GRIPPY!!

A few months back, I made a comment in a post that I was having trouble with my quilting rulers slipping as I quilted around them.

Several people suggested that I try “Grippy”, a spray coating from Odif…..

Now I know that many people don’t like using sprays but…..OH MY this stuff is magic!!!

I tried it first on a 12-inch ruler that I use for long straight lines. I had already added “ruler grip” tape to the underside and that had definitely helped…

BUT, it would still slip, particularly at the ends of the ruler.

So, a quick spray with Grippy (on a piece of parchment paper)…..

….and it was ready to use!!

I sprayed it a bit heavier on the left end and the ruler became a little clouded (not sure if you can really see it in this picture, but trust me it did)!!

But you can see that the rest of the ruler is completely clear.

The test came when I started quilting long straight lines!!

The ruler stayed in place, from one end…..

….to the other…..

I am not sure how often you have to treat the ruler, but it worked wonderfully for 3+ hours of straight line quilting!!

This spray will DEFINITELY be part of my machine quilting toolbox!!

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A Tool From the Long-Arm World

I love to find tools that work in different contexts and that is exactly what I found with Long-Arm Centering Tape…..

I honestly have NO idea what it is used for in the long-arm world, but I used it to evenly space my border FMQ repeats.

Check it out…..

If you are reading on email, you can use this link to go directly to the video….. https://youtu.be/FispD-WcAec

Using the tape made fitting 4-inch repeats into a 54-inch border VERY easy, and that is what we want….. EASE!!!

Com back next Friday and we will finish quilting the outside border of this first scrap quilt of summer!!

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Do you Oliso?

I had been thinking about getting a different iron for my sewing machine ironing station. It was just a bit crowded with the full size iron….

Then, this happened……

….meaning that my trusty, much loved, Black & Decker iron had blown a gasket!!

The next day I was traveling to QuiltCon so I decided to check out the Oliso irons while I was there.

And not only did I check them out……I bought one!! Isn’t she pretty?

This is the Oliso M3Pro Mini Project Iron!!

I have been using it for 2 weeks now and have decided that I really like it.

Let me tell you why….

The water well is super easy to fill, with the fill lines easy to see….

YES…..I am a steamer!!!

The steam buttons are on each side of the handle. When you press one side, the steam comes from the bottom and the other side, from the top. And when it says a SHOT of steam, it isn’t kidding…..

The sharp point on the sole-plate makes pressing seams so very easy….

One of my favorite perks of this iron is the light…..

It is at the perfect angle to illuminate what you are ironing.

It can be left in the upright position or laid down on the provided base, and will stay on for 30-minutes in the upright or 10-minutes in the horizontal position.

It heats up quickly and gets plenty hot.

AND, when you are ready to travel, you slip the iron in the other side of the base and it is ready to go…..

So, those are the good things about the iron….let me tell you a few concerns.

It doesn’t produce a whole lot of steam. Having said that, the seams that I am pressing are laying flat and look good, so maybe the amount of steam is fine but just different from what I was used to.

When I first plugged it in, I couldn’t get the steam burst to work and was ready to send it back. But, I kept pushing the buttons to prime the steamer and it finally started working. So…be patient!

Overall, I think that I am going to really like this iron.

I am not going to blow smoke here…..it was expensive and I am hoping that it will last for many, many years!!

If you are interested, you can check them out on Amazon HERE

Do you use an Oliso? What has been your experience?

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Do you clap??

A while back I was given a “Tailor’s Clapper”…..

As my mouth said “thank you”, my mind wondered “what do I do with THAT?”

So it was time to do some research. This is what I found…..

A clapper is a wooden tool for flattening seams!!

Okay…that is easy enough.

Typically, the clapper is placed on top of a seam that has just been steamed and pressed. The clapper traps in the heat and moisture and the weight of the wood flattens the seam further.

But does it work??? I did a test.

While working on my 10-minute scrap quilt, I will often piece a row of squares before I press…..

I then press them all at the same time, and all going in one direction…..

Then, I place the clapper on top of the strip for a few seconds…..

…..and look how flat those seams are…..

But let’s give it a better test.

What if I sew two strips together….

….and place the clapper on the pressed seam…..

That looks good…..

But to truly test, let’s compare it with one that was pressed without the clapper….

I was AMAZED at how much flatter the “clappered” one was (on the right if you can’t tell).

The instructions say to leave the clapper in place for 3 to 6 seconds and that timing works well when I am pressing seams.

The only problem is that I might need a second one to further streamline the process.

And, for your useless fact of the day….. When the clapper is slapped on a hard surface, it produces a clapping sound, hence the name.

If you are interested, I purchased mine at Amazon.

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On Tuesdays, I provide a tip, technique, or product review. Please subscribe to the blog to ensure that you don’t miss ANY of them!!

I sprayed…..I didn’t like it!

Several months ago I posted about using “Turtle Wax” to shine the bed of my sewing machine, making it easy for the fabric to glide across it as I free motioned quilted…….