clip image" to save the image. The URL gets added automatically -- it's at the top of the note. The image and link go in the appropriate folder. I then type in any notes that I want to make. For example, when I see a free quilt pattern online and immediately think of a gift idea or fabric I'd use, I add it to Evernote and write, "perfect for Maria's Christmas present." And when I wonder, "what was that quilt I wanted to make for Maria?" I just search, "Maria" and there it is.

I'm just beginning to explore Evernote. Like anything that's free, just remember that it can go away at any time and it's not totally secure. Want Evernote? Just head on over to their website!