A NewToy

 I'm collecting blue and green fabrics to make a chevron quilt, and bought a new toy to help with all that cutting.

 I've wanted one for a while, but couldn't really justify it to myself. However there was a sale, and cheap postage, so I splurged.

It's not just for cutting strips,there are other ways to use it, so I justified the expense.  Maybe I need to call it an investment, which makes it sound wise and virtuous, instead of indulgent..

I cut up a few FQs into 2 x 4 bricks, and it was so quick, very simple and easy on the eyes and hands.  Of course, there is a risk of cutting things wrong and making costly mistakes, but I'm sure I'll learn to double check every cut.

 There was very little waste; 8 cuts and I had 32 bricks to add to the collection.

I also sub-cut some 1.25" strips for the little Puss In The Corner blocks, and kitted up another 50 as Leader-Enders.  Then I cut nine 2.5" strips for a binding, and it was so easy. I was pretty impressed with what I can do with this ruler; I'm thinking that it will also be good to cross-cut strips when I'm strip-piecing 9-patches.

I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of this, especially paired with the strip dies from the Go Cutter. I don't have the 2.5"strip die, I don't have a problem cutting bigger strips like that and I really don't use that size much. This will let me cut that size easily, with a lot more choices for sub-cutting.

I really need to find fast ways to cut kits for quilts, with a minimum of fuss, so I can quickly get back to sewing.  My free time seems to get less and less, and anything I can do to streamline the prep means more time for the actual sewing.

It's a lovely cool day today, only 25°, and I turned my front room upside-down, sorting and cleaning.  It's been shut up against the heat for months, and it's wonderful to let the light and the fresh air in.  I'm really hoping our hot weather is over, the cooler temperatures give me an energy boost to get on and get things done.  I want to see some progress around here.