Favorite Quilting Tools

The Stashbuster Topic of the Week is Your Favorite Quilting Tool. Mine is obvious, the rotary cutter, but not just any rotary cutter. The OMNIGRID ROTARY CUTTER. The pressure of cutting opens the blade, and when you release the pressure, the blade is hidden again. My daughter bought me one a year or so ago, because I was always leaving the blade open and getting knicks (or dropping on my toe). Now, the only holes are from the new puppy that is teething!

Now, if we could only get Omnigrid to make a 60mm rotary cutter. Currently I'm using Clover's 60mm, but I still forget to shut the blade.

The 60mm cutters are great! When I went to Judy Neimeyers class the first week of February, she was cutting through 40 layers of fabric, and cut out that Raindrops quilt 'entirely' in less than 20 minutes!!! I was certainly impressed. Of course, you do need a sharp blade to do that. I do try to stock them in my ebay store, but the 60mm blades keep getting backordered from the distributor.

I am a sucker for trying (and having) all the new and latest tools. The stiletto is way up there on the list as well. I've got the brass one like what Elenor Burns uses. Tried other items, but it is still the best.

Oops, the studio is calling me. I need to finish quilting some customer quilts for our quilt show that is just around the corner. I think they would like some time to bind it before they turn them in on Saturday.

Betty

New Project Started.

It was very inspiring to go up and start a new project this evening. I used fabrics from my stash. I had sketched out a simple design from an antique quilt that I had seen a few years ago (but was too pricey for me to purchase). The colors are similar, and I'll post more on that later. Mostly pinks & browns, and indigo blues and shirtings.

I'm almost done getting my studio organized. Here are a couple of pictures to show progress. The first picture shows one of my favorite antiques. It's an Arrow Shirt Display case that I bought at the Tulsa Flea Market about 15 or 20 years ago. Not sure if can tell, but it's mostly filled with 30s/40's reproduction fabrics and sorted by color.

The second picture shows my Gammill in the foreround. Customer quilt is loaded and I'll start on it first thing in the morning.

Time for bed, it's hard work cleaning, organizing and hanging about the house all day!

Later.

More Progress - Thread is out of the Bathroom!

Finally got hubby to put up somes shelving that I've had for a little while. Really great as I was storing thread in a box in the shower stall in the bathroom in my studio. (don't generally take showers up there, so it was handy- but not easy to get to).

Anyway, have now emptied 2 mores boxes, and found logical places to put a bunch of other stuff.

The other thing I've been organizing is my fabric. The batiks are all together, but not sorted. The 30's/40's type of fabric are in a antique ARROW SHIRT display chest. (Really cool, about 10 drawers with glass fronts, and about 6 foot tall). The solids and tone on tones (blenders) are stacked on a shelf - by color- in the closet. Batting is easier to get to. (Two most used on the bars under the table), the rest in the closet. Flannels are sorted and in their own area. Projects are all labeled and in plastic see through boxes or project bags and neatly on shelves.

Also extended the anti-fatigue mats under the table, so that I don't keep scooting it back and forth (depending on if I working from front or back of table).

And last but not least, got my design wall up! I think I am most excited about that. It's not exactly where I would have liked it, but it IS up, and I can start using it instead of the floor.

I have the next quilt loaded for tomorrow. So, my reward for all this hard work this weekend is to take at least an hour (rather than 15 minutes) to sew on whatever I want!

Success! A Week of Not Buying!

It's been a week of not buying any fabric! I've been to the New Quilt Shop TWICE - with other quilting buddies and just watched as they bought stuff, and I didn't! What a powerful feeling. Must admit to fondleing quite a few lucious pieces tho! :) I did buy a couple of rolls of batting yesterday, but that's a good thing as I'm using that to finish up quilts!

A week ago Friday, as mentioned in earlier post I took a class from Judy Neimeyer. Since then, I have worked my 15 minutes (OK, more like a couple of hours) a day and have been working on my Conestoga Star quilt. I think I have overcome my fear of paper piecing, and was actually enjoying it! I now have 84 of the 160 wedges required for the quilt completed! Whoo Hoo. I took them to Bee yesterday, and removed the paper while chatting.

Today, am getting hubby to put up some shelves I got at IKEA, and will spend 30 minutes or so on my continual project of getting organized in my studio. Almost ready to post some pictures of that! (Usually when I think of pictures, the camera is downstairs and on the other side of the house).

Now it's on to housecleaning, as I've got 3 customers coming over today to pick up quilts.

Later.