Yet ANOTHER handy tip!

I see ads in quilting magazines sometimes for various kinds of fancy (well, I imagine them to be fancy, anyway!) tracing papers. Recently I saw one for "Swedish Tracing Paper." I didn't even know the Swedes had perfected paper, but maybe I'm the last to find out. Anyway, here's what I use for my fancy tracing paper. It's "table paper" meant for doctors' offices. It comes in a couple of different widths, and is absolutely perfect for making and tracing patterns. It is translucent enough to read pattern markings through, cuts and tears easily, yet is very strong. It has to be strong--imagine yourself sitting on the exam table, clad in nothing but a flimsy paper gown, bathed in flop sweat while waiting for the doctor to violate you in some way. The paper has to hold up through sweaty butts, so of course it will hold up for pattern-making! I buy it by the case from medical supply companies. One case pretty much lasts forever, since it's twelve rolls and each roll is a few hundred feet. I haven't tried putting it through an inkjet printer yet, but I think if I cut it to size and taped it to a sheet of printer paper, it would work. I haven't needed to print on it yet. It does hold up well to Sharpie markers, and lasts for many uses. I use it as a stabilizer under thin fabric at my sewing machine, and also to keep vinyl fabrics from sticking to the sewing machine bed and foot. It is just a handy thing to have around!

In other news (to use that term liberally) I have been addicted to Chinese sword-fighting movies lately. I like to have the TV going when I sew, but I can't always pay close attention to it. When I get tired of the cable fare, I slap on my latest Netflix offering, and I am finding Chinese sword-fighting is perfect for sewing. There is generally a lot of pretty scenery, and some nice fabrics involved, and then for no discernible reason, all the pretty men and women start leaping around, flying even! and kill each other with lovely swords. It makes my seam ripping so much more exciting. I have become a huge Li Gong (or maybe it's Gong Li) fan. And I think I may be starting to understand Chinese.