Shining A Light

When I was a young girl I could do all sorts of things without switching on a light, or even thinking about doing so, and I remember both my Mom and Dad repeating the same warning:  "let's shed a little light on the subject, you don't want to strain your eyes." Today I am thankful for every. bit. of light I can get, the brighter the better! A few years ago a friend gave me this pair of lighted tweezers*. I kept them near the sewing machine, and the longarm, they've helped a LOT with removing a stray thread here, a glob of lint there, or even occasionally threading a needle. Yesterday I used them when I threaded the lower loopers of the serger; usually a difficult task it was made worlds easier with the addition of this super handy must-have tool with the built in LED light!

I've been using the serger more and more since I got it cleaned and tuned last year; that was the best money spent! I'm consistently edging my quilt tops before loading them onto the longarm now... 

...and finishing the edges of my cross-stitch linen. 

It's been worth every penny to have that little workhorse back up and running! 

Sometimes it's the little things that make the BIGGEST difference.

What's making your life easier these days?

Life is Good!

* If you're interested, I found that these are available on Amazon, marketed for cosmetic use, at the price of 3 for $8.99! Search "lighted tweezers", keep one and give two to your friends, they'll thank you!

Tool Talk

What is the most indispensable tool in your sewing space? One item, that when you need it, can't be replaced by any other? How often do you open a drawer or a cabinet, without even thinking, to grab that one essential implement that always makes the task at hand go so much more smoothly? Goodness knows, as quilters we have, literally, no limit to the number and variety of the tools that we've amassed over the years; some large-ticket items as well as those we've shelled out smaller amounts for. If someone had asked me a couple of weeks ago what my favorite of all tools is I would have probably said my sewing machine or rotary cutter. But, the week before last, my dear daughter in law came in the sewing room to pick up Lynnleigh from Quilt Camp. She told me that she'd broken her seam ripper the day before. Without thinking, I reached in my tool drawer and handed her mine (I wasn't too concerned about being without, I have plenty more, or so I thought.)  After she left that day I started going through my accumulation of old seam rippers. Many of them were too dull to hang onto, they no longer deserved space in the drawer! Some of them were too large and some too small, these were the ones that I find uncomfortable in my hand. A few of mine were broken. Then and there they were all gathered up and went straight into the trash! This particular Clover seam ripper is my absolute favorite of all tools. I like the sturdy cover to protect the point when it's stored, the ergonomics are perfect and it stays sharp. By all means, though, don't hesitate to discard yours when it's dull; you can do more damage using a dull tool than a sharp one. Ask me how I know! So, I challenge you: what's at the top of your list when it comes to necessary, indispensable sewing tools; and why? 

Go!

We're all waiting...

Life is Good!

Why You Need That Calculator!

This is a follow-up to yesterday's post; an explanation of why, exactly, you need one (or possibly two) calculators in your sewing room! In addition to using the tool for quickly adding up quilt edge measurements when you're calculating binding length (always add 10" to that total) how about using it for assistance when it comes to the decimal equivalent for a fraction? 

.125 = 1/8

.25 = 1/4

.375 = 3/8

.5 = 1/2

.675 = 5/8

.75 = 3/4

.875 = 7/8

You can even print this handy reference guide out and mount it to the back of your calculator, that way you'll always know where it is. These decimal equivalents will aid you in fabric yardage calculations. For instance... you know from consulting a pattern that you need 5 yds. of fabric. You have three pieces on hand: one is 1/8 yd., the second is 2 5/8 yd. and the third is 2 1/4 yd. Do you have enough? By adding up .125 + 2.675 + 2.25 you learn that you actually possess 5 yds.; yes, you do!

Or, another example: you have a 7/8” finished square measurement called for and what you need to know is how big to cut your pieces, including the seam allowance, 875 + .5 = 1.375 or 1 3/8”.  

I'm sure you can think of many other applications, these are but a few; now you know why I had to buy a replacement calculator right away; and why I'm keeping it even though I found the original, misplaced, one! Life's just too short to be scribbling math problems on scraps of paper... wouldn't you rather be stitching? I know I would.

Life is Good!

Thanks to Quiltkeemosabe, my #1 sidekick and advisor, for suggesting this post topic.

What Is It?

Can you guess what this is? It was handed to me last evening at church before the beginning of our mid-week Lenten service, a gift from the gentleman who sits in the pew in front of us every week. He and Mr. Goodneedle are both woodturners and share lots of great project information with one another. Go ahead and take a guess before you scroll down. I'll give you a hint: I couldn't carry this onto an airplane.

Isn't this cool? Did you guess a double-barrel seam ripper?
Or, as I like to think of this: a quilter's version of the Swiss Army Knife!
With special thanks to Jim.
Life is Good!