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Thursday, May 19, 2011

A Quarter Inch Allowance ... Sounds Simple Doesn't It?

A Quarter Inch always sounds so easy....but how about when you have the actual size of your design and you just want the exact same pattern 1/4 inch larger or smaller? 

See the red fabric from the Cub Scout Banner I recently made?  You have no idea what it took me to get the white inner boarder.  I transferred the design to a piece of Print N Fuse and adhered that to the red fabric.  That made cutting out the red fabric a breeze (not to mention it was then fusible :).  I went to my copier and attempted to reduce the image using a variety of percentages but every time I cut it out....it was not smaller unilaterally.  I just wanted the white to be 1/4 inch smaller. 
I dug and dug and found my 1/4 wheel and drew around the pattern on the inside of the pattern and this is as close as I could get....not perfect...but it worked.

Yesterday the mail arrived and what did I find?  A package with several "Seam Allowance Guides" from Hollie.  Hollie is from Australia and she had e-mailed me asking if I would review her new Seam Allowance Guides....sounded interesting so I said yes.  Then I promptly forgot about it until the mail yesterday. 

I found them to be very neat....and quite helpful....or would have been when I was attempting the impossible with the white fabric above.
The guides are magnetic and stick to your scissors.  The little black ring is adjustable so you can actually cut (inner or outer) allowances to the measurement you choose. 
To demonstrate, I grabbed one of my newest Applique Books, The Ultimate Applique Guidebook (which is excellent....I have a few other favorites too).  I copied a page and cut out a leaf to show you how this works.  I used a glue pen....I like both the Fons & Porter and the Sewline Glue Pens.
I put a little of the glue pen on the paper template I cut out and attached it to a piece of green fabric I had folded.  This way I'll get 4 green leaves I can hand applique down.  If you were going to fuse them down you would not need the seam allowance.


Here I have the Seam Allowance Guide attached to my Karen Kay Buckley Perfect Scissors (yes they are perfect :) so I can cut 4 leaves out at one time with a 1/4 inch seam allowance to turn under.  Cool ay?

Of course they fit on several of my other scissors too.  The Yellow one is for blades with a sloping edge and the Green is for non-sloping scissors.  They don't work on my rotary cutters....I tried that already....you know I try almost everything...LOL.

I've attached  their You Tube Video you can see it in action.


On another topic all together, I want to thank everyone for their supportive comments and phone calls.  I did have more blood work done and I'm going to see a compounding pharmacist tonight to see if there is anything they can recommend.  I've also made some necessary dietary changes too.  I promise to return the favor of positive energy and prayers when you need them :)

Smiles,
Kelly

14 comments:

  1. I can measure all I want, but I still sew crooked, must be my brain, lol.

    Debbie

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  2. Interesting....so they do stay on..looks like a good applique tool.

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  3. You always have the latest and greatest gadgets....and this one looks pretty interesting. Thanks!

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  4. what a neat little gadget! Thanks for showing us.

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  5. HA - I didn't even notice that your red wasn't quite even all the way around, and I bet the boys didn't either! :) Those little jobbie-doos are ingenious! Bet a seamstress thought 'em up! You didn't find they kinda slipped on the scissors? Seems like it would have to be a pretty strong magnet to hold them in place. I just cut 4 layers of denim (yup, at once), and my scissors alone wobbled some.

    Have heard good things about compounders...good luck with that. Hope you are adding chocolate as a dietary change - it really does help when nothing else will. :)

    {big hugs}

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  6. Ok, this is something that YELLS at me....my 1/4 inch is certainly not anyone else's that is for sure...does this really work Kelly..realllllllllllllly lol?????

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  7. I have to say that it "sounds" like a good idea _BUT! I have a real problem with using a magnet on a sharp tempered blade such as good scissors. You see the magnetic field causes realignment in the metal and then the blade looses its edge.
    I have seen this happen with knives I had on a magnetic knife rack. My new knives do NOT go there and they are staying much sharper.

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  8. Haha! The comment before mine has me laughing...make sure you include chocolate in your diet! LOL
    Those look like awesome lil tools! Hope you are feeling better soon!
    Jacque in SC
    quiltnsrep(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  9. This does look interesting Kelly! LOVE the banner you made! I have no idea what a compounding pharmacist is, but I hope it's something good. I have met some conFounding pharmacists!

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  10. Great review. Funny as I have one of those circle 1/4" (and other sizes) marking devices, but never used it past the first attempt. I like that this device works on your scissors. Would be great if you could "also" attach it to a rotary. Still, I see a lot of benefits of using this new tool. Thanks for sharing your insights.

    SewCalGal
    www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

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  11. Hugs, dear... That seam allowance guide looks handy. I second the comment on chocolate.

    Let me know how they can put more giddyup in your stuff...

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  12. Pretty cool, especially if you do that "A" word. (applique')

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  13. Awesome Kelly, love it, but can you use them on your machine? I never can keep a 1/4 seam when quilting!

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  14. Oh thank you so much for reviewing this product. I am so proud that it's an Aussie invention and I am off to buy one right now!!!

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Thank you for reading the IHAN Blog. I love getting and reading every comment that is left here; however I may not be able to respond to all comments left during giveaways. There are times when I am juggling many tasks at one time and may not reply to all comments. Please e-mail me at quiltnotions@gmail.com if you need a reply quickly. I thank you for your understanding and-
More Later-Beth

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