Blades & Rulers

In thinking about what to post today - I wanted to share how much I was enjoying the new rotary cutter blade I put in this weekend. I had stalled putting the new on partly because the last new one hadn't been that sharp and I assumed my scarred self-healing mat was the cause of my woes. Nope - it was the blade! I hereby encourage everyone reading today to change their blade. You will not regret it.

OK - I hadn't planned to say all that today (even tho it's all true). I had planned to share how I use one of my rulers - kind of starting a casual rundown of how I use various rulers - yeah, the ones I still haven't counted. Sometimes it's better not to know altho I have promised someone to just do it.

My friend Liana bought me this 18" x 2.5" ruler as part of a going away gift when I moved back to NY. As for it's original purpose, I find it a little wiggly because it's so long. I haven't tried to use it for it's original purpose in some time so maybe my technique has improved. Note to self - try this ruler for cutting strips some time.

What I have been using it for is is transporting HST from the cutting mat (yeah, they were cut with the new blade!) over to the sewing machine. I know Bonnie just throws them in a pile and then sews them all but I'm a little more anal and don't see the need to dislodge the 2 pieces in a pile so that I need to line them back up to sew the little buggers. Call me crazy.

And then...my quality control officer popped in for a look. At least he got his toukus off the couch - I was beginning to worry there was something wrong with his "senior" self. Please ignore the Glads that should have been put out with the trash...

Fat Cats and veggies, oh my

On Saturday I worked at the LQS. Being a holiday weekend there were a few slumps which gave me time to look around the store and find stuff to try not to buy. I actually resisted buying anything other than what I needed for a pillowcase until about 4:30. That last half hour was a killer because I ran across this fabric and just couldn't pass it up again.

I also caved on a new pattern I had been eyeing that used the "new" Fat Cat ruler. But look how much I've already got done...

I just need to finish the gold sashing, add a gold inner border and then the veggie fabric becomes the outer border. There are actually 2 red fabrics versus 3 greens but it just screams red to me...

Yes Denise - I bought another ruler but no, I haven't made the list yet :(

Road Trip to Penn Yan

I can't find the post but last month I lamented that I wouldn't be able to make my road trip to Penn Yan when I had wanted. Well...it finally worked out last Friday - yeh, during fair week - what was I thinking??

Penn Yan is home to Penn Yan Sewing Machines, a machine sales (Bernina) and repair (electric and treadle) shop ran by Mennonites. It's well worth the 2 hour drive since you can make an appointment and have your machine back the same day instead of leaving it at the more local repair shop for 2 weeks. That would drive me absolutely bonkers. Oh, stop laughing...I am not already bonkers...

I started the trip by stopping in Dansville at one of their LQS and ran into a friend as I was getting ready to get back on the road - what a lucky surprise. I just couldn't pass up a yard of this wonderful fabric. Can you see how one selvage is more blue and the other more green? I loved that.

The sites were great as I continued down the highway. Rte 390 winds thru a lot of pretty hills and after getting off the expressway there is a lot of lush scenery including the Finger Lakes with it's grape fields and farms to look at. No pictures as it was just me on this trip and I can't photograph, listen to the GPS lady recalculating while I take a quicky side trip and drive all at the same time. I stopped at a fav little Mennonite nursery that always has perennials on sale this time of year - picked up 3 Russian sage for $10.00 - car smelled great the rest of the day.

I dropped my machine off and ran over to my fav quilt shop - Golden Lane Fabrics. Most fabrics are $6 or $7 a yard with a $3 close out shelf. I headed straight to the FQ bin to see if anything matched that new blue/green fabric and then started perusing all the bolts. I came across a row of Moda Marbles and it dawned on me those colors would work great with the new blue-green fabric. I've started with the following colors but I figure I will add a few more before I'm done.

I plan to pick a pattern out of the book that I also picked up in Dansville. I had seen the book online and after viewing it in person felt it was worth the money. I hemmed and hawed about the (expensive) ruler - I really could do these patterns without it but as my friend said - she's all about convenience and the ruler came home with me.

Then I walked the historic district in down town Penn Yan - you know where my camera was? right? In the car! Next summer, I promise. I ate lunch at a little cafe run by volunteers and all their profits benefit a weekend backpack of food program for kids who don't get enough to eat. After receiving a call that my machine wouldn't be ready on time, I took the long way back to the shop. I stopped at a little dry goods place. There wasn't anything that I just had to buy but the pet fawn playing with the girls in the yard was priceless. I also got to drive along another of the Finger Lakes. I found a great place to park and eat a picnic lunch for next summer.

My machine was finally ready a little after 4 and I had to be at the fair by 5. Oops, that won't work. I made some calls that I would be late (it helps when you "work" for your parents) and boogied back to Wyoming County.

Penn Yan was a nice little jaunt and now I need to pick a pattern for my new fabrics...will I use the blue/green as a panel? 3 long panels? borders? Yikes - too many options...

Design Wall Monday - 8/22/11

Are you a list maker? I am. Having spent last week at the Fair and the week before getting ready for the Fair - I had certain chores that had been seriously neglected for a while. Saturday night I made my honey do list for Sunday and woke up nicely rested. I spent the morning picking up some hotspots (the dots are what's started) while waiting for stuff to load on the computer. By noon I was thoroughly disgusted with the computer and had completely switched to sewing - which I continued doing until I decided I should really make supper at 8pm. Thankfully sewing had been on the list and was the one item I could actually cross off!

Now this certainly wasn't a rocket science project and I wasn't really in a hurry but I finished an ok audio book and started a great one so it was a nice afternoon in my pjs watching thunderstorms come and go while working on this project. I used the "recs" ruler from my tri-recs set to make these rectangles. I had seen a quilt made in this style with various neutrals and red/green Christmas fabrics. I liked the other quilt much better and think it's because these colors are so vibrant and contrasty. There is no mushiness or even scrappiness here at all. Is that maybe why I never use my 30's repros?

Any way...I will be adding borders to the top/bottom to make this a more usable size since it's too big for a runner and too small for even a baby quilt. I'm not sure what it's for, other than to show another design with this ruler set which is a required ruler for a BOM class I will be helping to teach at the LQS.

I would love to see any design ideas you guys have for using the tri/recs ruler so I can share with my students.