A problem with a simple and cheap solution.

That doesn't happen often does it?

 This is the sofa in the kitchen where I sew my hand appliqué and hexagons. To tell you the truth it is normally worse than this but I cleared a lot off to go to a sewing group last night. Rosie is in my place...

 I found this little cart on Amazon for under £15 (it is probably even cheaper elsewhere in the world). I might line the shelves with fabric to stop things falling through or I might just add more tubs. The great thing is, I can now clear the sofa in seconds. And hide the cart in the sewing room or the laundry. I will be Mrs Superwife! lols.

I cut out all my triangles for Part Four of the Di Ford Mystery this afternoon. There are 12 of each fabric. I hope to get them sewn over the weekend. Notice I am saying hope not will, I know life gets in the way sometimes. The NATO conference is down the road this week so going out might not be an option, so I remain hopeful.

About the RuleSteady I posted about in my last post. I have found two sources. I found the makers and they are in Australia. I got a lovely email from her which I shall post here. Be sitting down, it is not cheap but if you have problems with age or health then I really recommend it. Put it on your Christmas list. She is talking in Australian, not American dollars. The RuleSteady website. and the American site which carries it here.

"Wow – thankyou for the great blog post! We currently only have one outlet in the USA, as when  our $ rate went up, so did the cost to them....we ship direct to anywhere in the world, and the shipping is what kills us. The only way around it is to send them sea-freight, which means ordering a pallet load and waiting a couple of months....not particularly helpful unless you’re a large shop or distributor.

The following is what we charge (in case anybody contacts you) – in Australian Dollars, as it can vary from week to week I don’t want to give todays exchange rates because they won’t be accurate for long! I use http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/ to get rates when I need to ship overseas.

The RuleSteady itself is $55

Shipping :

UK $40

USA $35

Canada $35

New Zealand $25

Netherlands $40

The costs above are using Australia Post Air Mail. We don’t use pack and track International as it does not offer insurance. We pay the extra to have the parcel insured and do not pass that on to our customers.

I’m well aware that this is an investment in a tool – but it truly is worthwhile. We are constantly receiving feedback from customers who not only have surface issues (which drive all of us crazy with the ruler slipping!), but people who no longer have to get friends to cut for them due to an infirmity – for example, arthritis, carpal tunnel, early stage MS....I’m not trying to spin you any wild stories,I promise, these are people I talk to and I know we’ve helped them. It just makes it so easy to get through the cutting time and get to the fun stage of sewing and putting quilts together!

I have FSH Muscular Dystrophy, and have upper body weakness because of that. If it wasn’t for my husband inventing the RuleSteady, I’m pretty sure I would not still be quilting. I was still quite strong when he did so, but have gone downhill quite rapidly recently – yet I’m still not scared to cut, or worn out from doing so – which I attribute entirely to this invention.

Oh, before I forget, did you read the manual in the box? You don’t just have to use the RuleSteady on the large rulers, I use mine for cross-cutting too, all the way down to the 4 1/2”squares. As long as 2 of the ‘feet’ are on the square / ruler / shape, it won’t slide. Try it! Put a few extra strips underneath it and cut oh, say, 6 or 8 layers. I do. Not all the time, but it’s not hard. If you’re cutting out a colourwash quilt, it’ll save heaps of time. I got mine cut in one session, which I know for a fact I couldn’t have done without hurting my hands or shoulders prior to having the RuleSteady.

Sorry – I’m waffling again! I really appreciate you taking the time to contact me. As you can see, I agree, the RuleSteady is a great tool and a worthwhile investment. Here is the link to our website :  www.keepquilting.com.au  feel free to use any images you find there. I’m also on Pinterest and Facebook. After several years of only selling the RuleSteady, I got tired of people constantly asking me what else I sell – you will see I sell a number of items on the website, but the RuleSteady is definitely what we try to promote the most. Especially to new quilters, or even for teachers to introduce their children/students to safety when rotary cutting. Oh the possibilities are endless.....

Regards,

Marita Atkins"

 So it is up to you, for me it is making such a difference. I cannot believe I have had it so long and not used it before.