When I am doing lots of string piecing, I have struggled to clip all the pieces apart. For many years, I used the “Sunflower Quilts” thread cutter….

And, while I liked it, I found that the blade eventually dulled, and I ended up breaking the thread rather than cutting it.

I even bought some tools to try to sharpen the blade, but it didn’t work.

Last August, our guild had a wonderful night where we shared our favorite tools, and the “Blade Saver” was presented.

It came in this small box….

…and contained all of these parts….

The thing that I truly like about this tool is that it uses OLD Rotary Blades, and I have a whole container of them!!

It was so easy to put it all together

….and it works like a dream…..

AND…..if one area gets dull, I can simply move the cutter to a different area or put in a new blade!!

I have definitely found a FAVORITE TOOL!!

Do you have a favorite tool…..PLEASE tell me about it!!

A few weeks ago, I talked about using a photo to help with fabric selections for a mystery quilt.

Today, let’s talk about another way that a photo can help you with fabric selection.

Sometimes, I put together a series of fabrics, and then I start second-guessing myself.

• Do these colors REALLY go together?
• Is there too much of one color?
• Would it be better with more (or fewer) fabrics?

When decisions start to feel uncertain, I take a photo.

Seeing fabrics on a screen immediately clarifies value and contrast in a way the cutting table sometimes doesn’t. What feels confusing in person often becomes evident in a photo.

It has been vital for me to learn that I don’t need perfect fabrics — I need a light, medium, and dark working together so the design can reveal itself.

Sometimes I’ll take the photo in black and white. Stripping away color makes it easier to see value, which is often the key to a successful quilt.

In this case, the finished quilt was this…..

So, next time you are in doubt about your fabric choices….

TAKE A PHOTO!!

…

I have mentioned how hard my creative life was in 2025. There was one reason for that…..

I had looked back at 2024, seeing three quilts in major shows and then a BOS ribbon early in 2025, and I had decided that whatever I did HAD TO BE show quality. Something special and technically accurate.

I planned quilts, thinking that I had to make them show-worthy. Not because the quilt needed that level of precision, but because I told myself it was required.

Somewhere along the way, the pressure to make it “good enough” turned into pressure to make it perfect. And putting that kind of pressure on myself took all the fun out of creating!

But, making a simple scrap quilt in December helped me realize what I was doing to myself….

….and how I was missing out on creative fun!!

I have slowly learned that choosing a simpler standard doesn’t mean lowering my skills. It simply means using them wisely.

Do you have preconceived notions about your quilts, and should you let some of those notions go away?

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“Let’s Get Scrappy is about how to decide, not about what to make.”

Let’s Get Scrappy is an on-demand online course that helps quilters overcome decision fatigue and finally make sense of their overflowing scrap bins. With four hours of step-by-step video instruction, you’ll learn simple systems for organizing, piecing, and pressing your scraps—so you can stop overthinking and start sewing beautiful, coordinated quilts with confidence and joy.