Hi Reader,

Holy cow! The last Snappy Scissors newsletter I sent was in January. I knew it had been a while, but didn't realize it was that long ago.

Going through my mother's things the first few months of the year in preparation for an estate sale, took a huge chunk of my mental energy, leaving little bandwidth for anything else.

The estate sale was March 28-31, and it was a huge success.

(The sale is over, but you can click here to see what amazing collections my mother accumulated over the years in addition to her humongous fabric/sewing stash that I let go for others to enjoy.)

After that, my focus turned to my home and figuring out how to organize, display, and store all the items I did keep from my mother's collections and stash.

While I could incorporate notions, patterns, and books into my sewing space, there just wasn't enough room to store all of Mom's WIPs and fabric that I kept. So I rearranged furniture and utilized some space in our main living area.

It's not perfect, but it's a storage situation that my husband and I can live with for now.

Now that my house is somewhat in order, I finally feel like I can turn my attention to other parts of life, and the list is long.

Do you ever feel like you can't decide what to do next?

When you're faced with multiple options, it can be difficult to get started on any one thing.

You may find yourself avoiding projects on your list and choosing tasks that keep you busy but don't really move you forward on what needs to get done.

This avoidance may be related to the type of thinking your brain needs to do to complete a specific task.

If your brain needs to switch to a different type of thinking, it may seem easier to procrastinate instead of just doing the thing.

This is why I've been putting off writing a newsletter.

I've been collecting ideas, making notes, and saving links to share with you over the past few months, but it has been difficult to make myself sit down and write.

So today I counted out loud, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1," and sat down in front of the computer. In less than 5 minutes, I was fully engaged in the process of writing to you.

It's like magic.

Once you get started on that project you've been putting off, your brain clicks into gear and you find yourself lost in the task and enjoying what you're doing. So much so that you lose track of time.

What is something you want to do that you have been putting off?

I encourage you to stop thinking about it and just get started.

Give your brain a few minutes to switch gears and experience the magic of getting things done.

Bind with backing

When going through my mother's closet, we came across a bright red quilt stored in a pillowcase.

As we pulled it out of the pillowcase, neither my sister nor I recognized it.

Once it was unfolded, we discovered a newspaper article that explained the quilt and its origin.

• In 1982, 5th and 6th grade students at Crockett Elementary in Wichita Falls, TX, created a centennial quilt.
• My brother was in this group of students.
• Each student was required to write a report on a business associated with the development of Wichita Falls, design a quilt block to go with the report, and hand embroider it.
• My mother designed the center block and put all the blocks together to make the quilt.

My brother didn't want the quilt, so I reached out to the Wichita Falls Museum of Art to find out if they were interested.

BriAnna, the Collections Manager of the museum, replied, "We have an extensive collection of regionally made quilts, and this one would fit right in with the collection."

We were so excited to know that a quilt our mother worked on would be part of a museum collection!

The quilt is in excellent condition, but the binding technique was very rough.

Instead of binding the quilt with a separate piece of fabric, the raw edge was sloppily zig-zagged. In some places, batting is sticking out, and in others, the front and back fabric don't even meet.

I wish I could ask my mom about it.

I told BriAnna about the wonky binding and asked her if I could fix it.

She said, "If you are able to finish the edges, then that would be appreciated! The frayed edges may deteriorate over time."

There was enough fabric around the edge that I was sure I could bind it using the backing fabric, thus keeping only the original fabric on the quilt.

I've never used this binding technique, so I did a YouTube search and found a short video by WonderFil Specialty Threads that answered the questions I had about the process:

1. How much larger does the back need to be cut than the top/batting so it can wrap around?
2. How do I get mitered corners?

I didn't use glue as demonstrated in the video. Instead, I just used the iron to press the folds and anchored it with clips before hand sewing it in place.

It turned out great!

Thread Talks

When you find yourself on a new YouTube channel, do you ever click over to learn more about who's behind it?

I usually do, and this time I went down a rabbit hole when I clicked over to the WonderFil Specialty Threads website, the company behind the binding tutorial I told you about.

This website is for sewists and quilters who do hand sewing as well as sew on home and embroidery machines, longarms, and sergers.

And if you're interested in cosplay, there is a section for you, too.

In addition, WonderFil does an excellent job of organizing and describing the variety of sewing threads they sell, so you are confident the thread you buy meets your needs.

Plus, they have links to specific websites for different countries - CAN, UK, EU, FR, NZ, AU. (It was fun to click on France and see the words in French.)

But what I really enjoyed were the Thread Talks.

There are 9 Thread Talks posted on the site and 10 on the YouTube playlist.

While some focus on a specific brand and weight of thread, others talk about types of thread.

My two favorite talks are:

• Lightweight Thread
• ​Differences Between Thread Weights​

Both Thread Talks were extremely educational.

The examples and explanations provided a lot of clarity about when and why different thread weights can be used.

If you're looking for a source to purchase thread or want to learn more about thread and the role it plays in your projects, I highly recommend you check out the WonderFil Specialty Threads website.

a Headlamp

When we rearranged our living room to make space for my mother's WIPs and fabric, the chair I sit in to watch TV moved to a location that is not near an outlet.

This isn't a big deal unless I want to do some handwork while watching shows or a movie.

To get my OttLite positioned so I don't have shadows covering my work, I need to use a long extension cord that snakes across the floor.

Unsightly and a tripping hazard, I wasn't a big fan of the extension cord, but it provided the light I needed to sew.

Then one day, my husband had an idea...use his headlamp!

Originally purchased for his work, he only uses it on occasion and never needs it at night.

It's the perfect solution for getting the light I need.

With its adjustable band, dimmable light, and the ability to move the light source up and down, this headlamp has been a game changer for adding light when I'm hand sewing.

Amazon sells many different types of headlamps at a range of prices.

No matter where you look, I strongly encourage you to make sure you can adjust the intensity of the light as well as the angle at where it points. These are critical to get the amount of light you need where you want it.

An easily adjustable headband is also a big plus, as is a rechargeable battery.

Two other things

Before I sign off, there are a couple of other things I want to share with you.

1. Scrap Summit

In 2023, I created and hosted the first Conquer Your Fabric Scraps Summit.

It was such a success (14 teachers, 4,300 attendees, and overwhelming positive feedback), I hosted another in 2024 with even better results. (20 teachers, over 7,300 attendees, and the feedback was again extremely positive.)

With both Scrap Summits, I heard from hundreds of attendees about how they thoroughly enjoyed the summit classes.

Most of them told me what they learned had a direct impact on how they organized and used scraps.

It was such a pleasure to plan, organize, and execute both summit experiences.

I love how they brought like-minded people together and provided value to everyone involved.

This leads to my news:

Good news - I will be hosting a 3rd Scrap Summit! Whoo hoo!

Bad news - It won't be until 2026.

I'm not sure yet when it will be, but it IS going to happen. It's just not possible for me to do it this year.

To make sure you are notified as soon as I begin advertising the 3rd Scrap Summit in 2026, add yourself to the waitlist.

2. Private Sewing Lessons

Are you brand new to sewing and don't know how to use your machine?

A two-hour private sewing lesson with me can help you overcome this obstacle.

Done through Zoom, we'll spend a couple hours together so you can learn the basics, get comfortable with your machine, and begin your sewing journey with confidence.

Imagine, in just a few hours, you could be working on your first project!

The cost for a 2-hour private lesson is $59 USD.

If you're interested in a private lesson with me, reply to this email for more details.

Thank you so much for being a subscriber of Snappy Scissors. ❤️

That's all for now. Until next time...

P.S. Are you new to the Snappy Scissors newsletter? You can check out past issues HERE.