Monday, August 16, 2010

True Confessions


It's almost 1:00am and I've been tossing and turning in bed for almost an hour.  I've been having a conversation with myself along the lines of this:

-  Take the car in for an oil change first thing
-  That means you have to get up at 7:30
-  Maybe you should stop tossing and turning and try to get that 6 1/2 hours of sleep
-  Call Doctor and ask about headaches
-  Maybe if you'd get some sleep you wouldn't have headaches
-  Why didn't I learn to read a ruler in grade school?
-  Was I sick that day?  
-  Was it chicken pox?
-  I bet it was a boy
-  David with the big beautiful eyes
-  I'm 48 for crying out loud

So, the most logical thing to do is to get up and google "how to read a ruler"  which lands me on a site called "The Ruler Game".  This is the first paragraph before the timed test.  Yeah right.

"Reading a ruler is a valuable skill that you will likely use on your job, in your hobbies, and in your personal every day life. Without measuring devices like rulers, and people that can read them, we would still be living in caves."


I think I've just been insulted.



I managed to live quite a long time without this skill (in my comfy cave) until I started quilting.  So a few years back I confessed my shortcoming to a good friend who sat me down with a ruler. I get the whole inch thing.  My problem is what is 5/8 of a yard? 7/8 of a yard?  It's those darn 8th's.  


When you don't buy the exact fabric the pattern calls for and then you don't cut it out right away, you forget which fabric you chose for the 5/8 yd. AND this is what keeps a quilter up at night because I'm not cutting into that beautiful stack of fabric just to mess it up.  So, I'm asking you dear blogger friends to help me on this.  I will be forever grateful... goodnight...

Humbly yours,

13 comments:

  1. Renee, I am not really sure what you are asking, but after many years of owning and working in a quilting store, I have learned this:
    1/8 yd = 4 1/2 ins
    1/4 yd = 9 ins.
    3/8 yd = 13 1/2 ins.
    1/2 yd = 18 ins.
    5/8 yd = 22 1/2 ins.
    3/4 yd = 27 ins.
    7/8 yd = 31 1/2 ins.
    I hope this helps get rid of your headache and that it really is what you wanted to know.
    If not, let me know.
    Also hope you get some rest.
    (I lost the first comment, I think or you might get 2)

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  2. Wow, Beverly beat me to it. I keep a little notebook next to my bed for nights like this with little thoughts like that. Now go to sleep!

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  3. I too, wonder where to start sometimes.....we use metric measurements, and a lot of patterns use imperial measurements...lol... :) Happy crafting, Jenny

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  4. Oh Renee! It is terrible not to be able to sleep. I was tossing and turning myself last night! We should of talked. :) I totally understand the ruler thing. My daddy helped me with mine. And you are so right...those darn 1/8th's make me have to think and I don't like it at all! :) I am going to copy Beverly's little chart for myself as well. Have a lovely day. (Try to take a nap!) :)

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  5. Like you, I am slighly math challenged. To keep yardage measurements in perspective, I use the what I call the "1/2 rule". You know that a yard of fabric is 36 inches. 1/2 that is 18 inches or 1/2 yard. 1/2 that is 9 inches or 1/4 yard and 1/2 that is 4-1/2 inches or 1/8 yard. If you need to go the other way, multiply up. Makes life simple for me.

    Liri

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  6. A large list, Renee. Just start, nu rush, see where we will end, tomorrow is another day. That is my way to deal with those days...
    Have a lovely week and a happy Monday! xx

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  7. I deal only in 1/14, 1/2, 3/4 or full yards. 7/8 yard? How much is not buying that 4 1/2" gonna really save you? Besides, if you quilt, scraps are a happy extra:>)

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  8. Oh, and what's up with us women not being able to turn our brains off at night? I lay in bed and obsess about the silliest things and the longer I can't get to sleep the more frustrated I become. I feel your pain.

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  9. Oh, I get nervous about cutting into fabric, too. I'd never guess you would! Your quilts are always so beautiful. Our English measurements are tricky with all those fractions; metric is so much easier! I hope you can cut with peace now and get some rest!

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  10. I have done that so many times! What fabric goes where? Worse yet, now that its cut, what pattern was I using? I know you'll get it right (even in the darkness of the cave) Ugh! Patty

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  11. Renee,

    I suggest you start labeling the fabric with a note telling you what you bought it for and how much. Just pin the note in one corner of the fabric. Then you don't have to remember...:)
    Sally

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  12. Kindred spirit here. Hate those 8ths. Not sure I could ever memorize such things.

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  13. Renee, I think I was absent on ruler day too...but I can honestly tell you that I don't remember any of my kids bringing home that homework.:oP Now that we homeschool, I make them do it.
    I can read a ruler now, but I have to study it and work it out.. :o}

    One day I hope to quilt. Right now, I have plenty of UFO's to finish before I do quilting.

    I can recommend Yogi Bedtime tea. It's the best. I love it!

    Hope you find the cause of your headaches..sinus? caffeine?

    God bless you,
    Monica

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