Isn’t it funny how, with online shopping, a search for one thing can lead to so many others? Yesterday was a case in point. I saw a video that suggested using a Cricut spatula to tuck in the edges of canvases on self-finishing items. I have a ton of things to finish right now and I hate using butter knives to do this because they are awkward for this.
So I bought one. Since I know nothing about Cricut, I wondered if there were other tools I could repurpose of theirs. Looking at the Cricut site, I discovered that lightboxes had morphed into flat light pads. I had a lightbox I never used because it was bulky & hard to plugin. These are small, flat (under 1/2″) and run on USB cables. Since I got a six-station charger as a door prize last month, I have a way to easily charge it.
There’s two things to make my stitching life better and easier. I kept on thinking about what bugs me in stitching. One thing is creating the outside size of projects. I am very bad at counting accurately for squares and rectangles and I’m hopeless at making circles unless I have a template.
Quilters need to be able to make squares in many different sizes. Several companies make square and rectangular rulers in different sizes with either a grid or 1/2″ squares marked off. I bought a package of three. While the thread count on my canvas may not be exact, I will be able to mark my spaces more easily.
But circles in various sizes are not so common for quilters. I could find circular templates that had sizes up to 3.5″ but what I wanted was something for circles of about 5″. I did not know this but folks who draw mandalas need to start with circles in various sizes that are marked at regular intervals. They do this with stencils. I found one that had the right sizes. I’m the least confident about this, but it’s better than trying to find plates to trace.
Last I bought a shorter ruler. It’s a quilter’s ruler so it is clear acrylic & marked with a grid. My desk drawers are 12″ wide, so rulers become stuck if I place them wrong. I hope this one, 10″ long will solve that problem.
All of these things should arrive tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted on how they work out.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Love love love this…how many times have I walked right by all of the Cricut paraphernalia and paid absolutely not attention…love the light box the best of all!!!
Who knew!!
and
Worst of all I would have just continued walking right by without reading this……………….
In addition to stencils, creative grids rulers has a set of 5 round rulers in various sizes. Water glasses and cereal bowls work, too. Haven’t tried the Cricut tool yet. Worth looking at though. I did buy a flat light box a couple of years ago. So much better than the previous one I had.
I’ll have to look for those round rulers.
Keep stitching,
Janet