I have a great quilt studio with natural light and plenty of storage, but of course there’s always room for improvement! For starters, I was given a robot vacuum cleaner for Christmas!
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- Robot vacuum cleaner
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- Even cleans under furniture!
It runs on Friday mornings while I quilt, and I’ve pretty well learned what I need to block off or get out of the way so that it runs without glitches. It’s great to have “somebody else” cleaning the floor while I sew 🙂
A while back, I got tired of having my main rulers “lost” on the cutting table all the time. You probably know what I mean–always under the fabric, looking for the big one but find the little one, etc. I didn’t want one of those ruler racks taking up space on my table, so I finally settled on attaching hooks to the sides of the table.
Hanging rulers from the side of the cutting table means I can always find them
The hooks have worked out well! For some reason, the manufacturer (these are Command hooks) thinks the hooks need to flip up and down, so they have tape over the part that would flip. However, they seem to stick to the table just fine, and now I always know where to find my rulers!
My final “upgrade” is a new rotary cutter. I’ve been looking at the Martelli Ergo cutter for some time, wondering if it really is easier on the hands and wrists. Finally, one of my friends bought one and confirmed that it really does make cutting easier. She is left-handed, so was especially glad that it comes in a design specifically for lefties.
I bought one of my own, and II agree that this is much easier to use than any of my standard rotary cutters. It makes for less strain on (aging???) joints and better control while cutting. I can recommend this cutter without reservation.
What’s new in your studio?
Zippy Quilts 
I wiped the dust off my sconce shades! 🙂 I guess not much new in my studio, other than LOTS of new yardage purchased when a local shop was going out of business. I only buy what I’ll actually use, though, so there are no regrets.
Good idea to hang your rulers. I have one that I don’t use much more. It seemed to give me a distorted reading. I’ve decided that may be because it’s been resting on a rack, an “office” letter separator. I think it has bowed in the middle because of the uneven distribution of weight. Seems unlikely for an acrylic ruler, but I can’t think of any other explanation. I’m not worried about smaller rulers as they don’t have the span or weight. And my new, bigger ruler (a replacement, basically) usually lies flat on the cutting table.
The robot vacuum in your studio is brilliant! I always have so many little bits on the floor. I have been considering the Martelli Ergo cutter for a couple years, thanks for sharing your experience!
I definitely like the cutter, but I thought long and hard before buying it, too.