Snippety Doo Dah

Hello Lofty Sewers! It’s TJ from Studio Mailbox here bringing you an update on my quilt project this fine first Friday in August.

Snip, snip, snip. I am so proud to report that all the sewing is done. Snip, snip. And now all I have to do is go around – snip, snip – with these clippers – snip, snip – and cut these little lines – snip, snip – around more than 300 of these squares! Argh. (Anybody want to come over and work from the other side?)

My Aunt solved my biggest problem when I was explaining to her on the phone how worried I was about holding the darn thing up under the needle. “Time to move your project to the kitchen table,” she said.

Ah-hah! So that’s how you get extra support when you start putting together the big pieces. The table becomes the quilt’s bra while your family eats on the floor. Genius! This created even more incentive to finish sewing since my 7-year old was walking around with sticky fingers and crumbs flying.

The handiest tool I found for the snipping job are Fiskars spring-assisted scissors. This means if the button is open they stay in open mode and you have to squeeze down on them to get them to cut. The good news is that they are sharp right down to the very tip. The bad news is they can’t handle four layers of fabric if two of them are denim. This means that around hundreds of squares I don’t have to just snip once in every spot. I have to snip through half of the thickness and then go back in and snip the other half in that same spot. Err meh gawd. Not fun. And what a mess. I can imagine this quilt is going to have a chronic dandruff condition for awhile until it fuzzes completely out. Snip, snip, snip.

For those of you who have been following along and know me a little by now it can’t be a surprise to announce what a weenie I am with the snips too. What are the chances I’m going to hit a seam eventually? Think positive TJ! Snip, snip, snip.

Here is a summary of what I’ve learned from this little quilting project:

1. 4″ squares are pretty small.
2. The end size of a project is a lot smaller than when you lay out the pieces flat and look at it. I thought this thing would nearly fit a twin bed. It barely covers our daybed. Who am I kidding? It’s an over-sized baby blanket.
3. Crate the puppy while laying out your work.
4. Accurate cutting would serve one well. In future attempts I will try to cut straight lines and make 90 degree angles. Imagine that.
5. Denim is heavy. Again, obvious to some. I suggest a weight training regimen.
6. Minky is slinky. Cuddle can be a muddle.
7. Just when you’re about to finish a seam the bobbin will inevitably run out of thread. Roll with it or, just go to bed.
8. Don’t sew tired, while crabby or distracted.
9. On TJ’s to-do list: make seam ripper holster.
10. Just when you think you’re done you realize you have several more hours finishing/tying off/snipping. Snip, snip. Suck it up buttercup.

TJ Goerlitz is a mixed media artist who pretends to be a seamstress whenever possible. Come connect with her on her site, Studio Mailbox, her Facebook page, or in Pinterest. Join in the story of the denim quilt every first Friday of the month where she will share her progress (or non-progress) right here with the readers of The Sewing Loft.

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