Passing time...

And so another week has passed. I've spent the past week cutting out my new patterns. I see that some people lay the pattern on the fabric and cut them both at the same time, but that doesn't seem natural to me. I like to have the patterns already cut out so I can arrange and pin them on the fabric so I can make optimum use of it.

I haven't received that cool sewing machine I won yet, Mimi is such a dear, she's having the machine cleaned and oiled before sending it out to me. Basically Janome is getting a physical and full work up before moving on to her new home. So in the meantime I've been keeping busy deciding what my first project will be, and I've learned a few things along the way.

The right tools are important:

Scissors, pins, weights and tape (for modifying the patterns for those of us who are short waisted).

The wood blocks were left over from a project the Mister was working on. They are great paper weights, better than upsetting the fam by grabbing all the remotes.

I learned a few things about choosing the right scissors too. The pink Fiskars below left are awesome. The hand fits perfectly in the grips without squishing and the blades cut like a hot knife through buttah. Really, buttah.  Problem - the handles are big and it really distorts the fabric, that's already distorted by the pins, when you're cutting.

The scissors above right I bought because of the funky shaped handles and colour. It turns out that these are the better ones for cutting fabric. The profile is slim and low to the mat, problem - it doesn't cut as well as the pink Fiskars. But we will make due...

And chalk. I love how this makes me feel like I know what I'm doing. I have the pencils, but I really like the feel of the chalk in my hand.

And on a non-sewing note. I bought a plant from the Home Depot a couple years ago because I liked the look of it, and now it has bloomed. The flower is pretty, in a sort of invasion of the body snatchers alien bursting out of the dog's stomach kinda way.

See what I mean?!?

Thank you for tuning in....

Angie