I have some tips to share today from friends. Have you ever had to sew black binding down onto a black backing? I did ~~ once! Pretty soon it will be twice. Its hard on the eyes, isn't it? Do you have a book light?
Clip it to the side of your quilt for better lighting. I have used my floor stand Ott Lite, but my gosh it gets warm sitting underneath it.
Thanks to Texas Mary Ann for that tip.
For the same thing, from Karen of Oakville, don't use black thread. Guterman has a slate grey thread that does the job better. You can see it! Black on black with black makes for dark, dark work. The grey you will be able see and that stitching won't be so hard on your eyes. The colour number is 9800.
Cutting boards and cutting mats.
I don't know how I quilted before I stated using my rotary cutter. The type of rotary cutter you use is a personal choice. I use an Olfa because that is what the store I worked in carried. I've had my original one for donkey's years. I scoffed my Dad's out of his workshop when he passed away and that is the one I use for paper and I did buy the retractable blade type for safety reasons when the grands started coming along. That is my go to cutter now.
I only buy Omnigrid rulers. Well, not quite true, I do have two specialty rulers that I've never used but have great plans for -- someday. I am starting to replace my rulers gradually. They don't come cheap. I've used many of them for years and I figure that everytime I use them I take a little tiny bit away and the accuracy is probably not as spot on as it once was.
I only buy Omnigrid boards. Did you know that the ruler and the board from Omnigrid match perfectly? If you lay your ruler on the board those lines all match up. If buying one, buy the other.
Okay, last one. I have attached to all my sewing machines a small pair of scissors.
I keep them there, because otherwise they tend to grow legs and walk away. At my serger class on Wednesday, Elsa told me to only use these scissors for thread...........nothing else. Not fabric, not elastic, not lace. Scissors are joined together with a little screw. Keep your thread scissors for thread, like you keep your fabric scissors for fabric. Scissors are sort of calibrated (I can't think of the right word) together for the proper opening and closing when doing projects. If you keep you scissors for specific jobs they will perform perfectly for that task each and every time.
The lanyard that is in the picture...............they are available at Staples. I just checked for you.
http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=&webid=461773&affixedcode=WW
After Charleen saw I used them, she was going to set up her machine the same way.
Every once in awhile I turn on the television while I sew in the "big" room. One day I was watching a Canadian show "Steven and Chris" and the girl that was on was talking about websites she had found and liked. One of them was Goodreads. I can be a ferocious reader or leave a book alone for months. Summer is my reading time. I joined. I love it. It gives me a review of books by other readers and I find new books I might like to add to my shelf. Take wander around and see what you think.
I found a new series of books by Marie Bostwick. All of you may have read them but I've ordered the series and am looking forward to reading them when we are away over the summer.
That's it for this week. See you Monday. Have a good week-end.