Friday, January 18, 2019

This and That...Off the Wall Friday

Well I can happily report that the floodgates of creativity have once again open and I'm feeling much better!  This weekend I spent a TON of time working on the curve piecing of my BOM quilt.  Its tedious and exacting work, but truly I think that is exactly what I need!  I mean one of the reasons I'm doing this quilt is to drill in my head some of these techniques.  I did find out this week that I can do a nice curve seam.  What I can not do is tell the difference between a 6-3/4" square and 6-7/8" square and THAT's why all my curves needed to be ripped and redone. Yes - all  - 16 - of - them.  Did I mention that I'm working on patience and persistence as well as curve piecing.

That all said, I'm having fun.  Plus I started prowling through my art books looking for inspiration for new projects...something I haven't done in months.

Its good to be back.

The other accomplishments of the week, which took up a lot of time were technical.  I managed to connect my laptop to my printer adding new drivers.  PLUS I even connected my new Cannon Powershot to my laptop.  Both tasks I've been putting off but will make my life MUCH easier.  Of course I needed a Youtube video to walk me through the complicated process.   This always reminds me of a quote from my brother-in-law

"Its not worth knowing if it doesn't have a tutorial on Youtube"

So true.

FIND OF THE WEEK

For months, I've been looking for new rotary cutting rulers.  Did you know that rulers eventually wear out and you can't see the lines on them any more?  Well apparently the lifespan is about 25 years. So now all my favorite rulers needed replaced.  But guess what???  They don't make these rulers anymore.  I gotta be one of the few quilters who doesn't like the yellow Olfa rulers.  I'm sure its because I learned to quilt in the early 90's on Nancy Crow's QuickLine rulers but honestly they are the only ones I like the best.  The lines are clearly marked and I know exactly where to look.  I use those exclusively with  the Patchwork Place Bias Squares which I have in 3 different sizes. So I've been stalking Ebay looking for new ones and finally hit the jackpot!  At first I balked at the total cost of $58 (with the shipping) but then I realized I was getting 9 rulers plus  other goodies.  Not to mention I hadn't realized how expensive rulers are now new.  Wowsy!!  So I stopped being so cheap and bought them.  So glad I did!!  I got the rulers I needed and some to share with friends!

So that's what's new around here....

What Have You Been Up to Creatively?

5 comments:

FreeDragon said...

I don't like Olfa either. Like you I started in the 90s and I wore out my favorite rulers, too. All quilting tools are expensive. Instead of magnetic pin cushions I buy magnetic steel bowls meant for holding bolts at the auto parts store. Fraction of the price and comes in several sizes. Instead of craft boxes I buy tackle boxes. Half the price and much sturdier.

For the love of geese said...

Its so frustrating when the lines disappear and unfortunately lines on my rulers didn't last but about 5 yrs. When I purchased my last ruler I ran a coat of clear fingernail polish/nail hardener over my lines. Fingers crossed this helps. Thank you for the linky party. I dont like the olfa rulers either. Denise-For the love of geese

FreeDragon said...

Love the nail polish idea, Denise!

Nina Marie said...

Ohhhh I love the nail polish idea too! I fully intend to be quilting another 25 yrs and I know I won't find this rulers then. Hmmmmmm maybe I should keep stalking ebay for another set LOL!! I too use a magnetic paper clip dish for misc. pins or to pick up pins. Thanks all for commenting!

Margaret said...

I too started in the nineties...with Olfas which I love. I've replaced my favourites (the 6" x 12" and the 6" x 24") at least once and could stand to do so again but...I don't want ones with the darned "gripper" things on them...and because I live in Canada (i.e. MUCH smaller than the U.S. market) in a rural area (smaller still!) well...I'll bide my time and replace 'em when a show (vendors) is on or something.

Glad to see you're back creating -- rulers or no rulers! Happy New Year!