Q: I want to print my blog. What company should I use? How much does it cost?
A: It really depends on what you want the book to look like.
I spend a lot of time making formatting my posts before publishing so it’s all the way I want. I don’t have time to waste re-formatting several hundred posts every year just to print the thing. All I want is to basically have my blog printed and bound without all the whistles and bells. Several years ago I found that in blogprinting.com through Qoop. They slurped and printed, the end. They did offer an options to make and upload my own cover art, which I did. They’re great books. Then blogprinting.com closed down. You can still print you blog through Qoop but now you have to export it, change it to a .pdf, then upload it to their site before printing. A big, old pain.
Lucky for us, there is now another site that makes it easier. Blog2print is what I use now. I’ve printed three books (soon to be four) through them and been very happy. They offer hard and soft covers and support both blogger and wordpress (really, everyone should just switch to WP where the grass really is greener!). It requires no special skills or know how. It simply slurps your blog, you title the book, choose a cover, and you’re good to go. In addition to books they also offer a .pdf copy on CD for around $8. The only thing I wish they offered was an option to upload custom cover art. I can select a graphic or photo I want to use in the photo area of the cover but the entire cover itself is not customizable (yet). They have a lot of cover options and I’ve always been able to find one that worked with my graphic but I’d still prefer to upload my own. For hardback books they charge $25 for the first 20 pages, then $0.35 for each additional page. It is only slightly less is you choose color paperback and considerably less if you go with b&w paperback. They only offer one size which is 8.5×11. My books were roughly 250 pages each and cost me right around $100. I didn’t have to pay shipping.
For those who wish to take the time, Blurb is also a great choice. They offer customization on every front and the books print beautifully. If you’re willing to take the time. You download a program from their site called booksmart, work on the book offline after your blog has been slurped to it, and upload it back onto the site when it’s finished and you’re ready to publish. After blogprinting went down I made several attempts at turning my blog into a blurb book but the process was so tedious and time consuming I gave up every time. The furthest I made it was through May of one year. The default page for their blog book is absolutely ridiculous in my opinion with 5-6 thumbnail photos down one side of each page. It screwed up the placement of all my photos (which I’d purposely placed in certain areas of my original posts) and I had to select a new page layout for every. single. freaking. page. And when you’re looking at a book that’s several hundred pages long that alone is a lot of time. Even then my photos still didn’t fall in the right places and the entire process just really bugged.
Believe it or not, though, I actually have had some great experiences with Blurb. Just not for blog books. I made a celebration of life/memory book for my dad (he almost died not long before) with photos and letters from our family. Starting from scratch, it is an excellent program to work with. The options were great and the book came out just the way I wanted. I’ve also purchased a couple of books two of my SIL’s made that are just as lovely. Also, I know quite a few people who have been very happy using Blurb for their blog books and often format posts for their blog with Blurb in mind (i.e. in digital scrapbook form). My dad’s book was 8×10 and had about 125 pages. For the image wrap cover it was around $55 plus shipping.
So, in short, if you just want you blog printed into a book as is with minimal effort I fully recommend blog2print. If you are willing to take the time and want to rework things to have it all “just so” then Blurb is probably for you. Both companies offer coupon codes once in a while for 15-30% off your purchases if you get on their mailing list.
Q. Are you really that pale? Have you really never tanned before?
A. Yes, I really am that pale/fair/white and delightsome. I never tan and only sunburn. Once in a while my burn will fade to a tan but more often than not it just blisters and peels. I typically wear SPF45 or higher (I know some people say there’s not really much benefit after SPF 15 bit I’ve personally noticed a difference so I still use it). I did try getting a tan with oil once when I was about 14. My friends who all tan were passing it around at the beach and I thought to myself, “Ah! So that’s how people get a tan!” I slathered the oil all over my skim milk-colored skin and got horrid first and second degree sunburns. Really, you could practically hear my skin sizzling in the sun, it was that bad. I haven’t made that mistake again.
Q. What kind of sewing machine(s) do you use?
A. My regular, old sewing machine is a Pfaff Hobby 1032. I’ve had it since September 2004. I don’t know how much it cost because it was a gift from my parents when I graduated from Cosmetology School. I do know they bought it from Whimmer’s in Logan, Utah and if I ever have questions about it I can get help from them. I’ve never had any problems with it other than my own stupidity.
My serger is an Elna 683. I splurged on it right after ODD graduated from Podiatry School in May of 2009. I forget why, but for some reason we had a bunch of money to blow and that’s what I chose. I bought it from Valley Vacuum and Sewing in Salt Lake City, Utah. I got the floor model so it was considerably less than it would have been otherwise and I paid around $500-550 for it. It is self-threading, which I highly recommend, and I’ve really loved having it. My only problem with it has been figuring out the tension again after Peanut climbed up on a chair a spun all the tension knobs (she got a big time out for that one and there may have been some yelling). I couldn’t remember what the defaults were and had to mess with it for a long, long time to get it back to usable order. It’s still not perfect and one of these days I may take it in and have the guy who sold it to me reset it all. Before that, though, it ran perfectly, if a tad slow for a serger, and made a nice, strong stitch.
Q. I want to get a new sewing machine. What do you recommend?
A. If you have the means and really intend to get into sewing I highly recommend going to a sewing and vacuum store. I don’t know why vacuums and sewing machines are always together like that but they are. Look for a strong brand like Pfaff, Janome, Viking, Elna, Necchi, or Bernina.
On the lower end are the machines with mechanical settings (turn a knob, it changes something), and fewer features. On the higher end are machines with electronic settings (screens with buttons or touch sensitivity) and a billion different features. Really, most people don’t need all the fancy stuff. Just look for a machine that makes a nice, consistent stitch and does buttonholes. Most machines come with a standard foot, a buttonhole foot, and a zipper foot. If you dig quilting and want to try stipling or freehand stuff you might look into getting a walking foot as well.
Before you leave the store with your new machine be sure you know how to change the feet, wind and insert the bobbin, and thread the machine. Each machine is a little different so don’t just assume you already know even if you’ve sewn before. Especially if you’re buying a serger be sure you know how to thread the thing and do it several times yourself before you leave the shop. I know it may seem silly but just watching is not the same. Have the person selling it to you watch you do it a couple of times so you know you’re learning it correctly. It would be a shame to get home and not be able to use your machine because you can’t get it threaded.
Another good thing about buying from a vacuum and sewing shop is you always know where to go when you need help. Whether your machine needs a repair or you just want to learn how to use a new foot or a different feature the shop you bought your machine from will have someone who knows what to do for your particular machine. Some also offer classes on how to use your new machine or offer regular tune-ups.
If you don’t plan to do a ton of sewing you can always buy a White or a Brother from various big box stores. These tend to be cheaper machines, don’t usually have a nice, consistent stitch, and aren’t generally very sturdy. Though the price is tempting, if you really plan to get into sewing I don’t recommend them.
In any case I recommend using a good thread. It may not sound like something that makes a difference but it does, as any sewing machine repairman will tell you. Coats & Clark and thread from the dollar bins are cheaper thread in more ways than just price. When you pull a strand out and look at it you can see all the little fuzzy bits of fiber on it. These bits make for a lot of lint over time that can build up in your machine and eventually make it not runas well or even need to be taken in to the repair shop. It’s better to spend just a bit more on some good thread and save yourself the time and money of a repair later. Gutterman is usually good, as is Mettler or any other “expensive” thread. When a strand of nicer thread is pulled out there is little to no fuzz attached. This makes for a better stitch and a stronger thread. If in doubt pull out a strand and look at the fuzz factor.
Q. I want to learn how to knit/crochet. How did you learn?
A. I learned to crochet from one of my leaders at a church activity when I was 11. I learned the different stitches by watching my leader. Though I didn’t do much with it after making a few pot holders I never forgot those stitches.
As for knitting, I tried a few times to learn but never quite got the hang of it all until was in my mid-twenties and wanted to make a hat for Peanut. I came across a couple of books with illustrations I found helpful and learned on my own that way. One was Knitting for Dummies Pocket Edition and the other was Knitting For Babies and Kids. For some simple patterns and more good pictures I also recommend the book Easy Baby Knits.
If I ever come across something I’m unsure of or don’t understand and can’t find the answer in my books then I’ll google it until I can find what I’m looking for. This happened with the Kitchener Stitch and I found this tutorial to be helpful.
