Ten Things on Thursday – 07
This week has been a little bit rough. Nothing specific to complain about, but I’m sure Mercury or Mars, or some planet is in retrograde and causing me undo havoc. Does anyone else feel like that? Sometimes you can just sail through the week hitting goal after goal, and other times, the ball bounces off the wall and hits you in the face. Fortunately, I’ve got glitter to cover the bruises!
- It’s time to sparkle on, y’all! I received four incoming packages of Shimmer 2 fabric from various sources recently. This means I can keep working on my #ShimmerCitySampler blocks as part of the #100blocks100days QAL happening on Instagram. Are you keeping up?
- I’m a little bit ahead with thirty-six blocks done. I know that as soon as I blink, I’ll be behind, so I’m going to try and get to fifty over the weekend.
- While we’re speaking of Instagram, are you aware of the Modern Makers Retreat #MMRcushionpalooza that is happening? There are some awesome prizes being given away, just for making a cushion. We were gonna do that anyway, right?
- I spent a large part of my sewing time this week creating forty-two 1″ x 2″ flying geese for my Hey Mr. DJ quilt. Then I decided to only use half of them. How lacklustre!
- I finished my Hey Mr. DJ quilt top and have it loaded on the frame. I’ve sewn and ripped out quilting about four times tonight alone. Just keep sewing, just keep sewing.
- I thought I was all smart and made a traditional pattern for the Hey Mr. DJ (headphones) quilt block. Then I realised it was a thousand times easier using foundation paper piecing. It’s been one of those one step forward, two steps back kind of weeks.
- I wish I had a sewing machine / cutting station setup for paper piecing only. Does that make me the laziest person in the world because I don’t want to change my needle / rotary blade back and forth?
- I’ve been seeing snippets of Alison Glass’s new fabric range “76.” If you’ve been hanging around for Sunday Stash, you know she’s a little bit of the alright at tone-on-tones. I think this collection could take it up a notch!
- I had a new leather chair delivered from King Living today, which is going to be my binding chair. It arrived with a broken leg. Le sigh. Another eight weeks to wait for another one to be made.
- Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go demolish a bottle of wine, maybe two, and binge watch some AbFab.
I love this list! It matches the way my brain floats around most days. I finished a teeshirt quilt top yesterday that has been on my must do list for years. It has been blocking my joy in projects since I had left it so long. Can’t wait to see Alison’s new line! have a great weekend.
I am with you on the wanting multiple sewing machines (though in my case it’s usually about being too lazy to change the foot or the thread, not the needle). But seriously, get a second cheapo rotary cutter just for paper piecing – I just use old blades and write “paper” on them in sharpie. Makes life so much easier! I get such limited sewing time that I really HAVE to be efficient if I’m going to get anything done.
Mercury is indeed in retrograde. Ask me how I know. Sigh. 😉
Seconding Laura’s suggestion for a second rotary cutter – that’s what I do, though I’ve got a red ribbon around the handle of my paper-only one rather than a label. The needle thing is more problematic though. Two machines, definitely….
…because Ab Fab makes everything feel better. 💋
Loving your ShimmerCity quilt. I have a separate rotary cutter I use for paper piecing, still need to change the blade occasionally though.
Make that two!
I want a sewing machine set up with a 1/4 inch foot, and one with a walking foot (worst thing about my Janome: the walking foot doesn’t work with any of the special feet. Hate it)
But I do own 3 rotary cutters: 1 I use for fabric, 1 I use for the other stuff (paper, stabilizer).. and then the not-so good Friskar one for soft+stable.
2 sewing machines (besides the serger/coverstitch and embroidery machine) is not an option, but a second rotary cutter is a 15$ takes no space up possibility. Go for it!
I have a several rotary cutters : who has just one? Anyway, the one with the nick or doesn’t cut well gets a ribbon tied around its handle somewhere and it officially becomes my paper/crap/cut anything cutter. When I nick or dull a blade in one of my other rotary cutters, the ribbon moves to that one and I replace the blade in the first one. I always have several with good blades and I always have one with a paper blade. Cheers!
I’m way behind on my blog reading but glad I stopped by for this one. Here I felt so lazy because I put off doing certain things on my Janome because I will have to change the feet. Hate changing feet! However, the Olfa Quick Change cutter is the BEST if you need to change out blades. As soon as I got my hands on one, I gave away the old one. I now have two. I keep one in my sewing room and the other in my traveling sewing case. After reading some of these comments, I am thinking I should get a third one for paper cutting.