Adapt, Improvise, Overcome

 Yeah, I know, it's the motto of that big reality show game. But it's a good thing to remember when you are doing something creative. Sometimes when we encounter a problem we only see a fraction of what we really should be looking at. I had more than two options yesterday. In fact, I had two additional options I originally dismissed out of hand, but when I really thought about it, those other options seemed to have a lot of benefits. What were they?

3. Use the leftover pieces to make new blocks. After all, I cut more than I needed... When I looked through them that night though, some of the fabrics I needed weren't there.

That left option number 4. Cut new pieces. Now this pair on the top, I HAD to unstitch because I didn't have any more of that particular pink (I've only had it in my stash for something like 17 years), but for all the other pieces I cut new blocks.

I didn't have enough of the llamas to have them all facing in one direction, so I had to sew two pieces together (GASP! THE HORROR!) But this is where an Attitude Adjustment is needed. This is not going to be a show quilt. This is going to be a couch quilt that will live on that back of my couch a few months of the year. 

If anybody notices this, then they deserve a prize for being that observant. I had to do this a couple of times, but seriously, no big deal. Cutting all the pieces I needed for one row of blocks took less than an hour. It took me many more hours than that to take apart one row. 

So let's see, one hour and a few funny seams or... six or seven hours painstakingly ripping blocks apart? Hmm, not exactly a hard decision.

On to your comments: 

Gail, when ripping apart a seam on the bias I am more careful than careful. I am downright paranoid and do it very slowly and carefully. You are absolutely correct that this can be a recipe for disaster.

Before ripping anything apart, I think you have to take your "Risk Temperature." I have more than once stuck a seam ripper in between two pieces of fabric, cutting edge against a row of stitches and just pushed, cutting the stitching apart in long stretches. But this is NOT the technique to use with a seam on the bias. Doing it the way I describe also risks cutting a hole in your fabric, so like I said, you have to figure out your Risk Temperature before you do that and choose your ripping technique carefully. 

Here's something to think about: Don't set your stitch length so small the tip of your seam ripper can't fit into it... (Ask me how I know this.) Also, those sticky lint removers work great for pulling out the remains of cut stitches. The disadvantage is they will also make the edges ravel a lot more.

Michelle, Alas, my machines are a 1260 rebuilt Bernina and an Elna. The feet are not compatible.

And Julie, the Elna was overdue for its regular maintenance anyway. It should have gone in April of 2020, but we know what happened then...

Now I can get back to  the important stuff.

The Rippers

I love gadgets. My brother calls me the Gadget Queen. Over the last few years, I've bought several different seam rippers.

 This is the seam ripper I've had for years. It works fine, but the cover keeps falling off.

This engineered beauty fits nicely in the hand, but the tip of the blade is hard to use.

This one is easy to hold, and the tip is better than the one above it.

 This handmade gem is beautiful, and it has a chain so I can loop it around my neck so I won't lose it, but the tip is very wide and blunt. Hard to use to get into the stitches.

This one has a tip that makes it easy to remove the excess threads. I'd like it better if the the cover fit on the other end when I'm using the ripper itself.

These are all very nice, but I found myself struggling to get the pointy ends into my tiny stitches.

Then I found this little gem. It works like a charm.

See how much finer the tip is?

It has two distinct disadvantages. One, it's very small and easy to get lost. Secondly, is the cover is clear, so it's easy to misplace on my worktable. Ask me how I know this.

However it has become my favorite seam ripper, so when it went missing a couple of weeks ago I practically tore my studio apart looking for it. I didn't hold out much hope. The thing is so tiny and light I could have easily thrown it away the last time I cleaned.

This past weekend I went to the lqs, but they didn't have it. So when I was ordering something from Amazon, I decided to see if they sold it, and they did. The price was more than reasonable, so I ordered two. When I woke up on Sunday, I received an email telling me my order has been shipped.

So what did I find when I opened the tool drawer yesterday?