I am in the middle of a project (I can’t show it to you yet) where there are a ton of circles!!

I am using Wonder Under to prepare the circle, cutting it out and then will fuse it to the project.

Many years ago, I learned that the best way to cut paper is to move the paper and not the scissors. I have found that is also true for cutting fabric.

Let me show you……

As I said in the video, the trick is to move the fabric and not the scissors!!

AND, you need good scissors. My favorite scissors for cutting fabric are these from Karen Kay Buckley….

Her fabric scissors (as opposed to her template scissors) have micro-serrated edges that grip the fabric and make cutting SO easy.

Okay…enough for today. I need to get back to cutting circles!!

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I have a dilemma that I think you might be able to settle.

Back when I re-did my studio and added the new fabric shelves, I spent hours AND HOURS ironing fabric and placing it on the shelves.

It looked SO good….

But, over the last 5 years, I have not taken the time to replace the fabric in the correct bins and now it looks like this…..

I know that it is time to re-sort the fabrics, and I could just do them the exact same way, but I am wondering if there might be a better way.

I have been using a lot more solids recently, so I am thinking about moving all of the solid fabrics together.

I have also thought about pulling all of the smaller pieces (ie fat quarter minimum) and putting them in one place.

Do you have any thoughts about what I should do?

Have you ever watched any “The Quilt Show” episodes, hosted by Alex Anderson and Ricky Timms?

Every so often, they throw one onto YouTube for free, and this one is about SCRAPS!!

There are tons of ideas including half-square triangle piecing, fabric collage, and even a fun “no-sew” idea!!

It is a long video, but do what I do….. set it up for 2x speed and slow it down when you need to!!

Okay….here is the scene…..

You have picked up a new pattern for a scrap quilt and are excited to be using up some of your 1.5-inch green strips…..

As you read the pattern, it says that each strip should be at least 14-inches in length.

So, you sigh and pull the first strip out, laying it at the zero mark on your cutting mat and walking your hand down the inch markers until you get to 14……

OKAY,….this one is long enough but now I want to trim the excess off. I have to once again find the 14-inch mark before I cut.

So, what if we made this process easier?

Take a piece of painter’s tape and stick it to your cutting mat…..anywhere on the mat…. and cut it to 14-inches in length…..

Now, grab that fabric strip…..

Look….you can INSTANTLY see that it is long enough, and if you want to trim it down, you know EXACTLY where to cut…..

And, if that favorite strip isn’t quite long enough, you instantly know that too…..

It is such a simple idea but it makes SO much difference!!

What is your favorite time-saving tip?

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Do you like mystery quilts?

For me, the jury is still out!!

While I enjoy learning new techniques, I am always torn that I don’t know what it will look like at the end.

This makes choosing colors and fabrics extremely difficult.

Some years ago, I signed up for a mystery quilt and had NO idea where to start, so I pulled out photos of a favorite trip to the Bahamas…..

….carried them to the quilt shop and found……

Then I looked at this photo of Jenny and the ocean…..

…. and decided to add a fun Kaffe fabric to the mix…..

Now, I would never have thought to put these fabrics together, but I love how the quilt turned out…..

This photo is not quite as saturated the actual quilt, but I sure liked it!!

Even better was getting to give it to our friend in China as a baby gift……

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