The Cutting Edge

Thanks for all the positive comments about my product review. I found it interesting that a couple of the comments mentioned that the sharpener can actually wear the blade down. It was something that I wondered about myself as I used the ruler. Being that I have various sizes of rulers that do their own little jobs, I don't think I would use The Cutting Edge for every project. But it most certainly did make a difference in the performance of my blade.

I did find a website if you are interested in more information about the rulers and Sullivan's other products.

One other thing I'd like to mention is my cutting mat. I have always used an Olfa cutting mat. I have found that the Olfa mat and my Olfa Rotary cutter appear to compliment each other. I get a much longer life on my blades by using them as a companion. I've used Olfa for over 25 years of quilting. I have three mats, all different sizes. I could not be happier with their product.

And guess what the mailman brought? A little surprise package!

That sweet Carrie from "A Passion for Applique" sent the cutest little Christmas present. And YES I did open it :-)

Thanks Carrie. Your thoughtfulness is always appreciated.

Have a Happy Quilting day!

Product Review

Where does the time go? How do the minutes, no the hours slip by so quickly. Doesn't it seem like we should have MORE hours in the day to work our craft??

One thing I did recently was try out my new ruler The Cutting Edge. This ruler sharpens my rotary blade as it cuts my fabric.

I could actually tell the difference after the very first cut. I was able to cut four layers of fabric with ease and no tags.

I found there were some good points and some not so good. First, like I mentioned, the rotary seemed to cut with new life. Like it was a fresh blade. Which is a wonderful thing, as the blades can be quite costly.

The ruler is well marked, however, I had a little bit of difficulty with the frosted background. Cutting into the light fabric was not a problem.

I could see lines and numbers clearly.

But when I needed to cut into darker fabric, I found the frosting on the plexi to be difficult to see the squaring up lines.

Is it a good ruler? Yes. Could the manufacturer make any improvement? I think yes. If there is some way to make the plexi clear I think it would be a much better tool. Would I buy it again? YES! I love the idea of sharpening my rotary blade as I cut my fabric.

Have you tried these rulers? I bought a 6 1/2 x 18 1/2 as this was a size I did not already own. Most of my rulers are only 5 or 6", so the new one gives me a little more width to work with. And I like the 18 1/2", as it is not too long, and not too short. A good all round size for many different projects.

Let me know if you have tried these rulers, and tell me what you think about them.

And in the meantime........ Happy Quilting.

Need a quick gift idea??

There are so many wonderful tutorials out there in blog land. If you have one that you enjoy, I'd love to hear about it.

But for today, grab your cuppa of coffee or hot tea and visit these interesting and informative blogs.

As always we love to read Karen's very creative Tool Time Tuesday. And today is no exception. Check out her repurposed gift tags. I just might have to get one of those big round punches.

A while back Sew Prim Khris did a very cute tutorial on making a Needlecase. What a great gift idea for a hand quilter.

This is one of my all time favorite Travel-sized Tissue Cozy patterns. Last year I made a ton of these. Kim shared her easy tutorial on "an oft traveled road".

This pattern has been around a while, but the Pink Penguin shared her tutorial for a sweet Fabric Basket.

I have all the fabric ready and waiting for this pattern by Tea Rose Home. It is a Modern Square Garden quilt.

Who couldn't use another purse in your choice of color. Bola Chica offered a tutorial on a very cute Pleated Purse. You could certainly make one for every outfit. And who wouldn't love and use this adorable Friendship bag courtesy of "p.s. I Quilt"?

Have you got a little buddy to make a gift for? How about this TOO cute Softie doll from "60piggies".

And for all my tea loving friends, a Tea Wallet Tutorial (Is It Naptime Yet?). Perfect to stick in someone's stocking this year.

Sigh...... zippers............. Noodlehead shares a tutorial on a sweet Lil Cutie Pouch. Make them by the dozens. For teachers and friends. And add a Notebook Cover from "My Patchwork".

And here is a library of Free Quilting Patterns and Projects from the Quilting Gallery. All in one quick place.

I've got dozens and dozens of these tutorials bookmarked on my computer. But my purpose today was to give you one post that you can bookmark and go back to visit whenever you need a quick little gift.

Go forth and SEW :-)

Food

Food. You can't think of the Holidays and not think about food. After pushing yourself away from the mountains of food at Thanksgiving, it soon becomes necessary to think of food for Christmas.

Do you have a special menu for Christmas? Is there a certain dish that is a tradition in your house?

Do you set a special table for your Christmas meal?

Perhaps you start with soup? It's usually cold this time of year in the US. Do you have a favorite soup recipe??

After the Thanksgiving Turkey, do you serve turkey again for Christmas?

And desserts. We can't forget desserts. What special treat do you make for your Christmas dinner.


Do you travel and spend Christmas with family and friends??

I would love to hear what you do for Christmas dinner. If I knew how to do the linky thing, we could have a Recipe linky with all of your special and delicious recipes. But for now, please share your best dish.

Have a great day!

The Sewing buddies

On the days that the sewing buddies get together, we usually have a great time talking, sewing, drinking coffee, eating, sewing, talking............ well you get the picture. We've been sewing together for a lot of years. Sometimes we work on the same project, and then at other times we just bring "whatever" or finish up a ufo.

We also do a little show and tell. Here is something one gal brought. It's a Christmas gift for her daughter.

Mary's got a great eye for color, and she always uses so many exciting colors in her quilts. If you remember a recent post, she is the gal who made this cute little quilt.

Another gal took a class on making the Double Wedding Ring. She shared the process with us. Going from this -

to this -
making a tube and transforming the strips into this -

The blocks will eventually end up as a wall hanging.

Isn't that cool?

But as things often happen, we sometimes sew so we may rip...........

Oh well, we still enjoy Happy Quilting!

Have a great weekend :-)

Busy, busy, busy

Have you ever had one of those days? From the moment you get up til you turn the light out again, it just doesn't stop? That's the way is was around here Wednesday and Thursday. We started out with some out of town company that we have not seen in several years. It was fun catching up with old friends, having them stay the night so they could get a fresh start in the morning.

It was also sewing day with my quilting friends. That is always a refreshing time, as we chat and sew. I'll share more pictures next time.

I also received a package in the mail from I Have A Notion.

I had ordered the new sharpening ruler and GrabARoos. Plus the new Superior sewing machine needles. I've been wanting to try each of these items. Ordering from Kelly is always such a delight, and this is what the Thank You card said -

"Your order has been meticulously filled by an IHAN shipping Elf. After it was inspected by a legion of obsessive compulsive perfection seeking Elves, a blessing was bestowed upon your package and it was gingerly placed into a plush recycled temporary housing structure for it's safe journey to address of your choosing.
We hope your package has arrived safely and you are completely satisfied with your order. The Elves won't rest until they know you are jumping for joy and completely happy with your order. Please visit www.IHaveA-Notion.com and leave a comment under "Customer Feedback" letting us know about your shopping experience. Feel free to let us know if there is anything else the Elves can do to make your day, week, or life better."

Well Kelly, you can tell your Elves that the order arrived safely and the recipient is very happy with the contents. I will be making a test run of all products next week and will duly appraise them for your benefit.

Okay, okay, I know you all don't want to hear any more of my blah, blah, blah........ You want to know who won the 400 x 400 Giveaway. Firstly, thank each one of you for your sweet comments. All 230 of them!!!! And I welcome each new follower. You have been noticed :-) I tried to use the Random Generator thingie, but felt that is was so impersonal. So I wrote all the numbers down and tossed them into a container and drew out the winner.

Joan J
How to Be a Housewife

I am always so thrilled to meet new bloggers and Joan has a very cute blog, so go by and wish her congratulations and some bloggy love :-) I am also sending a little gifty to Christie from Describe Happy as she was my 400th follower! Stop by and check out her cute blog too.

AND because I promised another prize if I met the 500 follower mark, it was so close that I thought I would offer another giveaway when I reach 500. Because my friend Kelly has such a wonderful selection of notions and goodies at such great prices, I would like to offer a $25 gift certificate to her I Have a Notion store for someone to pick out their own prize. When the 500th follower signs up, we will have another Giveaway :-)

Okay, enough blah, blah, blah.......... have a great day!

And Happy Quilting :-D

It's beginning to look a lot like...........

.........Christmas!

Welcome to our home.


We are having so much fun decorating for Christmas this year.

I wish I could invite each of you to stop by for a cup of tea or egg nog.
I would want to thank you for all the joy you bring to me every day.

Each one of you has been very special to me.

You came into my life and left sweet comments.
You invited me into your lives through your blogs.
I have enjoyed every minute of it!

And as I sit here this morning, I am so amazed and blown away with all of your comments on my giveaway post. There's still time to sign up. Post a comment on my giveaway post to be entered.

Wishing you a Happy Quilting day!