I haven't used one of these in 20 years. I don't even own one of the little red nosed thingies. Have I stabbed myself with one of them once or twice? Oh, yeah., right in that tender part of the palm. My first change of tool was the single edged razor blade. I used that for years. It had that cover on one side of the blade. It had to be safe, right? Well, it was. No accidents ever. But, I found better. For the past ten years my seam ripper of choice has been the scary to many but high performance box cutter blade. Those pointy corners were a dream for digging deep into jeans and such.
Thanks to Jennifer Stern and an hour you-tubing. I have found something even better. I really didn't think anything could beat my beloved Stanley pack of 100 of these blades but thanks to Jen I have found it. It is safer, so effective, and works incredibly effortlessly. Meet the "Kai Seam Remover". As Kai says " Its unique design allows for fear-free "unsewing". It does. There is no tugging, digging or pulling. It works surprisingly smoothly, something you have to actually experience.
Closeup you can see the blade is sunk between the little concave indentations. You can't cut yourself. Is this looking familiar?
It might. Many women use this exact type of instrument to shave their faces, maybe eyebrows or lip areas in particular or maybe the entire face as two women I know well do. (You'd never know.) So if you want one, go to the drug store or discount store and buy a pack in the eyebrow shave department, 3 to a pack for the same price, no shipping. Get the longer face shaver not the short eyebrow only shavers. Next...............
I think this is one of the best notions I've purchased in a long time. It is "Fabric ID Tape" from Kylie and the Machine. This big roll will have enough ID tape to label 248 pieces of fabric, yahoo! I've got about a 1/4 of my stash done so far and haven't made a dent in this roll. As I've said before, my stash is not that big. ;)
Kylie promises it won't hurt your fabric and I test each label on a corner of fabric to make sure. This sticks and doesn't harm. It is very easily removeable. You are able to put fiber content, measurements, pre-washed?, source and there is plenty of space for additional notes . I added things like "fade line on fold" or the date purchased and such. Then I stuck on top of my nice folded fabric and put the fabric with its friends and can immediately know how much I have as I peruse options. I love staring at my folded fabrics on the shelves. As ideas hit me, I can know immediately if I have enough to make them work, no removing anything from the pile. Leave it
to Kylie to come up with this cleverosity. ****************************************
It could be her voice, so unique. It could be her impressive skill set. Maybe it's even the tropical birds chirping in the Bolivian background. Katrina Trinidad could sell me anything. She sold me the "Melody Dolman" top pattern by Love Notions. You know I am a born and brought up Big Four woman but I work in a few indies here and there. I like experienced designers, tested out by the masses with results I approve of. It's a short list. When I do buy an Indie, because of their heavier expense, they have to offer me options, potential for great creativity. A One and Done at 18.00 does not do it for me. A perfect example would be my Sewing Workshop patterns. I've done 3 Picasso Pants, I think 7 Eureka tops (some yet to show you), maybe three Tea Garden Tees and more. You get my drift. I want my money's worth. I've watched Katrina work magic with the Melody Dolman top and started to get my own ideas. I think it will be perfect for our summer vacation. I saw her make a thrift find into a Melody Dolman dress, her own invention. This type of creative possibility really sparked me. This is one of the two Indie Patterns I have invested in lately. In my head I am already adding seams, inserting yokes, gathering ruffles, etc. Its what I like to do. Thanks, Karina. The design is so simple but I like that. It offers so much creative potential.
My next purchase was inspired by Sarah of Sew Sarah Style. Now, Sarah looks great in all that she sews and wears. I liked the "Dila" dress on her but her links to the designers from "Notches" and their designs really caught me. I chose the "Dila" dress for myself. It has 27,. yes, 27 different versions, no expansion packs to rip you off! I like it for its full length everything version in orange. I see it offering great opportunity for painting, embellishment, etc. It really sparked my creativity and again, offers lots of opportunity for many makes. I really look forward to making this and have great fabric in house ready to go. It's different and me. The company "Notches" has an interesting and impressive pedigree. You might enjoy checking them out.
These are the notions and patterns I am excited about right now. Both notions have been working wonderfully and the patterns will happen soon enough. I have lots to say about the fabric so that will get it's own post in a few days. There are some interesting pieces. I hope you will join me to share in the fun. Until then, Happy Sewing..............Bunny
