A lifetime of sewing, revealed

Back in January I wrote about my mother-in-law's battle with Alzheimer's, and inheriting some of her sewing books. Sadly, she passed away in mid-March after falling and breaking her femur about three weeks earlier. She never really recovered after the surgery. Evelyn Rose McCool was 87.
There's been a flurry of activity since, of course - the funeral, where she was laid to rest next to her husband, Don, who died nearly four years ago. Though a sad time, I found peace in the knowledge that she no longer had to suffer. And with the extraordinarily high temperatures for March, the flowers and trees were in bloom, and the burial took place under a bright blue sky. We said that she planned it that way.
And then there's the clearing-out of her home, a sad and difficult process for my oldest sister-in-law, who lives closest to her and has been doing much of the cleaning. We've gone through bags and boxes of items given to us to sort, keep, donate or discard. I've been sorting a large part of her sewing "room" that we brought back here...and some of the items have made me smile. Her beloved Bernina, purchased in 1995, is a fantastic machine. I love this book that came with it. Don't we all need a puffy shirt like this?



I also found a $100 bill in her pattern stash! I called Mr. Birdsong at work to tell him about it, and said I left it on the dining room table so he could see. He was excited about it until he saw it:



And I did find a project I want to finish. She spent so much time creating all of the "parts" for a Raggedy Ann/Andy quilt, which I think was intended for my oldest daughter, based on the date of the pattern. She finished all the heads, feet, hats, dresses, overdresses, pants, legs, etc., before quitting and leaving this as a UFO. I can't find the backing fabric other than the two blocks she pinned together here, so I'll have to buy new. But this definitely calls for completion, don't you think?




This makes me think about my own sewing/ribbon room...will anyone appreciate my vast array of ribbon and fabric? What retro items or books will make my kids smile? And, of course, should I leave a REAL $100 bill in my pattern stash?

How to cut fabric with a rotary cutter and mat

So I realize that the title of this post is "How to cut fabric with a rotary cutter and mat," because that's what it's really about...but the first photo here is my new serger. That's because I'm showing off! But, seriously, the serger inspired me to create this free tutorial. I brought it home, and thought...I want to make some serged napkins! So I whipped out my rotary cutter and mat and quickly produced six, 14" squares out of my yard of fabric. I have a quilting background, so this was second-nature to me. But what about those of you who might not know how to properly use these handy tools? This tutorial is for you.
You'll need a self-healing mat of at least 24", a long acrylic ruler of at least 6" by 24", a rotary cutter (I like the 45mm for cutting cotton), and - optional but highly recommended - a mesh glove (also called a Klutz glove). Just a single glove, like Michael Jackson wore, but not quite as spiffy. And, of course, some fabric yardage!
To get nice cuts, you'll first want to press your fabric and then fold it once, meeting the selvages with no wrinkles in the fabric. This might mean moving the fabric left and right, because the side edges won't match -- the selvage is the only thing that counts:


To fit this on your cutting board, you might need to fold it again. Meet your fold up with the selvages. Be very careful - not matching your selvages perfectly can result in a "wavy" cut later.



Now, line up the bottom folded edge with one of the horizontal lines on your cutting mat:


Grab your rotary cutter and ruler (the ruler is shown here with a little sandpaper circle on the corners so it won't move as much when I cut), and channel your inner MJ by putting the glove on the hand opposite of the one you cut with:




I know what you're thinking: "I'll never need that glove; I'll be so careful that I'll never cut myself." I know this, because I had that thought. I worked for several years without an accident, and then one late night, when I had an order to fill and strep throat, it happened - one slice down the fabric and into my finger! Ouch. Not worth it. Buy the glove, if only because it's cheaper than an ER visit.


Line up your ruler close to the edge of your fabric, along one of the solid, vertical lines on the cutting mat. Make sure you get all of the layers in without cutting off too much waste. Starting from the bottom, cut away from you, just like you would cut a pizza. Away from you, not toward you. Did I say "away?" Then lock your cutter before you place it back on your table while you adjust your fabric for more cutting. If the cutter falls and you're not wearing shoes, it can plunge into your foot....ouch! And be sure to keep it locked and away from children when not in use.
I cut my napkins to 14" by 14". I made the first cut to make sure my side was straight; made another cut 14 inches away, and then turned my large "strip" and made cross cuts 14 inches apart.


Then I took my fabric squares over to my serger:


...and made these beautiful rolled edges:


Here's four of the six napkins, completed:


Now, certainly you can do the same project with your sewing machine, by making a 14 1/2" square and folding over the edges by 1/4" to the back of the fabric, pressing, folding 1/4" again, and sewing the seams. In this case, serging is faster and creates a fantastic edge. We use fabric napkins all the time in my family -- just wash them in hot water with your towels, and re-use. A pretty and eco-friendly way to dress up your everyday table.
Rotary cutting supplies can be pricey, but if you watch fliers for the big-box crafing/sewing stores, you should find a 50% off coupon to use. Rotary cutting will make your sewing projects go quicker, and I recommend it for two of my hair accessory tutorials, the Betty Jo Bow/Joseph Bow Tie and the Annabelle flower. Because cutting is my least favorite part about sewing, I appreciate any quick boost I can get!