Monday 25 February 2013

a slow week

I can't believe how fast a week has gone! It was half term last week for us, so I had a very unproductive week work and crafting wise in order to spend time with my children. It was really quite lovely, sometimes it's nice to pull on the reins and slow down a little.

Sneakily I convinced my 7 year old that the Sizzix big shot is great fun, and together we started cutting some fabric I had bought especially to make quilt bindings. (I have a how to on binding a quilt if you click here)

bindings in progress

Each of these fabrics is a half yard and I find I can get enough binding for a couple of nice sized baby quilts out of a half yard, or one large quilt (up to about 70" at each side). It's my plan to cut all of this stack into 2.5" strips and make into double fold quilt binding, so I have a rainbow of ready made colours on hand at any time. I'll do that this week, and get some pictures so I can share next week.

I also cut a few stacks of 2.5" squares for scrap quilts. It's great to have plenty of squares ready and waiting for the mood to grab and for some speedy sewing!

cutting for scrap vomit

On my post from last week I had a question from Karen about the cutting mat/die sandwich for when you're using fabric. I took a little picture to show you, so I hope that helps you visually (which I find easier to grasp than when it's words!)

sizzix cutting sandwich

Time for me to go back to my marathon of strip cutting! Have a great week and remember - if you'd like me to explain anything or share any how to's, just leave me a comment and I'll do my best to help!

Katy

6 comments:

  1. Fab colours for binding, and get you being all organised and pre-prepping them!

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  2. Hi Katy,
    I have a Sizzix related question for you. I bought a Big shot at Festival of Quilts 2012 and only have a couple of dies. I use the 2 1/2 inch square one to cut up scraps to make a scrap vomit quilt or something else at a later date. Anyway, the die is not cutting the edges of the fabric cleanly and I have to use scissors to finish the squares off. This is really annoying. It may be that I have to layer a few more fabrics on as I have only been using one piece of fabric at a time. What do you think? Love the binding btw

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    Replies
    1. Hi! I would layer up your fabrics. My personal preference is 6-8 layers at a time. If you are cutting just one layer you're not getting enough pressure between the roller and the die to cut efficiently, and some bits will miss - resulting in you having to snip with scissors. If you do only want to cut one layer at a time, use a couple of layers of card (something like a cereal packet) as a scrim between the bottom cutting mat the bottom of the die (the non-cutting side). Simply cut the card to the same size as your mat. When I'm cutting my scraps I just layer them up and cut a whole heap of different squares at once. Try that, it should solve the problem! Katy x

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