A couple of people were asking why I don't like my Accuquilt cutter, so thought I'd answer.

It's really an ingenious idea and truly has revolutionized the quilting world, but it does nothing for people who don't need dies.  Most of my applique is complicated and right now it's "My Tweets" and there isn't a die for that.  The cardinal quilt has 1.75 inch strips and there's no die for that either.

I bought mine hoping to do my nine patch quilt where each square finishes at 1 inch.  Just cut the strips at 1.5, turn the strip around on the Sharpie lines and cut squares.  Umm.  No.  I broke my first one and put nicks in the 1.5 inch die.  Accuquilt was fabulous about fixing the whole problem and sent me a new one and die.

After you cut the 1.5 inch strips, they would stick to the mat or die and fold open making it a pain to put back on to cut squares.  I got tired of refolding strips and it was just easier to use my June Taylor strip cutter.  Flip the ruler to the side, and it cut squares.  No moving of fabric.  Mine is 12x18 making it even faster.

I realized that Accuquilt made a die with 1.5 inch squares on it.  The first one didn't stick to the back of the die and was very kindly replaced.  The die only has six squares and every time I used it, they weren't square.  Even if they were square, it would take forever to cut out enough squares with only six on the die.  I have no room for the Studio version and wasn't going to pay that much just for squares.

I fell in love with the Rose of Sharon blocks from EQ and bought the book and die.  I don't like raw edges for fusible applique and I never get the stupid fusible to work anyway.  That's user error, not the fusible webbing.  I know I'll never get around to it.

While working on "My Tweets" someone had used their electronic paper cutter and software to make freezer paper templates.  That's what I want.  The ability to cut freezer paper templates of anything I desire.  Long story short, within minutes my Cricut can draw or cut out any design I want via my software.  If I need something larger, I have my 18 inch killer duty Cougar cutter.  You can no long use a Cricut and software together.  Provo Craft threw a tantrum and sued the software companies.  You would have to find another cutter so don't go out and buy a Cricut if you want to try this.

This was done on my Cougar Cutter as a test for intricacy.  It's one of EQ's blocks and done 4 times to make one square.  The last part didn't get cut right due to user error, but you can see how it did.  If I wanted to just make one large block for applique, it could easily cut out templates.

What I haven't been able to do is cut fabric with them yet, but haven't really sat down and tried.  It's a stability issue which is why Accuquilt has the top part that goes over the fabric and protects the die.  I'm just happy to have both draw out on freezer paper the custom templates I need.

I've decided to sell my Accuquilt Cutter and dies.  I don't use them.  I'm not impressed and think they are overhyped and overpriced however; I know lots of people adore theirs.

My biggest problem is shipping.  I have the original box for the cutter but I have no clue how to ship the 1.5 and 2.5 inch strip dies.  They are long and skinny for those who haven't seen them and don't fit in regular USPS boxes.  I don't have access to a fancy box shop either unless I went to Lincoln.  Would they have something to fit the dies?

I'd like to sell it all together making it easy since I only have the two strip dies, the Rose of Sharon, and the 2 inch square die...oh and the ones that came with the cutter.

I just hate having mine knowing someone would love it more.  I'm not even sure how much to ask for the entire set or if I should put it up on Ebetray w/o knowing how to ship the larger dies.  If someone lived locally within Lincoln, Omaha or surrounding areas we could meet up somewhere.

Any thoughts?

Random Thoughts?

I have been piecing today.  It's been cold and rainy and to keep my mind off those bikes I want, I started working on the cardinal quilt.  It's not working.

I hate random piecing and quilting.  I don't like same fabric pieces touching and it drives me nuts trying to piece and place blocks randomly.  Grrr.

But, here's one layout of this quilt:

Deep down, it really doesn't matter, but sewing and quilting random blocks drives me crazy.  Which is probably why I haven't had this done that fast.  I just need to get over it.


Cycling:

Yup.  I've done my best to forget about bikes today, but it isn't happening.  Stupid Salsa Fargo.  Why didn't I find you when I was looking earlier?  Oh yeah, cause I didn't know what I wanted.  Duh.

I got thinking about what I liked so much about the Fargo and it was the seat post, the shifters and the  handlebars.  If I can't afford the bike, I figured I could get those parts and change my bike around.

Of course it's NOT that easy after I talked to my LBS mechanic.  The handlebars won't fit on my mountain bike and the fancy shifter setup would cost me at least 400 bucks.  I thought about putting the fancy shifters on my Madone but right now I'm not sure I want to put that much money on the bike.

I can put the fancy seat post on my mountain bike.  When I looked it up, it's called a Thudbuster and instead of the suspension going up/down which hurts me, it slides back and forth.

The more I thought about things I realized I wanted that flared handlebar as well.  The mechanic said I could put it on my Madone.  Of course that would be blasphemy to the road cyclists out there.  It's a good thing there aren't any down where I live.  Not that I care.  It's my bike and I can do it the way I want.  I ordered the bars and I hope to see them on Friday.

BTW, here's DH on the recumbent bike he was looking at:

We both tried it out and while lots of fun, not even remotely useful in rural Nebraska.  Hills would take hours to climb.  We got lots of looks though.  It's a Catrike Trail model he's riding.

I'm at a loss and not sure what to do.  No, it's nothing bad, just confusing.  I'm not really looking for answers.  Just doing some online thinking.

DH and I went to another bike store to look at recumbent bikes today.  We tried out one and he really liked it.  Meh.  I had a good time, but wasn't worried about having one.  He loved it.

As I was looking around they had a Salsa Mukluk that I tried out and really liked.  It's a bike with 4 inch wide tires and rides like a tank over anything.  Perfect for rural gravel roads and the snow.  Then the guy showed me a Salsa Fargo and it was almost love at first ride.  It's a touring bike/mountain bike with 29 inch wheels and has funky drop bars.  I thought I loved the bikes I have, but this was different.

Mukluk:

Salsa Fargo:

What's hard about bikes is the same about sewing machines.  You think you know what you want until you start getting better and then realize you may have gotten the wrong machine/bike.

When I first started looking the guy asked "Where do you plan on riding?" and "What kind of bike are you looking for?" "Ummm...dunno.  Just want a bike."  I had no idea so many kinds of bikes existed, touring, mountain, racing, cyclocross, racing, hybrid, time trial, cruisers and whatever else is out there so I just winged it.  Then there are price points between all of those depending on the level of bike.

After today, I realized I don't like racing bikes.  I won't ever race.  My Madone is hard to handle because it's so light and despite several fittings, it just doesn't seem right.  Rural NE doesn't have roads built for light carbon bikes and blowing semi's don't help.  I thought I wanted a racing bike.  Really.  I did.  But the more I ride it, the less enthralled I am.  It's a gorgeous fast amazing bike, but not for where I'm at.  

My Sirrus is a hybrid and I bought it before the Madone.  I was told a hybrid was the perfect match between a racer and mountain bike.  No.  It's crap.  You can't ride the trails and it's not fast enough to race.  Hybrids suck.  Don't bother.

I've realized cruiser and comfort bikes are not my style, but I already knew that.

I LOVE my Mamba 29er.  After doing a real ride yesterday I realized I picked the perfect bike and no regrets.  I regret the Sirrus and Madone purchases and selling them is awfully tempting.

Salsa Fargo


Like I said, it's a touring bike with 29 inch wheels.  I rode it around and it was incredibly fast, agile, light and stable.  Never once did I fall off the bike or feel like I was going too.  I have spent the entire summer falling of that Madone.  I've had bruises that have taken weeks to heal because of it.  Since it's not a racer, I wasn't bent over like a pretzel.  Since it's not a crappy hybrid, you're not stuck sitting upright with straight bars wondering if the ride will ever end.

A touring bike is made for going long distances in comfort.  They are also built to hold luggage and bags while you ride.  I didn't look at them before as I figured I would never get farther than a few miles so why look at them?  I thought they'd be slow and cumbersome, but this wasn't even close when I tried the  Fargo.

Mukluk 


If you truly live rurally, you know what the gravel roads are like out here.  I thought my mountain bike would do great, but all you do is control slide the bike over the gravel.  This bike makes going over anything easy.  You can glide over snow from what I've been told.   There are miles and miles of gravel road out there.  Oh, the possibilities.

There are several disadvantages.  It's a tank.  It's not going to handle nimbly around a mountain bike trail unless it's a wide trail and if you have to stop while going up a hill, good luck gaining momentum.  It's huge.  I'm not sure I could take it anywhere and it's really location specific.  People stop and gawk at you as you go by.  While that's not a bad thing, I found that while riding it, people kept coming up and asking about it.  

LBS


The shop that sells these bikes is in Council Bluffs.  That's over an hour away if I need quick adjustments.  The shop was fantastic though and almost worth the drive since my store can get cranky.  I'm not sure my bike store could order the bikes in either.  If they could, would it be worth it for easy service?

Anyone who has bought machines through dealers know that dealer availability and help is necessary.  However; a brake adjustment that is 5 minutes makes it hard to drive up that far, even though you like the dealer better.

I'm not sure my shop would let me trade up the bikes I own and I'm not sure how easily I could sell them  myself.

If I had to choose one, it would be the Fargo.  The guy said he was putting together a Fargo that was my size, but a lower model.  He said to come in and check the size for reference as the one I rode was 19 inches after he got it built.

Maybe this post can be a true "First Mountain Bike Ride".  I was talking with my LBS and he metioned a couple of bike trails near Omaha.  Once again, determined to do a real trail before it gets cold, I call up DH and tell him I'm picking him up to take me there.

WOW and WOW when we got there.  We started riding and immediately I fell in love.  The hills, the turns, the descents, dodging trees and being with DH was amazing.  He did awesome for being a part-time weekend warrior despite his protests of thinking he's in the way.

My 29er did beautifully on the trail.  She handled everything that was in her path.  I LOVE this bike.

Go to your local mountain bike park and try out a trail.  Don't worry about feeling inexperienced.  We actually did an "easy" trail which was still challenging, but SO much fun.

I'm in heaven..at least until I hit a tree which brings me back to reality.

Sorry there are no pics.  We only had about a 1/2 hour to ride before it got dark.  Another time I'll find a way to go during the day and explore more.  You really don't want to go by yourself.  

First Mountain Bike Ride

I finally got the courage to head for a true mountain bike ride today.  I called up the local state park and asked if the trails were cleared to get a bike through.  I was told the trails were great and come on down.  I lugged my bike onto the rack and headed out.  I probably shouldn't have gone out by myself, but winter is coming and I wanted at least one attempt at using my bike.

Lady at the front office gives me a map and tells me to use the number 7 trail as it was easy.  I head out, find the trail parking lot and unload my bike.  I grab my stuff and helmet and start my first ever adventure.  I'm doing pretty good getting up/down the first couple of hills and then come across this monstrosity:

Right lady.  The trail is cleared for bikes.  For what?  Monster size bikes like the monster trucks on TV?  Obviously you haven't been out on the this particular trail anytime soon.

I pick up my bike and haul it around the tree. I go a little further down the trail and nearly slide all the way down the hill via the leaves in the rut.  Brakes are NOT helping and I'm praying I don't fall off onto the left side since there's a steep drop-off.

Number 7 trail is EASY?  Lady, who hired you?

I slide down the hill and walk up the next hill.  There is no shame in walking if no one is around.  I start down and realize there's ANOTHER tree about 3/4 of the way down.  It's not as big as this one, but it's there.  I slow down best I can and haul the bike around this tree.

I spent more time hauling my purple 29er over trees than I actually did riding it.

Now that I have 1.5 hours of experience mountain biking I've learned these things:

1.  I need a small backpack that isn't labeled specifically for cycling since those cost 150 bucks to put crap in.

2.  Wool socks are awesome and my waterproof/windproof tights under my jeans worked amazingly.   I really wish they made mountain bike style pants for fall weather.  Jeans are unfcomfortable, but if I fell off I'd have some protection.

3.  The windproof goofy looking beanie hat works great for your ears, lets you put your hair back and fits under my helmet.

4.  Disc brakes ROCK.  If you are looking for a mountain bike get them.  You can slide through mud and other debris much better than if you have rim brakes.

5.  Love my armwarmers.  I can fit them under my sweater and if it gets too hot, I can take them off.

6.  I'm not nearly as bad at this than I thought I would be thanks to reading several books.  I won't be doing anything fancy soon, but I never crashed.

7.  Always look where you want to go, not where your bike goes.  That advice saved me several times while going down some steep hills.

8.  29ers rock at going up hills, not so much going down since they aren't as agile as 26ers.  That will take some practice.

9.  I need to figure out how to work my shocks, or I may be too heavy for the WSD bike shocks.  I kept tweaking it, but it was still too much.

10.  Take a friend.  It's no fun going alone and not having anyone to share the adventure is a shame.


I could really use some more mechanic skills as my brakes were causing problems on the way up the road back to the car.  LBS fixed it after about 5 minutes and there was no way I could have done it by myself.  Make sure your bike is in perfect condition before leaving.

Oh..the nice part?  There was a hunter walking up the road with his crossbow and he was smoking hot.  Very nice view of nature at it's finest.

Bike Fit!

I had another professional fitting for my bikes last week.  Another?  Well, after putting my Madone on a trainer for an hour, everything just started aching.  Something was off and made an appt for a new fitting from another LBS.

After taking several measurements of inseam, thigh length, torso length, arm length, shoulder width, hand size and foot length, he put them in the computer and bam..out comes a picture of how my bike should be set up.  Neato.

He starts fiddling with the magic numbers and sets up my bike.  He raised the saddle up, made it level and moved it closer to the bike.  He dropped the handlebars down a level, and tweaked some more.  He said I might need my cranks smaller but that would be a huge expense and said to wait and see how the bike fits as you use it.

It's AMAZING what a couple of tweaks can do.  It's like getting the tension exactly where you want it for FMQ and the perfect satin stitch.

Of course he does this and the weather turns nasty.  Maybe it's a good time to try out my cold weather clothing?

Here's my bike now.  The changes are small but wonderful:

He also raised the seat post and leveled my saddle for my mountain bike:

 
Best 45 bucks I've ever spent!