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!

Two subjects for the price of one

I decided to cover two subjects today, because I seem to be getting a backlog of sewing stuff that I haven't blogged about yet. Can you imagine that? Ha!

Without further ado, here's subject #1:

Yeah, I've made several of these Pixie Baskets before, which you can see here and here. I made them using the tutorial you can find here. This one also is trimmed with ribbon designed by Jess for Renaissance Ribbons. I had decided after sewing my Honeycomb Basket (read about it here), that I needed something to hold the spools of thread and bobbins I'm using while working on a project that involves several colors of thread. So here it is, and I've been finding it to be one of the most useful things I've sewn. I love it!

Subject #2 isn't actually a sewing project, but it will be useful for some of them. I bought a KAMsnaps pliers and 300 snaps in many colors. I kept hearing good things about the snap setters, so I decided to try out the pliers. (They also make a table press, but I don't use enough snaps to make it worth the cost.) I've had a different type of snap setter for many years, but it's only good for metal snaps, and I like all the color options with the plastic ones. So now I can do whichever type I want.

Here's a closer look at the pliers.

I love it! It's so easy to use, and the snaps go in nice and tight.

Although you can buy them directly from the KAMsnaps site, I bought mine from Amazon. There are a number of options available, with different quantities of snaps. I also bought this case to store them in. It doesn't have quite enough sections, but if I mix two very different colors in a section, I should be able to easily find the parts I need. So far I've left them in their little bags, though.

If you've followed my blog for years, you may recognize the fabric below. It's from Jess's first line of fabrics. I'd made a bunch of these business card envelopes to sell in her Etsy shop, and when she closed the shop, I had a few unfinished ones that I never got around to adding the snaps to. I thought they'd be good to practice on with the new snap setter.

It worked like a charm!

Soon I'll show you a new project that I put snaps on!

Also, I just finished up a pattern test, and when the pattern gets released, I'll show you that.

Last but definitely not least, Courtney also finished up her fabulous sewing projects for the fair. It's less than 3 weeks away, so I'll be able to show you then! I can't wait - you'll love them! (And one of them has snaps on it, too!)

Best sewing tool ever?

I bought another new sewing tool. I discovered it when I was researching leather needles before I made Jess's tote bag. Someone described it as something like "the best-kept sewing secret". I decided it was worth giving a try. Here's my new tool:

Yep, it's a hammer! Surprised? I got it from Amazon.com here. Read the reviews, especially the one titled "Best sewing tool ever!" It supposedly works wonders to help when sewing very thick seams. (Incidentally, the price has gone up over $2.00 since I got mine. Maybe the secret is out!)

I did try it out when making Jess's tote. There weren't a lot of thick seams, but there were a couple of corners that had a lot of layers. The corners of the inner pockets had... let me count... eleven layers!!

That's a lot to sew through! So I gave the first two corners each a couple of whacks with the hammer, then sewed them. It worked very well. Then as a test, I didn't whack the next corner. I could definitely tell the difference. My presser foot didn't want to go over that corner nearly as easily. Needless to say, I whacked the last corner before sewing it.

So I'm very pleased with my new tool, and I'm sure it will come in handy often, since I do seem to make a lot of bags.

Oh, by the way, there's a word of caution on the hammer itself. It says, and I quote: "WEAR SAFETY GOOGLES". I hope you read that right. That's what it said - GOOGLES! Haha! See?

I didn't wear any, in case you wondered. Shame on me. :)

And while we're on the topic of tools, remember this applique scissors, and how I wanted something to protect its point?

I read a helpful tip on a blog post recently about using an empty toilet paper roll, flattened, as a sheath to protect knives or whatever. So I decided to fashion one for my odd-shaped scissors. Here you have it:

The toilet paper roll wasn't very attractive, so I covered it with pretty tape, which didn't want to stick to it at all, so I then covered the tape with clear packaging tape. That worked. It's a bit crude, but nothing's going to get poked by the point of that scissors!

As for my sixth-finger-stiletto from that same post, I use it so often that it just stays out on the table near my sewing basket so I can grab it easily. And the hemostats aren't sharp, so I decided they didn't need anything over them when I put them into that bag.

Let's go back to this for a minute

Do you mind looking at this bag again? I hope not. I would like to pick your brains for some suggestions. As I said in this post, I plan to use the bag to store some sewing tools that I use only occasionally, like the ones pictured here.

As you can see, some of them are rather oddly shaped, some are pointy, some have sharp parts. I'm thinking that they need some kind of a little sheath to protect them from tangling and damaging each other in the bag. Anybody have any good ideas on what to make? I would like to have them identifiable so when I want to use one of the tools, I'll know which one to grab. The handles could stick out... or... ???

Whaddya think? Any brilliant ideas?

New tools and a sneak peek

I'm sewing! And waiting for a blizzard. The blizzard is supposed to be happening, but so far it's not. School is closed. Lotsa things are cancelled. It'd be just like Ma Nature to laugh and say "I changed my mind." But we don't dare take chances, what with the prediction of some new snow and 50-60 mph winds to blow it around.

Anyway, I'm thoroughly enjoying being back at the sewing machine again! It's the first I've sewn anything since before Christmas. I'm also enjoying some new tools I bought for myself a while back. Have you ever heard of Wonder Clips? Here's what they look like (the pen is just for size comparison):

They take the place of pins, particularly when sewing on thick layers of fabrics. Below are a couple of pics of them in use, which also give you a sneak peek at what I'm working on.

The Wonder Clips are great. I've used regular office binder clips before, but these work better. They're easier to handle, and they have little grippers to hold onto the fabric. I highly recommend!

Also (listen up, Annie Dee!), this sewing project has given me a chance to use my new applique scissors. I love it! It made cutting the thickness out of the seam allowance a breeze! Another high recommendation from me!

Update - 12:45 p.m.: The blizzard has arrived. It's snowing, blowing, and the temperature has dropped about 14° so far. Good call, school admin.!

A new sewing tool

One day last week I had my new camera out and was trying to get some practice shots. As I was looking out the window for something to photograph, this sight suddenly appeared. It's always a bit exciting to know a package has arrived!

Here's what he brought me... a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law (well, a gift I ordered for myself with $$ gifted by my MIL):

As it says on the package, it's an applique scissors. Ever seen one? I'd only recently heard of them, but I thought they sounded like they might be very useful. Here's what it looks like from the side:

And above:

Now if I were really on the ball, I'd show it to you on a project I'm working on. Alas, I'm not working on any sewing projects right now (in fact, I don't have our spare bedroom converted back to my sewing room yet since Jess 'n Alex used it over Christmas... it's a major undertaking, I tell ya!). So just imagine that big "lip" under the edge of your applique and the top blade trimming away excess fabric. The "lip" protects your fabric underneath from accidentally getting cut into. Super, huh? It should also be invaluable for grading seams, particularly thick seams as those produced in bag-making.

I think I'm going to love this scissors a lot. Now just to get started on something to try it out on!

Update 1-16-14: I've had a chance to try it out trimming some bulky seam allowances. It worked beautifully! I'm very glad I bought it!

Sixth finger stiletto

I got a number of cool sewing things for Christmas. What I'm showing you today is a very handy little tool that I've already found quite useful. It's called a Sixth Finger Stiletto, and it came from here. This is what it looks like:

It has all kinds of possible uses, but one of the best was what I used it for yesterday. I was turning under a neckline on a very little garment (possibly for a certain American Girl doll) and pressing it as I went. It was only a ¼" fold, and pinked at that, so turning it was a challenge, not to mention pressing it without burning my fingers. That's where the stiletto came into use. I folded over the edge, then used the stiletto to hold the fold while I pressed it.

No burned or steamed fingers - hurray! I used it all the way around the neckline. It worked like a charm!

The only hard part was taking the pictures! I could've used another hand or two for holding the stiletto, the iron, and the camera. :)

My walking foot

No, this is nothing about either of my feet... the ones attached at the ends of my legs. They have, however, done their share of walking, considering that for many years I walked about 2½ miles along our road nearly every day, for the exercise. Then one winter the relentless cold and wind got to be too much, so I ordered a NordicTrack ski machine, and I've rarely walked along the road since. I do still use the NordicTrack 5 or 6 days a week, believe it or not, and I will soon have completed 27 years of regular exercise! Whew!!

But, back to the real subject, which is my walking foot! This is another of my favorite sewing tools. Have you heard of one before? As of a couple of years ago, I hadn't. But when I did, I thought it could be a very helpful thing to have, and believe me, it is! They're not cheap, especially one for an old sewing machine like mine, but I think I did get a pretty good deal on eBay. It cost me $37.50, but I'd seen one elsewhere for over $60.00!

I use it a lot. It's particularly useful for sewing on several layers of fabrics or on slippery fabrics. Its purpose is to feed the fabrics at the same rate from the top and the bottom, so that they end up even at the end of your line of stitching. It's very helpful for sewing bags, where there usually are numerous layers of fabrics and interfacing to sew together, and I think quilters also use them a lot.

This is what mine looks like:

I guess I should've wiped the lint off before I took the pics (over a year ago!), but it just looks very realistic this way. ;) And it looks even worse than that right now. But it gets a lot of use, and I don't know how I ever got along without one before!

A blogger I follow made a video demonstrating her walking foot. If you're interested in seeing it in action, take a look here.

Tack-It Pattern Marker

Here's another of my favorite sewing tools, which I've had for 30+ years. Yeah, it's definitely old... just look at the price marked on it, a whopping $1.98! You sure couldn't buy one (or much of anything else, either) for that now! In fact, they don't even make these anymore. I did a little searching yesterday, and you can still find them. Etsy has had them, listed as vintage, of course, but I didn't see any available right now. However, eBay has quite a few of them, in case you might want to get one for yourself or as a unique gift for a sewer on your Christmas list.

(Click to enlarge.)

It is, as the title indicates, for transferring pattern markings onto fabric. There are various colored carbon papers that come with the Tack-It, and you choose one that will contrast with your fabric color, so the markings will show up well. Then you slip the carbon paper, colored side toward fabric, under your pattern onto wherever you need to mark.

In this next photo, I have my two fabric pieces right sides together, so I've put the paper so the marks will be on the wrong sides, and I'm marking both sides at once. I then slip the Tack-It tool on the outsides of the paper and pattern piece so the marking part is right over what I want to mark, then just give that little knob a whack! (I think my kids used to call it "the banger" or something like that.)

It beats the old-fashioned taylor's tacks (which I happened to find a recent demo for yesterday) or tracing wheels, and it works better than trying to hold your pattern piece in place while you lift it to mark under it with a pen or something. Here's a picture of the marks it left where those notches were:

It marked both sides at once - yay! So that's how it works.

I'll be posting at least one more favorite tool sometime next week, so do come back if you're interested in sewing tools!

Now you can tell what kind of fabric I'm currently working on. It's not Jess's this time. Well, it IS Jess's fabric, but she didn't design it. ;) I'll show you when I'm finished!

Cutting Mat Cleaner

Some of you who popped in at the right time may have seen this photo on this post (and possibly wondered what happened to it later?).

After posting it, I decided I didn't like that photo in with the others... that little package in the pocket seemed distracting from the rest of the pic. So I quickly took another photo and swapped them. I think in the original post I'd even said I was going to tell you more about the Cutting Mat Cleaner in that pocket, but I edited that part out, too.

But now I'm going to tell you! It's a much-appreciated tool that I got for Christmas last year. It is, indeed, a cutting mat cleaner. In case you can't quite read what it says, it "Removes fleece and flannel lint and batting fibers from your cutting mat."

It's small and flat:

Here's the best shot I could get of some fibers from fabric I've recently cut, stuck in my cutting mat. I've previously found fuzzy fibers, particularly from cutting fleece or batting, a real pain to get out.

But this little tool does the job quite handily! See what I got? Just by rubbing the cleaner across the lint a few times, it picked it right up.

I believe this set (2 in the pkg.) came from Nancy's Notions. Maybe if you have a seamstress (sewer? sewist?) on your Christmas list, this might make a thoughtful gift or a great stocking stuffer!

Maybe I'll show you a few of my other favorite sewing tools, in case you need more gift ideas... or simply to show you what works for me.

Something old, something new

This is my 'old, faithful' iron. I got it as a wedding or shower gift over 42 years ago. That's right, it's 42 years old! And the best thing about it is that it still works! It has served me well. When the kids were little, I sewed a LOT... clothes for them, for myself, for Grandpa, and even for dolls. Then it had a long "sabbatical" of sorts, when it was just simpler and faster to buy clothes, so the only use the iron got was for pressing an occasional pair of pants or something (hurray for permanent press!). But in recent years, I've gotten back into sewing, so my "vintage" iron has been back in use.

Not too bad looking, eh? (If you ignore the editing I did to the photo to cut out some of the glare from the flash.) It still works very well, but with all the sewing I've been doing, I've also occasionally wondered what I'd do if it decided to quit on me. (Do irons really make decisions?) If I were in the middle of a sewing project, I'd be "up a creek", as they say, since I don't believe our local stores even carry irons anymore (or if they do, I'm sure there's not much to choose from). My options would be to drive 30-40 miles or so to a bigger town or to order one online and either wait for it to ship normally or pay a fortune for faster shipping. None of those options pleased me, so I decided to plan ahead and play it safe.

I've read reviews from various sources about different irons, and I've found there are some very expensive(!) irons available, some of which didn't really have as good reviews as I'd have liked. As I was looking through the irons on Amazon.com, I came across this one that sounded interesting. It only had 3 reviews, but they were all 5 stars. It's a Hamilton Beach Smart Lift Iron with Built-In Stability. (No, I'm not writing this post for Hamilton Beach or Amazon.)

The neat thing about it is that it has "legs" that flip down when you pull the trigger in the handle, so rather than stand on end, like above, it sits like this, making it much more stable:

I've always been afraid that someday I'd wiggle the ironing board too much or bump the iron, knocking it off and wrecking something. I've had some close calls. This iron solves that problem. It really sits very solidly in place with those legs down. I like that a lot!

It takes some getting used to, though. After 40+ years of ironing, standing an iron on end is a deeply ingrained habit! (This iron does stand on end also, but that defeats the purpose of the design.) So I'm still working on breaking that habit. And I need to remember to pull the trigger while the iron is a little higher in the air, so the legs don't thunk down onto the ironing board. (More practice, Grandma.) They make kind of a loud thunk going down as it is. One more thing I have to watch out for is that the legs can catch on the edge of what I'm ironing if I don't watch out. I don't like that, but it can be avoided.

So far it's proving to be a great iron. It puts out a lot of steam and really gets the wrinkles out, and you can push a button for extra steam or one for a little jet of water if you need it. It also has an automatic shut-off for if you forget to do it yourself, but you can also set it to NOT shut off automatically if you prefer, which is nice if you're back and forth between the sewing machine and ironing board a lot and don't want to have to wait for it to heat up every time.

It kind of looks like a monster alongside my old iron, though!

I didn't know irons nowadays were so much bigger! It's nearly 12 inches tall, and the old one is only 9½ inches. How tall is YOUR iron?

I think I'll keep using the new one and put the old one on standby just for backup. I know it'll be there for me if the new one fails.

I practiced with the new iron on my last sewing project... the garment I made for Jess. If the post office cooperates, she'll receive it today, so when she gets somebody to take pics of her in it, I can show it to you. Hopefully that'll be my next post, so come back to see! Meanwhile, my next project is partially cut out... the hardest part of the cutting is done. I can't wait to get sewing on it, because I think it's going to be really cool!