I am trying to understand why you want to view garden pictures on a tiny phone screen, when I can see it much larger on my PC. How can you appreciate nature on a tiny screen? I have a fast DELL PC and RoadRunner Broadband, no problems here. We happily got rid of cellphone plans many years ago, now have Tracphones only in our cars for emergencies. (In my past work life I was in high speed controls). Bernd

Golddust, line drying definitely has an image problem. I've found it's perceived by quite a few people as something only "poor" people do because they "can't afford" to do the laundry "right", meaning, inside, out of sight, with a clothes dryer. We've all seen pictures of busy, third world slums with ropes and cables criss crossing crowded alleys, or the pictures of balconies on run down apartment buildings laden with grayed, wrinkled laundry. Even in places where there's plenty of room for a proper line, you have people who never learned the right way to wash and hang laundry so it's sloppy, messy and leaves them with their stiff, faded clothes wrinkled and pulled out of shape. That's part of why it ends up banned in so many communities ruled by an HOA. But as you already know, the reality is that when done correctly, line drying is a reward unto itself; aside from saving money (and helping save the planet), you have the benefits of fresh air, sunshine and mild exercise that you can't get from taking a load out of the dryer and folding it while sitting on the couch watching tv.

Sounds like you have a wonderful husband to buy those for you...they are not cheap by any means and some are downright expensive. What model Janome do you have? I would go through the manual and practice page by painful page that will pay dividends later when you have to use it--I do it with every new machine I own, sometimes several times because of new technology and I've been sewing 45 years. You may have missed a detail or two while reading/glancing through and may not realize the full potential of your machine. It's also a good way to practice the feet included, find out what decorative stitches you have and what they look like at different settings (keep the swatch with notes for future reference), and how to use the different double needles available--they can be wonderous. The zipper foot is the same except now snaps on, application is the same you learned in junior high. If you worked with knits in school, the same rules apply. As another poster indicted, you don't need the walking foot to sew knits, you already have done the 2 major things by loosening up the presser foot pressure a bit and using a ball point needle. I usually elongate the regular stitch a bit to allow for stretch and haven't had a popped seam yet. Red posted an excellent site that actually tells you how to use the foot, the Janome site tells you only what the foot is for. Usually you can find instructions on line by googling or other search engine on how to use the feet. Do not worry about brand, most feet work the same. Most of all, sit back and relax while practicing because it is practice...and always clean your machine with the lint brush and make practice runs when you start sewing at the start of each day, when trying something new, or working with a new type of fabric or method. This little practice will save you time, energy, materials, asprin, and at times hair in the long run.

I still can't remember that woman's name but I guess it's not that important! it just bugs me though. ;) But this has been probably two years ago that I saw her stuff (probably longer than that, even) so I fear there's no chance of recalling the info! LOL I did get some books out of the library and so far am liking Sandra Betzina's "Fast Fit." I looked at another one of hers and she's pretty straightforward and easy to understand. another one I'm looking at is "The Easy Guide to Sewing Jackets" by Cecilia somebody and it's ok, pictures are good; but directions sometimes go over my head. I'm afraid in this case it's not going to take a whole lot to do that, LOL. She uses the pinfit method of pattern fitting instead of cutting out from muslin. I'm not sure it's any easier or less time-consuming than fitting it in muslin first. I also like Sandra Betzina's idea of making the dressmaker shell that the pattern companies put out. I was looking at Butterick's website and the new Connie Crawford "Ready to Wear sized patterns." I had to laugh - the measurement chart she provided sounded exactly like the pattern companies old ones! LOL That surely accomplishes a lot, doesn't it? *sigh* I'm certainly glad most ready to wear clothing doesn't fit this way, or we'd all have to go around naked! :O