Safe Rotary Cutting for Quilters

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Barb

For over 20 years, I’ve used rotary cutters to cut fabric for my quilts, and I’ve never had an accident. That’s just luck, because plenty of accomplished, careful quilters have cut themselves badly at least once while using this very sharp tool.

Now that I’m on blood thinners, and the least little scratch makes me bleed quite a bit, I’m thinking that I’ve got to do more than just hope my luck doesn’t run out: I need protection! So I decided to buy a ruler guard, a large gripper for big templates and rulers, a small gripper for smaller templates and rulers, and some cut-resistant gloves.

But they added up to over $60, and while that’s way less than the cost of an emergency room visit, it’s still a lot of money. So I thought about it for a few days, and did some research. That’s how I found this blog post about finding sewing supplies at hardware stores. Turns out I could have all the safety equipment I wanted for less than the cost of just the gloves!

So after researching what I needed at their website, I went to the nearest Harbor Freight store and bought the following items:

Here’s my new large gripper, which cost only $6.99 (I don’t know why the photo makes it look pink with green, as it’s actually white with blue):

I also bought a small gripper for $3.99:

And an even smaller gripper for $2.99:

Add in a pair of cut-resistant gloves for only $5.99, and you can see I got quite a lot of protection for barely $20:

I also bought the ruler guard, though not at Harbor Freight; by calling around, I found it at a local quilt shop so I bought it from them instead of online. I’ve already begun cutting out a complex project, and while it took a little while to get used to wearing gloves, I’m pleased with everything I bought, and find that cutting with grippers actually speeds up the process.

I’ve also begun wearing shoes when I use the rotary cutter. Why? Because I saw a comment on a sewing forum where someone said they accidentally dropped their rotary cutter on their bare foot, severing some veins and muscles, leading to a lot of pain and two surgeries. I don’t normally wear shoes in the house, but I do now when I’m cutting fabric for a quilt!

Quilt for a New Grandchild

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Barb

I pieced this top long almost a year before the announcement that my newest granddaughter was on the way; I saw the fabric in a catalog and had to have it, but found that I could get more of it for my money on Etsy. But the line is so muted that it doesn’t photograph very well. You can get a clearer look at the line, called Babes in Farmland by Timeless Treasures, HERE. Here’s a shot of the quilt up close:

The top sat in my UFO collection until just a few months ago; luckily I had plenty of fabric left over for the backing:

I quilted it in a meandering pattern. Another fun project, made with love for my newest granddaughter.

Paradigm Shift Quilt

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Barb

I saw a photo of this quilt in a magazine and just had to make it. The pattern is called “Paradigm Shift,” and it was a lot of fun to sew. It was the perfect use for a group of black and gray precuts I bought a while back from Connecting Threads.

I know many quilters don’t recommend using sheets as quilt backings, but I thought the vintage sheet I used on the back worked out just fine; I had no problems quilting it on my Brother PQ1500SL High Speed Quilting and Sewing Machine.

Grant Park Table Runner

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Barb

I just finished this table runner made from the Grant Park line by Moda. I bought some charm packs and a bit of extra yardage from a cute little quilt shop in Pecatonica, IL, while out shop-hopping with a friend a few years ago, and finally got around to using it.

I love precuts because the fabrics in them are designed to go together. That’s a great blessing for those of us who love to sew but aren’t gifted with the artist’s eye; we just don’t know how to pick out fabrics that go well together! But check out how nice the Grant Park line looks:

I machine quilted this runner in a matter of minutes using my supermachine, the Brother PQ-1500s:

And I pieced the back using the extra yardage that I’m so glad I bought:

I don’t know how many quilt shops still carry this line, but I see it’s available on Etsy; I imagine you could find it on eBay as well.

Gardenvale Triangles Table Topper

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Barb

Last week I posted about the Gardenvale table topper/wall hanging I made. Fortunately, I bought enough of the Gardenvale fabrics that I was also able to make this table topper, which uses gray as the coordinating solid instead of off-white:

I just love the prints in this line!