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Some Sewing, Very Little Trimming
I spent some time over the weekend trying to find the Olfa Ergonomic Rotary Cutter I bought in 2014, but was completely unable to find it. Where do rotary cutters go to die? At any rate, I had to purchase a new one since my hand is still hurting me. Here is a tip that…
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Two Notions I Am Loving Lately
Good news. Today I will not be talking about making cushions. Woo hoo, they are finished, and that's all I am going to say. What I did want to share are two sewing notions/tools I am loving lately. The first is the "needle minder" I mentioned a few posts back. It is a magnetic device…
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Cushions and More Cushions
My son-in-law asked me to make 16 cushions for the outside area of his wine tasting room. He bought the fabric ages ago, and I used some of it to recover the cushions on his own home patio. I have been putting off making the tasting room cushions because the weather has been too lousy…
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Etoile Rouge and Hourglass Units
I mentioned that I am participating in a sew-along called Etoile Rouge, hosted by Kathryn Kerr. You do have to pay to join it, and it started at the beginning of January. She isn't taking any more signups for now but runs the same sew-along every year starting in January. So, if you like the…
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Design Boards Part Two
The design board saga continues with my second method for finishing off the raw edges. This time I used duct tape (duck tape?) to finish the edges of the design board. It worked brilliantly. It was fast, it was easy, it wasn't messy. Pretty much an all-around winner, if you ask me. One reader indicated…
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Foundation Paper Tip
While working on my Designer Mystery 2015/Snowman Gatherings project over the weekend, I ran into a problem. I needed to make some square in a square units in a size for which I did not have foundation paper. When making this fussy unit, I have found that the only way I can get good results…
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A Tip to Speed Up the Block Making Process
As shown in yesterday's post, I have been working on the Granny Square blocks for the Family Reunion sew-along from the Rollin' Along book. For my first block I got up and pressed my seams open for every single seam in those blocks. It took F.O.R.E.V.E.R. For my second block, I pulled out my old-fashioned…
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Current Favorite Sewing Tools
I thought it might be fun to talk about some quilting/sewing tools I have been using lately. I truly believe they are responsible for making my sewing more accurate. First up is starch. I buy it by the half dozen cans or more at Walmart, where I have found the best prices. If you haven't…
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Another Way To Make Square in Square Units
After I posted on using Fatquartershop's Square in a Square foundation papers yesterday, I got an email from my friend Barbara. She reminded me that there is a ruler/tool that she has used for years to make this unit, and that she didn't see the need to purchase the foundation papers, good as they are.…
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Machine Binding Went Ok
I tried Vanessa's method for machine stitching binding yesterday and overall was very pleased with how it went. Vanessa is the designer behind Lella Boutique fabric, and has a tutorial on this technique on Instagram. Vanessa's method involves Elmer's School Glue, which many of you said you did not and would not do. Other than…