Rotary Cutter Problems

I L.O.V.E. rotary cutters. I began quilting back in the day when they were relatively new and I know I didn't have one for the first small quilt I made. In 1991 when I made my first bed size quilt, I knew I wanted to get one. Money was pretty tight then, so I couldn't afford a larger one, which I wanted, so I got this:

This is a 28mm cutter. It worked fine for me for awhile. When I bought it, I also couldn't afford a large enough mat, so I bought an 11"x17" self healing mat. I still have it and use it for sub-cutting and trimming. The 28 mm cutter I use for curves now.

Once I could afford an upgrade, several years into my quilting, I bought a larger mat and this:

This is my 45 mm cutter and I used this baby for years and years. This is now the cutter I use for paper and other non-fabric cutting.

When Olfa came out with this model, I though that might be good since the guard moved back into place when released and you could secure it with the red button when done. I felt like it caused my blades to dull even more quickly with the sliding feature, so now I use it for my specialty blades like the pinking blade you see here and it is a dream for that use.

So then, Olfa came out with the Splash cutters in the early 2000's I think, and I loved the new quick change blade feature. I felt that it was a lot safer way to go. So I bought one. But recently, there has been a problem with it.

See how the guard doesn't really cover the blade? This is, I feel, a recent development. But I couldn't figure it out, so I ordered a new cutter. Then I decided to mess with this, because what else could I do to hurt it if I wasn't going to use it any more?

 So right here, where my stiletto is pointing, I usually have a build up of lint, which I clean out every time I change the blade. I cleared it, and it still wouldn't move all the way into position. So I forced it.

And that's when I noticed there was a ton of build up between the cutter handle (blue) and the guard (yellow). I used a pin, a tweezers, a business card to slide in there and after about 10 minutes, I was able to clear out all the lint, pretty much.

And now, you can see, my guard is all the way up again. I wanted to share this, in case anyone else has had this problem. I tried to google it, but no hits. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think so. So if this has happened to you, I would love to hear what you did to solve it. If it happens to someone you know, you can pass this information along to them.

I still L.O.V.E. rotary cutters and have only ever used Olfa. And now I will have another one to add to my collection tomorrow. I bought a pink one this time! Have a great weekend.

Long Time Gone

I sorta fell off the edge there my friends. I got busy doing things and I kept thinking when I had something finished, I would blog. I am now thinking that I need to just get on here more often and talk about what I am doing, finished or not. So this will be an update post.

 First of all, there have been lots of roses blooming here at the Garden House. This is a small selection of some of the beauty.

 This gorgeous rose is new this year. It is called Sedona and it's beauty is in the color variation from the center to the exterior petals. It smells lovely too.

 There have been lots of great strawberries at the farmers market and I baked this wonderful treat. It is a vanilla cake covered with a whole pound of strawberries. You can find the recipe at Smitten Kitchen.

 I am working on crocheting this blanket for my oldest daughter. I am almost half way done.

And I am participating in the Summer Book Club QAL with Kate Basti on Instagram. Never too late to join in if you are interested.

I have been working to restock my creations for my next craft fair in the fall. This is my box of ear phone tacos.

 And I had an idea for something and I went searching the internet for Grosgrain ribbon. I found a reasonably price source and bought a few colors to start.

And this zippered pouch was the result. Another new item for my craft fair. Plus, I am slowly working on quilting my big yellow slab quilt and am doing some quilts for Christmas gifts. So you see, I have been busy, even if I forget to document it here.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you soon.