Studio Organizing, Week 3

Posted on January 15, 2015 by prairiemoonquilts in My Patterns, Studio Organizing Challenge

This week is an easy one, but as usual, something I need to do my ownself.

Change your rotary cutter blade(s)

I don’t know why I wait so long! I do a LOT of cutting, and I even cut paper with mine occasionally, so they get dull fairly quickly.

Once I change the blade, I always wonder why I waited! It’s so much easier on your hands and wrists, and it’s also much safer.

cutters

If you just recently changed yours, or it doesn’t need it quite yet, make a note of when you’d like to do it next so you’ll remember.

And in lieu of that task, you could change your sewing machine needle instead.

Some people recommend changing your needle after every large project. That doesn’t work for me, since I’m always working on several projects at once. I usually wait until I break one, or it starts popping or snagging. I need to be better about changing it before it gets that bad!

If you need to do both of these tasks, just go right ahead!

Here’s all the progress I made on last week’s task:

bookcase2

I’m in the “sorting” stage. I have a long way to go, but I have it on my to-do list, and I’ll keep chipping away at it, and give you updates. To my credit, there was a massive pile of “stuff” on the floor in front of the bookcase that had to be dealt with before I could even reach the bookcase, and that part is done, so it’s more progress than it looks like.

And just so you know, there has been no further progress on my oldest UFO.

I wanted to be sure to remind you to go back and read the comments on last week’s post about organizing books and magazines. Click HERE. There are lots of good comments, some with links, with suggestions (and pictures) on how different readers have dealt with theirs, and you might get some ideas on how to deal with your own — I know I have.

0 responses to “Studio Organizing, Week 3”

  1. Deanna says:

    Ah, I am one day ahead of you. Yesterday I was cutting and couldn’t understand why my fabric kept slipping. Oh, it is because my blade isn’t really cutting the fabric; it is pushing it. That was silly of me. Why did I wait so long?!

  2. Pam in KC says:

    I’m pretty good about replacing the needles and blades, but they all will need to be replaced next week. I’ll replace the treadle needled after I finish the binding on Scrappy Trips and after quilt & bind JTAW next week, my main machine will get a new needle and the cutter a new blade — I really should set aside a cutter just for cutting batting.

  3. Rose Marie says:

    I change my needle before quilting on my home sewing machine. The stitches are just so much nicer with a new needle. Then I change the needle and the rotary blade after a paper-piecing project. But if not doing either of these kinds of projects, I just bumble along. I’m like you – I work on lots of projects simultaneously.

  4. Meloney says:

    Great idea. I’m never sure why I wait so long on the rotary blades, but I do. I didn’t replace it, but I went ahead and sharpened it. I bought a Truecut sharpener and it works as long as there isn’t a chip in the blade.
    It cuts much better now.
    I also took the second challenge and changed my needle in my main sewing machine. I’m really good at changing the long arm needle after most projects (unless they are really small quilts without much quilting on them), but the sewing machine has to yell at me to get me to change the needle.
    This is a good challenge you are putting on.
    check out what I’m up to at http://melsquiltingblog.blogspot.com/
    Thank you!

  5. Kathy says:

    Even though I have been under the weather, I am still working in my sewing room. I started on Monday. I am in hopes to have some sort of order in my room by next Monday. SIGH!! I work an hour or 2 each day or until my body says stop. I really need to get some semblance of order in there. The room is small and I have been blessed with so much. I am truly grateful, but I am also in need of more room, of which I am not going to get. But I have 9 ft. ceilings. I can stack.

  6. Cindy says:

    Well I just changed my blade and my needle yesterday. It was necessary on both counts.

    My oldest ufo for the challenge now has the top completed, but I am waiting on backing and binding.

    Those magazines are just going to be an ongoing project. Going to stop buying so many!!!

  7. Bobbi says:

    I’m TERRIBLE about this one! I usually go months and months until it can’t hardly cut anymore. I finally bit the bullet and changed mine a couple weeks ago, so it doesn’t need it now. But what a difference it makes!

    How do you like your Martelli rotary cutter? I just heard about them recently and have been thinking about getting one.

  8. Susan says:

    I do three things on the first of each month: Change the rotary cutter blades (yes, I use more than one!); change the sewing machine needle; take out the bobbin race and clean out all the lint.

  9. Andrea O'Brien says:

    I haven’t posted on each one of your blogs, but I have made significant progress with your inspiration. I am almost finished with one UFO–should be done with it by tonight, with binding on and sewn down by early next week, if all goes right. I also went from a small sewing room to finally, after my husband’s urging, to our next largest room in our house, moving and setting up that space early this month. All of my magazines and books finally have a consistent home besides in my kitchen with my recipe books or beside my chair in the living room. It looked like clutter city, so I am glad to have those all in one place, organized in my sewing room! I have it almost exactly how I’d hoped it would be and it is fairly neat and organized…..for now! 🙂 I need a new rotary blade to put in my cutter, but just changed my needle! Great reminders! Keep them coming!

  10. Sue H says:

    I’m in the ranks with everyone. I never change my needles until the break and my rotary cutter is always very dull when I change it. I did change it about a week ago so it is good for now. My machine is getting cleaned so when I get it back I will change it for good measure.

    I little update on week 1 – I have cut out the additional squares in the color I am adding. I like it a lot better now hope to make more progress today.

  11. Elaine Walker says:

    So—–last year, afterI retired, I went thru all my magazines (I had lot’s and lot’s of them) and made a list of all the possible projects I wanted to make. There were stacks of them I decided not to keep. I gave those to a woman who uses the pictures to decoupage simple wood chairs. That felt much better then throwing them in the recycle bin.

  12. Karen says:

    Your bookcase looks great!
    My paper patterns and magazines are so unorganized, but just working 15 minutes a day on them, so I don’t get sick of doing it, is actually making a dent in it.
    I definitely needed to change my blade and needle…blogged here about it: http://fortheloveofneedleandthread.blogspot.ca/2015/01/studio-organizing-week-3.html

  13. DONNA HOOD says:

    I changed my blades and also organized my list of projects and swept the floor lol

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