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Why do you need more than one rotary cutter?

Rotary cutters are necessary in quilter’s world and who doesn’t have more than one?! And I don’t mean more than one size (although that is true as well!), I mean more than one of the same size cutter! If you are like me, I’m always anxious to try out the newest and greatest rotary cutter and therefore my little drawer that holds all my cutters is rather full.

But it can be an advantage to having more than one rotary cutter. One thing I do is keep one cutter with a sharp blade for cutting fabrics. Another one has a dull blade that I use for cutting paper and plastic templates. When my fabric cutting blade gets dull and hard to cut with fabric, I insert a new blade and recycle the old blade to the paper cutting rotary cutter.

Not only can I get more use out of my blades, but it is much more efficient to cut out paper patterns and templates from template plastic with a rotary cutter than a pair of scissors. But I’m still able to keep my rotary cutter blade sharp for cutting fabric.

So the next time you are quilt shopping and see a brand new rotary cutter, but think to yourself that you already have one and you really don’t need another, just consider using a second one for cutting templates. What better excuse for another neat rotary cutter?! :)


Hang Up Those Blocks!

written by Serena Smith

original idea by Vivian Goetz

One of the ladies in my classes, Vivian Goetz came up with this great idea and because I thought it was such a good idea, I asked her if I could share it with you! It’s a great storage idea!!! :)

It never fails. You just finished a quilt block. All the seams are lying flat. It’s pressed and ready to be trimmed down or put into a quilt top. You store it in the end of the table or pack it in a tote and when you get it back out - viola! - there are wrinkles and creases in that once oh-so-flat-and-pressed block!

What do you do? How about storing those quilt blocks by hanging them on a skirt/pant hanger! One afternoon, one of the ladies in my classes, Vivian Goetz, came in carrying her quilt blocks hung on such a hanger. What an ingenious idea! It keeps them hanging flat and ready to use without having to press out the wrinkles every time you move the blocks. Plus it’s easy to clip onto the back of your chair if you are taking quilt blocks back and forth to class.

Just think: you could devote a whole closet to storing your quilt blocks! That is, if anyone would ever have a free, unoccupied closet! :)


Eliminate Those Scratches!

Embroidery designs are great for stitching on garments, whether it’s t-shirts, blouses or jeans. It’s especially unique and special stitching those baby and toddler articles of clothing with cute little whimsical designs. But one complaint those little toddlers have of their very fun shirts is the rough threads against their soft skin on the back of the embroidery design.

Those thread ends and little knots are rough against a baby’s or toddler’s delicate skin. Metallic threads will cause more irritation than polyester or rayon embroidery threads. To eliminate this try fusing a fusible lightweight interfacing such as So Sheer to the back of the embroidery design, covering those thread ends. This will take care of the scratchiness against delicate or sensitive skin.


Yes, I’ve been working…:)

I’ve been hard at work this past week working on the new MJE quilt in a color shade of pink. I have a panel of embroidery finished as well as embroidery complete on all of the eight embroidered fan blocks.

But it took a while figuring out what fabric to use for all the fan pieces of the corner fans and dresden plates. But I am more than happy with what I decided on. Now just to decide on decorative stitches…the really tough part! :)

Neither of these blocks are completely finished as far as decorative stitches; they are currently works-in-progress to be completed in hopefully the next two weeks! :)


Sewing room tour - Covering pizza boxes


Covering Pizza Boxes with Fabric
by Serena Smith
www.embtreasures.com

Pizza boxes are quick and easy to cover with fabric and offer great little storage containers to keep in your sewing room. Watch the video for step-by-step directions as well.

Supplies
large pizza box
piece of fabric 38″ long x 20-22″ wide
1/4 yd Ultra Heat’n’Bond wonderunder or 1 pkg 5/8″ roll (needs to be the “no-sew” kind)
8″ length of 1/8″ or 1/4″ ribbon
scissors
Olfa knife to cut slits in box

Let’s get started!
If the pizza box is folded into a box, unfold it so it is laying out flat. You will be fusing the fabric to the outside of the box and then folding the fabric raw edge to the inside.

Starting at the box lid, fuse a piece of wonderunder to the cardboard flap. Peel off the paper backing and lay the fabric on top of the box so the fabric width is centered over the box and there is about 3/4″-1″ extension of fabric past the lid flap. The fabric will not quite reach the end of the other side of the box. That is ok; this end will be tucked inside.

Using your iron, fuse wonderunder strips as show below and then fuse the fabric to the box, smoothing the fabric out as you are pressing.

After the fabric is fused to the outside of the box, flip it over and cut out the corners near the flap and cut slits in the fabric in the center and at the bottom of the box where the flaps will turn to the inside to create box. Follow the cardboard slits to cut the fabric.

Fuse the fabric flaps with wonderunder to the cardboard flaps on the sides and end of the box. Then on the sides, fold the fabric to the inside of the box and fuse down. The raw edge of fabric will be inside the box.

Fold the sides and top of the flap fabric to the inside of the box to cover the flap and fuse down in place. Using the Olfa knife, cut slits in the fabric in the bottom of the box so the flaps can fit inside to hold up the box sides. Follow the cardboard cutouts.

Fold the ribbon in half and lay the ends in the center of the flap. Fuse a piece of wonderunder on the ribbon ends to hold in place. Then cut a 1″ scrap of fabric and fuse over the ribbon ends.

Fold in the flaps of the box and put the box together. The ribbon should form a little loop to open the box.

Enjoy storing fabrics, notions or other things in your newly decorated pizza box!

For printable directions, click here.


Copyright © 2008 Serena Smith No portion of these directions may be copied or reproduced in any form other than one copy printed for personal use.
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