Well, today was my first ever day captioning live on the air. Never have I been so excited, yet so nervous in my life! Things went pretty well, though, and I only had a slight audio problem on my second show. It wouldn’t connect! It didn’t kick in until about 30 seconds in to the show, and it took a few minutes for the sheer panic to subside and begin writing, but I recovered. On to tomorrow!
There’s something to be said about being able to work in your pajamas. It was great! Heck, if I’ve got to start working at 6:30 a.m., I might as well be comfortable, right?
But enough about my day, because I want to share with you a new product line Zazzle has introduced within the past few weeks…fabric!
I know there are some crafty steno lovers out there, quilters, DIY’ers, and the like, so I’ve began adding designs to fabric. I ordered a couple fat quarters for myself just so I could see how well they are made. I am very impressed with how Zazzle has managed to migrate to such a tricky product like fabric. I think they both printed out very well.
You can see my two fat quarters below:
Stay tuned, and I’ll show you what I’ve made out of my court reporting fabric.
Fabric can be purchased in either 100% cotton, polyester, a combination of both, or linen in as little an amount as a swatch up to however many yards your project requires. They’re sold in upholstery and drapery weight as well. Wouldn’t a captioning or court reporting covered chair be neat?
One word of advice, though: don’t wait until the last minute to order fabric for your projects. Each design is printed as they’re ordered, so allow production time, as well as shipping time when you place your order. I ordered my fabric on February 11th, and I received it on the 23rd.
Already thinking of things you could make with your very own steno fabric? A steno quilt maybe? Or how about a custom court reporter computer bag? The possibilities are endless!
Red and Black Stenographer Steno Machine Keys Fabric
Purple Stenographer Steno Machine Keys FabricCourt Reporter Temper Tantrum Craft DIY FabricRetro Steno Machine Pick your Own Color FabricRetro Cartoon Woman Court Reporting Funny Quote FabricCourt Reporting is Cool Steno Keyboard FabricBlue and Green Court Reporting Steno Machine DIY FabricCaptioners do it Live Quote DIY FabricRed and Green Court Reporting Steno Machine DIY FabricWords and Phrases in a Court Reporter’s Brain FabricThere is no Glory in Practice Motivational Quote FabricCourt Reporter Student 225 Speed Limit Sign FabricStressed out Man When Court Reporters Attack FabricWhen Court Reporters Attack Editable Text Craft FabricPink and Purple Court Reporting Steno Machine DIY Fabric
I ran across your blog while researching online court reporting schools. Are you still doing it? Is it still rewarding?
Thanks, Holly W
Hi there!
I’m still in the profession. Nearly six years ago I switched over to remote captioning. Love it so much better than reporting! But I’m an introvert, so staying at home with no people to deal with is appealing to me. I’ve toyed with the idea of becoming an official in State or Federal court at some point, but right now I’m happy doing what I’m doing. That’s the good thing about stenography as a career….so many options!
I’m looking for a school which offers an accelerated (at my pace) class. Do you know any you’d recommend. I cannot spend 2 more years in school….
Hi there!
There aren’t as many as there used to be. There is Court Reporting at Home, CRAH I think? If you google them you should find them. I think most any online program is self paced. Keep in mind you’ll have to be motivated to graduate in under two years. The first step is learning theory. The bulk of your schooling will be building speed up to 225 WPM to graduate, which is dependent on how writing on the machine comes naturally to you and how much you practice daily. Totally doable. I’ve known people who did it a little less than two. I graduated in two years, but I know people who took as long as five.