Today was a day of cutting. It started with the material for my manly lap blankets. The plan is to make my brother, and brother-in-laws, and one of my friends, Each a a lap blanket.
My wife and I previously picked out 5 different gray and or black patterned material (none of the ones listed here) when my friend was over the other day I showed him the squares I had cut, sewn X's though (making rag quilts). Not telling him one was for him and he told me that they were not Manly enough material for him and told us 2 of the 5 was ok. We explained to him what the plan was and he explained that we needed some paisley type materials if I was going to make one for him. That by the way is what instigated the last Saturday's terrible shopping trip with too many people at the cut table. Any way the 4 new materials are above (and below) those in black, gray and now a red (which was terribly expensive compared to the others. I have not yet figured out how many quilts I plan to make but the number is some where in the 4-5 range assuming I get one. So I spent tonight cutting and cutting. When done cutting my wife started to pin the backs (already cut) and batting to the front so I can Friday sew the cross stitches in them. Not sure the scope of the full project, but when done it will be amazing.
When I quilt I tend to watch TV I am a Junkie for the TV so much so that I created a website to track my TV watching. http://trackmyshows.com (not sure If I said it already but I am a computer programmer) It is a free by the way if interested in tracking your own obsession. Any way more to the point yesterday while watching TV and cutting (oh ya did some cutting yesterday too) I nicked my finger. I have realized that It is dangerous to watch TV and use my razor knife. Which brings up my last photo of the day. I will leave the photo but will be another day before I explain it. What are your thoughts.
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| Rebecca cutting material for her quilt, nice cutting gloves. |
I love the fabric with the pop of red. Fabrics like that are worth the extra $$ because they can really bring a quilt to life. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the gloves for your Rebecca. Did you know they have chain-mail ones? I'm not brave enough to let my kids try to cut yet, but Rebecca looks a bit older than they are.
to be honest, i think those gloves she is wearing will provide a false sense of security. that rotary cutter will go through regular glove material like butter if it's a sharp blade (and it should be sharp because that's actually safer - you don't have to press as hard if the blade is sharp). if you are worried about her getting cut, buy a pair of the gloves made specifically for this. google 'rotary cutter safety glove'. and i don't think you need to wear one on both hands. just the one holding the material, not the cutter. but check that out.
ReplyDeletethat being said, just teach her to be careful. teach her to respect the tool, close the blade EVERY SINGLE TIME she sets it down, and be very aware of where her fingers are at all times. i don't know how old she is, but if she is allowed to use a kitchen knife, she can probably be taught to safely use a rotary cutter.
it is nice to see her getting interested in quilting! cool!
and one more thing...get that cutting board off the ironing board! that's too rickety a platform for cutting! if you are worried about the kitchen table or counter being nicked by the blade, invest in a larger mat. okay, i'm done crabbing... :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful to start kids off at a young age.
ReplyDeleteI only learned to quilt a year ago. It was my fear of cutting off my fingers that held me back. But after hearing about the Klutz Glove and buying one, I haven't stopped. I love it. Check it out.
BTW, great tips up above!!
Donna
Bunbear is right. Get that mat off the ironing board and see if you can get a bigger mat. You'll feel safer cutting on a larger surface. You need a cutting table - the bigger the better.
ReplyDeleteBTW you may be interested in joining http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lib-Quilters/
Such a sweet photo of your daughter! My Dad would have had me wearing gloves too, if rotary cutters had been around when I was her age. It made me smile.
ReplyDeleteI always close the blade as soon as I finish every single cut. It's automatic now, I don't even think about it.
Sounds like you had a blast starting your stash! How about a quilt for your wife? Maybe you've already made one for her. This is my first time at your blog.
Happy quilting,
Karen
Wow! I love how involved your family is in your quilting! Your daughter is so cute and I love her gloves.
ReplyDeleteIs that red, black & white swirl from JoAnn's? If it is, I've gotta make a trip on over.
xo -E