Ask and you shall receive!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember the other day that I was lamenting that I needed a Shape Cut ruler?   Within MINUTES - (about 3 to be exact) of me posting that blog, I received a call from Marian. She had one, had NEVER used it and didn't want it. YIPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Yesterday, I stopped by her house on my way to teach and picked up the Shape Cut. I also got to see THE ROOM. I think she just needs more storage - get a few more shelves along the walls - DO NOT restrict yourself to the closets. Start with ONE surface and clear everything off that surface and FIND A HOME for it and then move to the next.

Anyway - in anticipation of getting the Shape Cut, I took some of my scraps so I could try the Shape Cut while the students were sewing on their borders. I AM IN LOVE with MY (yes - MY) Shape Cut. I offered  to buy it from her - no she wants a rug!!!!  I don't think so - there is a ton of work in one of those rugs and this Shape Cut tool just makes the job a bit faster.


Have a look.....................

So here - I have pressed the fabric and in this case it is folded in half with the fold on the bottom along the line. If you have yardage (selvedge to selvedge yardage), you can just fold it one more time. CAUTION - I would NEVER cut strips for a sewing project this way. You could, but I like my regular ruler, but when you are cutting as many strips as I am and there is NO NEED for them to be perfectly accurate, this is a good tool.

Line the ruler (the big black line at the bottom of the tool) on the fold and then insert the cutter in the slots for the size of strip you need and cut away!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was cutting two inch strips - so the 0, 2, 4, 6,8, 10 and 12)

In seconds - this piece of fabric is trimmed on the left hand side and cut into strips!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even M who was working along side me (that's another post) was impressed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was impressed. This thing is pretty slick and if you were careful, you could probably cut strips for a project with it. I'm aiming for speed at the moment, not accuracy. But it is slick for trimming up the left hand side and then cutting.

Now for those of you who will be trying to sell me an accucut or whatever. I cut a LOT of strips very quickly and the Shape Cut was FREE (no template to buy) and no plastic thing to replace because I cut so many strips. And way faster than with a regular ruler.


Now I know you are dying to see what i cut - well you better down for this.................



Hmmmm - I remember when I was talking about these rugs and I am CERTAIN it was in 2013 that I took a picture of this basket of scrap fabric that I found in an upstairs closet. I can't find that picture.


Ooops - I found it!!!!!!!!!!

Basket of scrap fabric that was hiding in the closet. Initially I was going to play Bonnie Hunter and cut this into various width strips, but I did that with some of this fabric and that is NOT my thing. So it got designated as rug material. Now some of it wasn't appropriate for the rugs and got designated for another spot. But there was a home for what I took out. 

Then I remembered ANOTHER bucket of scrap fabrics that my mom had sent to me from my Aunt Irene. Yes - My  sewing obsession came from my maternal grandmother. She sewed for everyone - I remember she would make our winter coats and other clothes. I also remember the day when I fell out of a tree in the school yard and RIPPED the entire front of a green jacket that my grandmother had made me. I was TERRIFIED to go home. I don't remember what happened, but I remember ripping that coat. I was devastated. I liked that coat!!!!   But I digress...............    Anyway - two of my mom's sisters (there are four girls) sew and they sew a lot. One of them is a quilter, makes and alters wedding dresses - if you can sew it - she does!!!!   But she had these scraps (yardage scraps) and for some reason, my mom sent them to me. 

I dug them out and they got added to that pile above. And when I was at the guild meeting a couple of weeks ago, they now have a FREE table. People can bring stuff in that they do not want. People can take it for free. I didn't want to be greedy, but I picked up whatever fabric was left. That is in the red bag.

Now I have a BIG PILE of hideous stuff, my Shape Cut and a couple of hours (while assisting M with her secret project).

Went through the stuff from my Aunt and there are a couple of funky prints that M (who was working along side me on a secret project) and we decided that these were worth keeping. 

More of the funky prints that we kept. I put these back in the white basket and re shelved it but it is considerably smaller.. I want to make a blouse out of the blue/white polka dot. And that purple green looks very Zentangly!!!!

Someone (Marian????) had given me this remnant with the EATON tag on it. I thought it was a good souvenir so I kept that piece as well. 

The rest - well - I was RUTHLESS and with M's help - it was hack and slash, cut and whack and things like this - GONE...................

Too funky - what to do with it?????   - It is next on the chopping block

Even stuff that could have been used because it was pretty neutral - it was in the scrap box and it got HACKED and SLASHED, WHACKED and CUT

This is what I ended up for strips by the end of the evening

These leftover pieces (less than 2 inches wide) went into a box for a string pieced quilt. I am DYING to make one now that I have these strips (and more) ready to go. Better dig out Bonnie's book to find a cool pattern.

This little basket of junk got thrown out - see - I do throw some stuff away!!!!!!!!!!

And this is what was left when I went to bed

Oh - there were a couple of pieces that we rescued and they went into the landscape bucket or the novelty bucket

When I woke up this morning - I wanted to cut more. That Shape Cut was calling my name. It is probably wishing it had stayed at Marian's house!!!

The pile of cut strips gets bigger

More strings for the string quilt

More for the garbage bin

Ah - I can now put everything that needs to be cut on the ironing board. That pile is going down. 

More strings!!!!!!!!

The strip pile is OVER FLOWING

And this is all that is left to cut including that obscene fabric which I have been hiding at the bottom whenever I take a picture.   I should have enough to finish my rug which is about half done and enough to make one more. Then I think I shall put the crochet rugs to bed. Well - I do have lots of other ugly fabrics left. 

In the fabric that I picked up at the guild, there was a bunch of upholstery fabric which I didn't realize at the time. 

I found an ugly fabric (on the left)  in the scrap bin and picked two fabrics from the upholstery fabric and I will make a little zippered bag. However I did find a home for the rest of the fabric. Another guild I belong to does a TON of stuff for the community and they make tote bags. BINGO - they are getting the rest of it. 

Oh dear - I have to say that I am having loads of fun getting rid of these scraps. But PLEASE - I do NOT want your scraps. I have tons myself.

I did a bad thing. Last week at the Hobby Horse, I bought a kit that was on sale. And I cut it up into squares. DRAT - the strips were wide enough, I could have cut a Hopscotch quilt from them. But never mind - I am going to just make the quilt from squares. It will look neat. 

Well - time to go and get something done with those strips. First - I have to finish cutting them. Oh what fun!!!!!!!!!!!


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!