Sunday, June 3, 2012

New assistant

    Do you thread your machine with your right or left hand?   Never thought much about it until I tried to do it with my right hand......unbelievably impossible!   Everything was going the wrong way and I was wasting a few miles of thread here.    Obviously,  I need to new technique to accomplish this feat.   So, on my feet----stand up, place thread in left hand and guide it through the guides and tension, then sit down. Thread the needle with the right hand.    Note----if you ever see someone in class stand up to thread their machine, just know they have problems with the shoulder!
    Now,  I need a few strips cut for more blocks.  Challenge for the quilter with a broken wing......rotary cutting requires 2 hands, one to cut and one to steady the ruler.  I spied a little assistant sitting on my shelf acting as a bookend..... my Grandmother's sad iron.
    I have 2 of these.  They have been  used as doorstops,  bookends, and generally just on display for long time.  They weigh about 7 pounds.   But why are they called sad irons?   Sad is an old term that can also mean flat or heavy.   I can only imagine how awful it was to actually iron clothes with them...I would be feeling sad after using one all day.
 
    But  this sad iron was an answer to my problem.  I needed something with weight.  So fabric plus slotted ruler plus sad iron plus rotary cutter equals strips.     I would not suggest using the sad iron on the acrylic rulers---the ruler could still shift or the iron could crack the ruler from uneven weight---but on the flat slotted ruler, it works well.
     Cutting strips solved.
     Happy stitching.
   

9 comments:

Impera Magna said...

I had to stop and think about it for a second... I thread my machine with my right hand. Now I'm trying to imagine threading it with my left hand... uhmmm...

Great idea to use your sad iron... I have a couple... also used as door stops and book ends.... but my mother and grandmother called them flat irons.

Terri said...

You are one determined lady. Just keep on keeping on!
Hugs!

Cheree @ The Morning Latte said...

Thread the machine with my left, the needle with my right. Tho the circumstances aren't great, I think it's neat that your grandmother is kind of helping you out in the sewing room!

Cheree @ The Morning Latte said...

Thread the machine with my left, the needle with my right. Tho the circumstances aren't great, I think it's neat that your grandmother is kind of helping you out in the sewing room!

Dana Gaffney said...

Seven pounds? Now you're lifting weights every time you need to cut something.

Brenda said...

My Bernina threads my needle for me ;-)
If I had to do it myself, I would use my right hand. A girl has to sew, use whatever you have handy to make your job easier!

Mary said...

I love using vintage tools, and I bet your grandmother would be tickled to know her tools still have a place in your life!

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

I thread my machine with my left but thread the needle with my right. I'm also left handed.....love the old sad iron!

Lynne said...

You know what they say about necessity being the mother of invention! Well done you!

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