TIPS/TOOLS Archives - Page 3 of 6

A ripper of a present

December 12, 2014 by Nanny 8 Comments

If you ask anyone that sews, what the one tool is that they could not do with out, a huge number would say MY QUICK UNPICK or SEAM RIPPER!

Now I should start by saying that I am not receiving any payment for this in any way but I wanted to show you this because it would make a fantastic present for yourself or your sewing friends.

This is my new unpicker and I love it!

You can see how big it is compared to a regular one (think this one came with my machine). Now in this case, I think bigger is better!

It fits nicely in my hand so I can grip it well

as opposed to the smaller one which is really held by the fingers.

It is lovely and smooth AND I got to choose my favourite colour – purple.

I was so excited I bought my friend Sue one too in her favourite colour – red. Sue has some difficulty with arthritis in her fingers and this should be perfect for her!

Another feature is that it is double sided! It has a small blade on one end

and a larger blade on the other!

When you are finished, you simply pull the blade out out, turn it around and stow it away!

Perfect!

If you would like to see more colours or to order one for yourself or a friend, pop over to Alan’s Pen Making – you can even get a pen to match!!

Until next time
Nanny xx

When your legs just aren’t long enough…

September 9, 2014 by Nanny 7 Comments

Have you ever found yourself wanting to do some cutting when you are away from your cutting table?

This happened to me during the kitchen reno. I only had access to an ordinary desk:

You can see that that was never going to work! Way too low!! Oh my aching back!!

So it was off to the shops and look what I found:

A set of 4 Bed Lifts for $8.00 at the Reject Shop! I raced back home, ripped them open:

and lifted my desk by placing one under each leg! :

Perfect!!

Yes I actually bought 2 sets so I will be able to replace the paint tins AND as they are extremely light I might just have to sneak a set into the motorhome when we finally decide to do ‘the block’!

Have you ever found a cheap and easy solution to a crafting problem? I would love you to share your experiences!

Until next time

Nanny xx

Wotza Wednesday – Ribbon Storage

October 8, 2013 by Nanny 6 Comments

This week I have a question from Amy –

“Nanny what’s a good way to store my ribbons? I am so sick of them being jumbled in a mess!”

Well Amy, thank you for the question and I have to tell you, I have tried a number of things over the years from rolling them around strips of cardboard, rolling them around my fingers and putting a rubber band around them etc etc but when I took over the ‘dining’ room and converted it into my space, I wanted something simple, that stayed tidy and was easy to get at.

I guess the things you need to think about are:

How many ribbons are we talking about?

What space do you have?

How are they stored now?

What do you want of your storage? Decoration? Accessibility? Neatness? etc etc

I searched Pinterest for ideas:

Glass or plastic containers – they looked pretty but where would I put them and what if I want the bottom ribbon? Wouldn’t work for me…

Here

Hang them on a Pants Hanger – where would I hang the hanger? I don’t have a cupboard or a door. What if I wanted the middle one? Wouldn’t work for me ….

Here

Put them in a Basket – I had a basket but where would I put it? Wouldn’t work for me …

Here

Using house gutter – now that is interesting ….

Here

I had wall space ….. I had PJ and his skills …… he knew how to get to Bunnings…….

This is what we came up with:

I looked at a book stand my Dad had made me years ago

(Showing off my lovely diary created by the very talented Karen at Sugarbird Art)

and used the same principles – wooden ends and dowel.

PJ found these ends at Bunnings!!

I worked out where to put the dowel by sitting a ribbon reel on the board end and marking it! Too easy!!

We put a plain one in the centre for extra support and

you can see that I was too excited and didn’t let the paint dry thoroughly…. before I filled it up with my ribbons!!

I popped a hair elastic around the ribbons and I have never had it so good! (I didn’t even have to tidy them up to take these photos)

I am using my wall space, I can select which ever ribbon I like without worrying about any other, use it, slip the elastic back on and back into the rack! You can see on the left, that my rack will even hold small reels.

A perfect solution for me anyway! I hope this helps Amy and thank you for asking.

Don’t forget, if you have a ‘What’s a’ question for Nanny just email it to me at Nannynotes2u@gmail.com.

Until next time

Nanny xx

Wotza Wednesday – Fabric Confusion

October 2, 2013 by Nanny Leave a Comment

I have had a number of questions about fabric terminology so today I am going to try to simplify some of the language of fabric for you.

FABRIC OR MATERIAL?

First off we sew with fabric – it was always called material by my grandmothers but today, anyway, we buy fabric to create an item. Material refers to the raw material used to create the fabric and it varies to produce different fabrics. eg cotton, wool, man-made fibres.

What’s a BOLT?

We buy fabric from the bolt. It is the rolls of fabric you see when you go to a shop. The fabric is usually folded selvedge to selvedge and then rolled onto cardboard – this is the bolt.

What’s a SELVEDGE?

The selvedge is the edge that doesn’t fray that runs right along the length of the fabric on both sides.

If you look at a selvedge you will notice that it has information on it : The name of the design, manufacturer and some coloured dots. If you are trying to match another fabric, use the coloured dots as a guide – they are the colours that have been used in the design.

What’s a WOF?

WOF stands for Width Of Fabric – the width from one selvedge to the other. Quilting fabric is usually 42″ wide but if you buy upholstery fabric, for example, it may be much wider.

What’s a cut of FABRIC?

Fabric is sold by the metre or part there-of. If you buy on-line you will notice that the fabric is sold in units and the size of that unit is outlined by the seller. It is most often 0.25 of a metre and if you want to buy a metre you order 4 units. (Some sellers may sell per yard which is about 91.5 cm)

If you are purchasing in a shop, some will have minimum cuts – this simply means that you have to buy at least that amount. If I am shopping in a ‘new’ shop, I will always ask if they have a minimum cut. If you only want 20 cm and the minimum cut is 1m you need to know!!

If you want 2 metres they will unroll the fabric from the bolt and measure 2m along the selvedge, and then cut across – this is a good time to watch carefully and don’t be afraid to say if you think they about to cut it short or crooked. You can lose inches if it is not squared!!

In the same way, if you only want 1/4 m or 25cm they will measure along the selvedge and cut.

What’s a FAT QUARTER?

A fat quarter is a quarter of a metre but it is not the usual 25cm.

Remember if you want 25cm, they will cut that across the fabric from selvedge to selvedge. You will have a strip, WOF, that is 25cms wide

A fat quarter however, is cut by firstly cutting a metre from the bolt and then and cutting it in half lengthways and crossways. You end up with 4 ‘fat’ pieces approx 53cms x 50cms.

In the same way, you can see that by cutting 0.5m from the bolt and then cutting it in half, you will have 2 Fat quarters.

I hope this helps you to feel more confident when shopping for fabric!

Thank you to Sue at Splash into Craft for allowing me access to her shop for photos! Why not drop by and tell her Nanny sent you!

Until next time
Nanny xx

Spin the Pins – Pattern Weights

July 11, 2013 by Nanny 6 Comments

When I decided I would like some pattern weights I found many ideas on Pinterest that other crafters had come up with like: some filled with Aquarium Gravel or others filled with Beans or Lentils, or others that used Washers and Covered Buttons!

I loved the ideas of pattern weights, but one thing worried me – when I wasn’t using them where would they be stored?

So I set my mind to the task and I love what I came up with and I hope you do too!

Nanny’s Magnetic Pattern Weight Flower Hanger

What you need:

Metal Washers x 7 x 32mm or 1and 1/4″ (approx)
Magnet x 7 x 2cm or 3/4″(approx)
Heavy Card to cut circles the size of the washers
Galvanised ant cap ( PJ and I went to Bunnings and this is all we could find to suit my plan) to cut 1 x 11cm diameter circle (this is a little larger than mine but will make it better!)
Buttons with a shank x 7
Fabric 1- enough to cut 6 circles (about 1 and 3/4″ diameter)
Fabric 2 – enough to cut a circle for the centre yoyo as above and enough to cut 2 x circles x 12cm diameter
Glue – PVA is fine

Let’s make it!

Make the hanger:
1. Gather the edge of the Fabric 2 large circles, put the card circle in before gathering edge over. Press the edge to form a crisp smooth edge. Remove the card.
2. Take one of the large fabric circles and the circle of tin. Cover the tin with glue and place it in the fabric circle, smoothing the fabric and gluing the fabric overlap to the other side of the tin circle.
3. With the other large circle, sew the rick rack around the edge, including a loop for hanging. Trim your card circle so that it now fits snuggly inside the rickrack and glue it down as well.
4. Glue the two large circles together and secure with pegs or hair clips till dry.

Make the weights:
1. Glue a card circle to each washer
2. Sew around the edge of the small circles and gather up to form a yo-yo, placing the washer/card into the yo-yo, washer side up, before gathering up the yo-yo and finishing off. Do this for the other outer yo-yos.
3. Take the small circle from Fabric 2 and make a centre yo-yo the same way.
4. Put glue on the back of the buttons and push firmly into the yo-yo till set. The shank will sit in the washer hole.
5. Glue a magnet to the back of each yo-yo.