Warm & Fuzzy Fest--Day 1--Rulers, Scissors, and Fudge

First let me thank each of you for your kind words yesterday concerning the Post about my husband and his kids.

Guess what today is?? The first day of Warm & Fuzzy Fest!! What? You have NO idea what I'm talking about? That's OK. The idea just came a couple of hours ago. It is time to get prepared for our Learn to Quilt blog classes. I am off tomorrow to buy the fabric needed for the first project. I am very excited! It is inexpensive, simple and fun! More about that in a couple of days. Before you can even THINK about quilting there are some things that you just have to have. Well, I guess you could live without some of them, but I have no idea how. So all this week, during Warm and Fuzzy Fest (think quilts and snoopy...then you understand how I came up with that name), we will be discussing supplies.

Every quilter needs a rotary cutter, rotary cutter self-healing mat, and a couple of rulers. I will give you my personal recommendations of what you need to get started...

First the rotary cutter. These little wonders have revolutionized quilting. They make it so FAST and EASY to cut out all your little pieces. You do need to be careful though, because they are very sharp. My personal favorite (and I've been using them for years, all sizes and kinds), is made by OLFA. Here are some of the varieties:

This is my favorite. The 45 mm original cutter. I use it all the time. They also sell a 28 mm and a 60mm that I like to keep around. You don't need them to start off with. Just a 45mm is fine.

This would be nice, but not necessary. It is a quick change blade. On the top cutter you need to unscrew a wing nut, but on this handy little cutter, you just push a button.

Some people like this one. It is "ergonomic". Personally, I didn't like it. I actually hurt my hand more!

I like this one as well. It is a 45mm from Fiskars.

Once you decide on a cutter, you need to purchase a Self-healing cutting mat. I am VERY picky about these. I have tried all major brands, and NONE hold up as well as Olfa. If you live in the lower 48, I know you can catch them on sale at Joannes about once a month.  To start out, you should get one at least 18x24, but if you can afford it get the 24x36 size. You will appreciate it. Here is what the Olfa mat's look like:

Finally, you need rulers. (I will teach you how to use all these during our online class.) There are two sizes that I can not live without.  6 x24 and 4 x14. I love them both and use them equally as much. The brand that I like for these is Dritz Omnigrid. Here is what the 4x14 looks like:

This one is yellow, but they make a green one I like better. The grids are easier to see on the green one. Olfa now makes frosted rulers that get great reviews. I need to think about buying one someday :)

Finally, scissors. To start out, you just need a pair of small very pointy sharp scissors to cut threads. (You will use the rotary cutter for fabric.) I have several around. I keep one on each sewing machine, one on the ironing board, and one in my hand sewing bag. You only need one pair...but just make sure they are ONLY used for thread. Once you use them on paper, they are ruined. (Same with your rotary cutter!)

In close, here is a quick shopping list for your cutting supplies...

45 mm rotary cutter

at least a size 18x24 self healing cutting mat by Olfa

a 4x14 and/or a 6 x 24  rotary cutting ruler

a pair of sharp snips

Tomorrow we will discuss feet and needles for your sewing machines.

And now your fuzzy thought for today:

Goop 5 Cents

My husband is at the store right now buying supper supplies for this next week. I am not the best cook in the world. I do ok with a good recipe, but this week I need the evenings to get an order out, so Hubsy is cooking all evening meals. (Actually, this is NOTHING out of the ordinary. He always cooks supper.)

This Snoopy cartoon made me giggle. This is how it goes on the nights that I cook:

What kind of Goop are you cooking tonight? I hear we are having Sloppy Dogs. We saw a Sonic commercial last night for an extra long Cheese Coney. YUCK.  Jerry thought it looked yummy, but knows I don't eat chilly. So, Sloppy Dogs it is!

(For those of you across the pond that may not know,  a cheese coney is a long hot dog with chili and cheese on it. Sloppy dogs are sloppy joes, spread over hot dogs on a hot dog bun.)

Steak and Eggs

If you are a faithful follower, you know that I am a Snoopy addict. You can read a bit more about my Peanuts addiction HERE.

JUST LOOK at what we found this past weekend at a Garage Sale. Oh, yes, you know I HAD to have it!

I will be trusting Seth help me repaint the legs, etc. He has been very interested in my new re-purpose/upcycle hobby. The whole family is getting in on the fun. I blog about it RIGHT HERE. We will post the finished Snoopy table to that blog when we are done.
Now for some Snoopy insights for today. Remember when I found all those great books at the Estate Sale? This one is one of my favorites:

          

 I think these must be Stephen's favorite pages, because he feels the same way!

  I love this cookbook, too! There are some really good recipes.

It shows it's age, though, because look at this recipe for dog food.

Of course, not too many of us follow the 'raw egg' rule, do we? (Yes...you DO lick the cookie dough spoon, don't you?!)

Peanut Wisdom

Do you have something from your childhood that you still treasure today? I am quite an unsentimental person, overall. I don't have many childhood keepsakes. It is funny that in the midst of my crazy childhood, the things that I did keep were books and a quilt.

This is my favorite book that I saved over the years:

You can tell that it has been well-loved:

I just love the fun pop-up pages:

Snoopys little moveable ear to protect Woodstock from the rain:

You can "turn" the channel on the TV and Woodstock flies around in all sorts of patterns:

On this one, you can Lift the Flap and make Snoopy 'catch' the ball:

And check out the inner part of the cover:

Awhile back while Stephen and I were on a walk, we stumbled upon an Estate Sale, and just look at all the Snoopy books that we couldn't pass up:

A couple of them are so Adorable!!!! Every once in a while a bit of Peanut Wisdom will probably pop up in my blog. I just can't help it. I am a Snoopy addict. Always have been!

Do you have anything that you've held onto and treasured since childhood?