Saturday, November 5, 2016

Dual Use :: New Discovery

The past few days I've been trying to finish a 'secret' (hate that!) project that has consumed me. On top of that I'm in the process of setting up a designated sewing room for myself. Yay!  

With a move like that there are growing pains and just trying to adjust.  I spend so much time running between rooms for various things...scissors, glue, templates...it's a great way to get exercise, but a royal pain!

Then again, if I hadn't had to run back and forth I wouldn't have made a discovery!  It saved me one more trip to the other room and believe me I was over it in a big way. 



This is the tool.  We all have a personal connection to it and have had many occasions when it was used more often than we want to admit.  The good old, gotta have seam ripper. I've had this one for a few years now.  It's my favorite and works like a charm when a seam needs some attention.  Seam-fix by Dritz.  After ripping a seam the rubber tip is used to grab and remove the thread.  It works like a charm!

And it also works great for this...



Does this look familiar?  Batting or fabric stuck in your cutting mat after rotary cutting is an ugly mess!  There are all kinds of ways to deal with it.  Using a soft bristle brush, a rubber eraser or mild detergent and water to name a few.  My favorite method was to grab my eraser.  

Since I do a lot of improv piecing that doesn't require measuring, I flip my mat over and do the majority of cutting on the back.  I certainly helps to preserve the front for when lines, measuring and precision is required!

It doesn't take long for things to 'clog' up, so I try to keep it clean and lint free regularly. Today I had had enough running back and forth!  This darn cutting mat needed to be cleaned before I could continue my project.  I don't know how it happened, a moment of brilliance or dumb luck, but the second I saw my seam ripper with that amazing rubber tip I knew it was going to be my lucky day!



It worked like a charm!  I thought the eraser method was brilliant, this is so much better!  It's often the little things that amaze us the most.



The tufts of batting stick to the rubber end of the seam ripper making clean up a breeze! And speaking of clean...look at the mat!  



Are there any tools you use for something other than their intended use?  I love new discoveries!  

LINKING:

16 comments :

  1. Hi Jayne,

    Great idea. I will try this for my mat.

    Best Mareike

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    1. I like when things like this happen! Since my seam ripper is always close by, I have no excuse not to keep my mat fresh & clean now!

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  2. I use a pot scrubber to clean imbedded threads off my mats. A nylon bodywash poofy thingy (I'm sure there's an official word for it) also works well. Wipe your mats down with a damp cloth to keep them hydrated. And measure the lines periodically to make sure you are getting the precision you think.

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    1. I’ve tried several methods of cleaning my mat and try to prolong it’s life as long as I can! What I need to remember is to rehydrate them…thanks for the reminder!! Great tip about measuring the lines too!

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  3. Awesome! I have a dedicated eraser for my sewing space that stays by my mat to clean it up, but when a tool can do double duty that it awesome.

    And psst... I hope you link up with Tips and Tutorials Tuesday ;)

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    1. I love finding new discoveries and using a tool for more than what it’s intended for! Since my seam ripper is always by my side it’s going to get double duty now!

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  4. Hi Jayne! It's always great to hear tips like this. Could you please write sometimes what else you do to take care of your cutting mat. x Teje

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    1. I was pretty happy with this new discovery. It may keep my cutting mat much cleaner now! Besides trying to keep the batting/threads out of the cracks, I’m sorry to say that is all I ever do to take care of my mats! I’ve heard you should soak it in detergent or vinegar…but I never do! I cut until the mat is trashed and I don’t think there is any coming back from that!!

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  5. Great idea. I flip my mat over when I cut flannel and batting but I admit I just flip it back over without cleaning up the threads. Time for me to change a behavior!

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  6. Great idea. I kept my old cutting mat for cutting batting, but it still needs to be cleaned sometimes and this is an excellent suggestion. Thank you.

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  7. Enjoy setting up your sewing room Jayne, I hope you get it sorted quicker than I am doing. I've never seen a seam-fix before, I'll keep an eye out for one, it sounds great. I never think to turn my mat over for non precision cutting, but I will definitely follow up on that tip too.
    Smiles
    Kate

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  8. I use my clover seam ripper as a stiletto.

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  9. ha! This is genius!! Thanks so much for sharing, we're about to move house, and I totally feel your pain!

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  10. What a great tip! I was just thinking yesterday that it is time to clean up my mat. I am starting to get embarrassed when it is in my pretty fabric photos. :) I need to give it a good soak too, but this is great for that quick fuzz removal. And the eraser too! I hadn't heard of that before.

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