Cutting Strategies

So, I don't have the ideal sewing space. I know not many people do, so I'm certainly in good company! And I have dreams for making my sewing room into a more efficient studio, but that's not my first priority right now. Soon. But not now. And when it happens, I'll be getting a counter-height cutting station, for sure. See, I'm six feet tall, and while my cutting mat lives on my sewing desk, cutting for more than a few minutes gets to be pretty painful for me.

Which means that when I have a lot of cutting to do, I wait until I can relocate out to our counter-height dining table or kitchen counter. :-) Because that's actually quite a chore (making sure the counter/table is cleared and well-cleaned, keeping kids away from organized piles/rotary blades, clearing the counter/table of quilting supplies before dinner, etc), I tend to cut as much as I can and am prepared to cut.

Which means I spend a good three to four hours cutting when I do.

I'm not going to lie; it's a little obnoxious and far from ideal. But, one of the plus sides is that when I'm done, I usually have at least one quilt cut out and I don't have cut again for quite a while! :-)

I finished up my Swoon quilt top last weekend, and then realized that I was pretty much out of WIPs. I have a quilt being quilted, and two that need binding, but none in the piecing stage. And, seeing as how I need to cut my binding strips, that means cutting in general.

So, after church on Sunday, I busted out my supplies and got enough cut out to keep me busy this week. Not as much as I would have liked, but enough. Including a table runner for a friend who is having a birthday this week.

• pieces for two Hazel Hedgehog blocks that will be pillows
• two pillowcases (okay, that one barely counts...)
• 15 binding strips
• pieces for a table runner

How do you deal with your less than ideal sewing space?

Oh, and I'll be linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. :-)