Martelli Rotary Cutters

I mentioned a month or so ago that I'd gotten some new sewing tools I was going to show you, so here's one of them. A special friend had gifted me a new rotary cutter for Christmas. To be honest, I thought, "Gee, I already have two sets of rotary cutters in various sizes - I really don't need another one." Right. I didn't NEED another one. BUT... this is like being gifted the Cadillac of cutters! Here it is, below... the larger one in front.

It's a Martelli ERGO rotary cutter, as in 'ergonomic design'. It.Is.Awesome!! It is soooo comfortable to use, and cutting is effortless compared to using my older cutters!

Here you see it as I was cutting some fabric strips (which you may recognize as the straps from these bags) for size reference...

... and how it fits into my hand when in use - a very comfortable position.

You can read more details about the cutter and other Martelli products at their website here. There are also videos so you can learn more and see it in action. I happened to see a notice recently about everything on their website being 50% off for one day, which is why I now also have the smaller (28 mm) size cutter and some spare blades. ;) They can also be purchased from Amazon.

I was practicing with the smaller cutter one day, and it was so fun that I may have gotten carried away cutting out cord wraps. You may recognize the fabrics as some of Jess's earlier designs.

I ended up with quite a few.

It was great for using up scraps! They were rather fun to take photos of, too. :)

(Template for the cord wraps can be found here.)

Then for Valentine's Day, rather than give Courtney sweets, I gave her a new charging cord for her iPod, so I made another wrap for that.

I also thoroughly enjoyed using the larger cutter (45 mm) when I cut out the bags for her birthday. I used to hate cutting out sewing projects, but these cutters make it much more fun. I suppose the novelty will wear off someday, but for now I'll indulge and enjoy. The next project is already cut and waiting for the sewing machine!

Cats in the Library

Awhile back on Instagram I'd seen fabric someone had used that I thought was so adorable, and I instantly knew I wanted some, so I tracked it down and bought it!

Also, for quite some time, I'd had the Bigger on the Inside drawstring backpack pattern by Erin (Erickson) Gilbey, but I hadn't found a use for one so hadn't sewn it yet.

Then, with Miss Courtney about to turn eleven years old on February 1st, I knew what I wanted to make for her gift! 

So here it is. Now especially for you cat lovers out there, isn't this just the cutest fabric? And the backpack is nice and big to display it perfectly.

I fussy cut it carefully, so as not to harm any kitties in the making of the bag.

Here's what it looks like cinched. The front...

... and the back.

Before I had it finished, however, Miss C told me she could use a new little pouch to store her latest collection of tiny figures, Hatchimal Colleggtibles. For those of you who might not know what they are, here's a photo I took last Tuesday when she'd brought them all along to show to me. She's acquired quite a few more since then, thanks to her birthday!

She and I decided together that the Encore Clutch, another pattern by Erin Gilbey, would be just the right size. So here it is, and it displays the kitties nicely, too (again carefully fussy cut). Front...

(Did you notice the "Kitty Tails"?)

... and back.

The set together.

You maybe noticed the kitty paw prints on the straps. The bags are both lined with it, too, and you can see it here on the backpack.

Here she is with her new bags for a little size reference.

She's wearing the backpack below, to show its size again. The straps are somewhat too long right now, but I only knotted them at the bottom so they can easily be adjusted, and then they can be lengthened out again as she grows.

Here's one more photo of the birthday girl. (Yes, she had TWO cakes!) I didn't realize until I was looking at the photos after I got home that I'd caught her twice in this one. Funny. :)

I know someone's going to ask, so I'll tell you right now that the fabrics are by Timeless Treasures. They are called Cats in the Library and Paw Prints. I got mine from Fabric.com, but I'm sure you can find them other places, too.

The patterns can be purchased here. If you happen to read this yet tonight (Sunday, Feb. 4), Erin has a 30% off sale on all her patterns for the rest of the day. Use code WINTERFEST.