Product Review: Sew Tites Magnetic Ruler

 

After trying out the Sew Magnetic rotating cutting mat, I decided to try out one of the magnetic rulers. The 6.5" square one seemed like a good one to start with as it would fit on the surface of the rotating mat well. The ruler and mat and magnet boosters all fit inside the storage box which is nice. I can keep all this together.

Wow! This ruler goes down in place on the mat and there it stays. It's easy to move when you need to move it though. As I used the rotary cutter to cut the fabric, I only held my finger on the rotating mat to keep it steady. The ruler didn't budge at all. Pretty amazing. If you have thicker material, several layers, or even a quilted piece you're trimming you can use the boosters on top of the ruler to keep it all steady.

See? It made a great cut, all without gripping holding or steadying the ruler at all. 

Here's a closeup of the magnets that are embedded in the ruler. The ruler is a fairly thick and sturdy plastic to accommodate the weight of the magnets. 

There are four magnets in this 6.5" square ruler. They don't block too much of the view of your fabric or block as they're placed far enough away from the edges.

I'm now considering investing in the large mat and big ruler (the non-rotating version) to replace my usual cutting mat,  because this system really works well for me. Now to work on one of my project to really use this cool new tool.

Sew Magnetic

 

I just received a new tool from Sew Tites, it's part of their new Sew Magnetic products, a rotating cutting mat. It's definitely pretty pricey, but they had a promo of BOGO, so friend Jaye and I went in on two of them, cutting the price in half.

It's a really great size for a lot of blocks and also for fussy cutting smaller pieces. I like the grey and white, it's a nice medium grey which will be great contrast for most fabrics. The cutting lines and markings are very clear..

You use it with these Booster Magnets to hold the fabric or the ruler. They also sell magnetic rulers that work with the mat, the magnets are built into the acrylic ruler.  I wonder if the other SewTites magnets that  I have would work, I'll have to try that out.

I tried it out with the fussy cutting templates from Jaybird Quilts and it really helped keep it stable. You still need to put a finger or two on it as well, but it really helps stabilize things. As my hands start to get more arthritis, I can see how useful this system will be when I need more assistance to cut safely and correctly. The mat rotates really smoothly and it's not too noisy like some of the other rotating mats are, I appreciated that a lot.

What a great product this is! I love being able to spin it around instead of rearranging the fabric and ruler for each cut. That is one of the main reasons I go wrong on cutting things with templates especially. I would definitely recommend getting one of these if you do a lot of fussy cutting, or block trimming in your quilting. Not having to grip the ruler so tightly made it so much easier on my hands and fingers, which has been a problem for me lately. I was able to concentrate on being safe with the rotary cutter, and ended up being a lot more accurate. 

I'm also considering investing in the large mat and big ruler (the non-rotating version) as well because this system really worked well for me.

Tool Review: Quilter's Select Self Erase Marker

Here's my review for the new quilt marking pen that I bought, it's a Quilter's Select Self Erase Marker. I decided to try and use it to mark the Economy Block corner squares during the BAM meeting on Saturday.

It makes a nice dark purple line,  not too wide as the tip is quite finely pointed.

I only used it to mark this one group of squares, as I noticed that the lines started disappearing rather quickly during the course of the meeting. I just used a pencil for the rest. Good thing, because two days later here's how it looked. It does say it disappears in 1-7 days depending on the fabric and conditions. So, for my purposes and conditions, the marking would have had to be for nearly immediate use as this fading was within an hour. Pre-washed cotton fabric, no ironing, in a non-humid, fairly cool room. If I'd used this to mark all 30+ Economy Blocks, I would have been bummed when I went to sew them on Monday.

Then when I ironed, with a steam iron, I found that the marks that had remained came back a bit stronger, even going through to the right side of the fabric.

That's not going to work, well maybe it would disappear on its own after a few days.

This is where the self-erase part comes in with this marking tool. At the other end of the pen is an "eraser" which does not just using friction like the Frixion, there's a shiny-ness that comes out, a liquid of some sort, maybe a solvent. I'm just guessing here. There wasn't a smell or anything.

The eraser worked well at removing the marks, but if you zoom in, you can see the liquid along the edge where the marks previously were. Will these marks come back if I iron it again? Will the liquid marked edges dry without staining or residue?

Here's how the block looks a couple days later. No eraser residue apparent at all and no marks. 

I steam ironed the block to see if any marks or residue reappeared and...nope! It looks fine to me. 

On the product website they have this instruction: 

• You need to test the mark & ironing it on all fabrics before you do final project.
• After marking, if it needs to be heated/ironed, treat with clean water to prevent discoloration.
• 
  
• I suppose I should try rinsing with water next time. So...I guess I end up mixed on recommending using this one. I think that I prefer the disappearing Sewline pen, but this one is worth trying again to see if different conditions change how it performs.

 

Product Review: Bulky Seam Jumper

 

Trying out my new Bulky Seam Jumper tool on a clothing repair job. You know when older elastic waistbands just go *poof* *crackle* *crunch* and are no longer at all helpful at hiding up your favorite pajama bottoms? It's worth doing a little un-stitching and inserting some new elastic. It doesn't take very long, and you save a little money on buying new ones.

It goes right under your presser foot and behind your needle on the way up the hump.

And then you place it in front of your presser foot on the way down the bulky spot. This keeps the sewing surface much more level and so there are a whole lot less skipped stitches from making it through all those layers. That means you end up with an actual stitched seam instead of a section of not really held together fabric. So functional, right?

I didn't know if I really needed something like this, but it really works. This is a very useful and functional piece of plastic. I should not that it is two sided as well, so if your bulky seam is only a little bulky, you can just use the smaller sized side. 

Two more features: You can use it for holding a button for stitching on with your machine. And the little hole seen on the front can be used to hold your new sewing machine needle to insert it into place.

 For all that functionality I think it's a pretty good price. 

Product Review: Oliso M3Pro Project Iron.

As I showed yesterday, I've recently received my new Oliso M3Pro Project Iron and it's already been put through its paces on a couple quilt piecing projects. One of the main new features that made me buy this was the integrated headlight. It does a great job of highlighting where you're going with the iron.

Here it is with the other two Oliso irons in my work room so that you can see the size differences. The handle of this new iron is a really different shape that is much easier to grip, which makes it a lot less tiring to hold even though it is slightly heavier. (2 pounds vs. 1.6 pounds)

Size comparison: M3Pro: 7.9” x 4.4” x 4.1” vs.M2Pro: 7.5" x 3.7" x 3.7"  (l x w x h) 

With the first project iron, it was always hard for me to easily tell if it was on or not. That caused a little worry, especially when using at retreats and Sew Day. This one has a big on/off button that is lit up very brightly so you can't miss it. Red is Off. This new model has a stand-by and auto-off mode just like the full-size version does which is a great addition. 

Green is ON.  You can see the well-placed side steam buttons. This one gets super steamy just like the full-size model which is great! It has two spots where the steam exits which is great.

It also comes with a silicone hot iron rest just like the original project iron. That way you don't have to twist up your wrist to set it upright between pressings, it can just stay horizontal. It's a lot easier to use the project iron this way once you're used to staying horizontal with the full-size Oliso.

I find this water fill opening is easier to get open and use. It didn't come with a little fill pitcher though. The new colors on offer are cool too, I like this pistachio green for something a little different.

I definitely recommend this new iron if you're looking for a more ergonomically designed, feature-filled project iron.

Product Review - Part 2 Marcia Baraldi Quilting Grip Gloves

Continuing on with my product review of the Marcia Baraldi Quilting Grip Gloves. Now that the initial smell has mostly dissipated, I decided to try out the new gloves in the two quilting situations I would normally be using them for 

First up is the work of handling a quilt through the initial stages of what I call anchor quilting. Using a walking foot I normal stitch along the major sections of the quilt, along rows, in the ditch. The gloves did very well in this application. They really helped me manage the effort of controlling the quilt being quilted, all while keeping it stable and flat.

In the second test situation, I switched up my machine for free-motion quilting. The gloves did very well in this situation also. I'd say they definitely improved my control on curves and more intricate small patterns. There was a little bit of a learning curve of course, as they're a little bit different from the Betty Bands or Machingers. It turns out you have to hold your hands even flatter. Basically there's no grabbing allowed.

Because of the flat hand, I was definitely less tense in my upper arms/shoulders and my hands weren't as crampy when I was done. So the ergonomic claims made seem to hold up for me. It was easy to handle threads, bobbins and pins as my fingers were free.

After my quilting session, I found that I was a bit sweaty in them, not surprising as it was pretty warm in my work room. There is still a rubbery/plastic smell but it wasn't overpowering, and didn't transfer to my hands. I have a very sensitive nose for this kind of smell though. 

All in all, I'm very glad I took a chance and tried them, I would definitely recommend this product. 

Product Review: Marcia Baraldi Quilting Grip Gloves Part 1

 

I like to do both walking foot and free motion machine quilting and for that to work out for my hands, I need some help. Usually I wear these Machingers quilting gloves which are wonderful. These are a great improvement over the knit gardening gloves I used to wear back when I started quilting. They're lightweight and flexible and the grippy material on the finger tips helps a lot.

 I also use the Steady Betty Bands quite a bit, I reviewed them here. the foam grippers really help me to not grab onto the quilt as I'm moving it around and keep more of my palm in contact. That's where the real control comes in. It also saves you from very sore hands.

Recently I saw a recommendation for this new to me quilting glove design made by a Brazilian quilter, Marcia Baraldi.

They're very adjustable and feel great, nothing scratchy or poky which I'm pretty sensitive to. They were easy to get situated on my hands and adjusted to a firm but not too tight fit. I have very large hands, and these gloves are only offered in one-size fits all so I was happy to see how well they fit me. It's possible they'd be too large for someone with very small hands. 

Instead of the Machingers gloves emphasis on the grippy-ness of just the fingertips, this design is all about the palm. And they cover much more of the palm than the Betty Bands. This will mean they're much better for control, and for saving your hands, especially if you have arthritis or other hand issues. It's also better ergonomically for your neck, upper back and shoulders because if your fingers aren't in derma-grip tension then the rest of you can relax. 

When I opened up the package, the smell was really overwhelming so I wasn't able to try using them on a quilt right away, After a few days, including one outside in the sun, the smell pretty much went away. The bands that go around your hand and finger are made out of a soft neoprene. Maybe that's what it was? Or something to do with the rubbery textured palm piece? 

As I was writing this post I noticed in the pictures how dirty my Machingers and Betty Bands were, so I washed them and hung them out side to dry along with the Grip Gloves. Much better! Usually when I'm done quilting, the last thing I think about is washing my tools. The Machingers fingertips did not come quite clean because of the rubberized coating, not sure what to do about that. No all-white quilts for me I guess.

 

Part 2 of  the review tomorrow after I actually do some quilting with them.

New Tool Review: Magic Carpet

 My new very favorite tool in my workroom is this crazy looking beast. So pointy!

Can you tell what it is? 

Here's a rotary cutter for size comparison.

I got to choose the colors that it was made in from a very wide selection. I'm very very pleased with how great this looks (it reminds me of a Pokemon for some reason?!).

It's a Magic Carpet sewing machine foot pedal platform from Plastic & Sawdust on Etsy.

It fits my sewing machine pedal absolutely perfectly. And the maker is very open to making adjustments to sizing, they even checked with me to make sure my pedal would fit.

The opening on the side fits the plug very well. The pointy feet sink right into my carpet, and 

It Does Not Move. 

I'm so excited that this thing works, I've been getting very frustrated with my sewing machine pedal lately. That moment when you realize you're in a weird one leg stretched way out position and your back hurts because you're sitting so strangely as you chase the pedal will no longer happen. Perfect. 

Highly recommend this if you're sewing in a carpeted room.

No Snow Day But Hand Sewing Anyway

 

It's raining and in the 40's now, so there's only a tiny patch of icy snow left on the deck. Looks like snow-ma-geddon '23 is over for now.

So that means it's time to tell you about this super-cool hand sewing aid that I recently bought for myself. It was advertised in Sue Spargo's newsletter but I bought it directly from the maker, Lap App. It's basically a rest for your hands as you do hand sewing. It's very well-made out of sturdy yet lightweight Birch wood.  

It has two adjustment knobs to get it into just the right tilted position as well as a good height. They come with a lightly-padded fabric cover, but I bought one made out of Tula Pink fabric in colors I really like. The original cover is fine too, it's in the first picture. It also comes with a pattern to make your own cover. The two pegs sticking up are for putting spools of thread on them. The little silver circle to the left of the pegs is a magnet for your needle. 

This is the secret to the fabric cover not budging once it's on, there's a sheet of fine sandpaper glued on the main surface which is very grippy. What a smart solution. I was a little worried about having the wood resting on my lap but it doesn't hurt me at all and all the corners are very nicely rounded. I love how soft the un-stained wood is, it is almost the feeling of fabric. 

As I was using it, I realized that I am surrounded by things in nearly that exact shade of lime green. So I had to do a still life arrangement. The little pocket on the fabric cover is lime green, it looks like a good place for my embroidery scissors. A very well designed tool, I'm really enjoying using it.

I also bought a gizmo called the Bobbin Boat from them (also in lime green), it's flexible grippy plastic (or silicone maybe?) just like the purple bobbin ring thing on the left. I think this'll be a good thing to have in my go-sew bag.

Tool Tuesday: Clapper Review

 

I've been using the clapper that I bought last month from R0ssieCrafts to iron the folds into the orange bullseye backgrounds. This tool is truly terrific! (so many Ts)  I love the solid and smooth feel of it in my hand, the shape of it  is very pleasing to the eye. The wood itself is just plain lovely as well. Do I feel goofy for having my name on there? A bit yes, I kind of wish I'd just chosen a word instead like: FLAT or STAY or STRONG. 

My Flash opinion: Wow! This thing really really works.  Look at those flat flat folded creases.

The Many Pros: 

• You don't have to leave the iron on the fabric for a super extra long amount of time to get a crease to take in cotton fabric, so no possibility of scorching. 
• It isn't at all heavy.
• It's very easy to grip and move.
• It's low-tech, no batteries required.
• It doesn't take up a lot of real estate on your ironing board.
• The price is not outrageous.
• This thing will definitely outlast you.

A Few Cons: It's an extra step in pressing, which makes that process just slightly more fiddly.It's one more thing to keep track of.

In my opinion it really stacks up to get and use one of these clappers in my opinion.