Two pillows, makings of

So here we are, patchwork fronts completed and pressed, backs cut out. I had a great time arranging and rearranging the patches before I stitched them. Many changes before I decided. Then I cut the backs. The tops look totally different in these pix, one in artificial light, one daylight. But it's the same items.

The upper one is a piece of sage green linen, the bottom a piece of plum colored velvet.

The velvet one was a bit of a saga. It's from a shirt jacket I haven't worn in years. Velvet. Thought I'd get a back out of it.

Which I did, and some lovely leftovers, including two full sleeves for future adventures of some sort.

I had forgotten how fiendish velvet is to cut. As you know, it's a complex weave, and you can't just swipe your rotary cutter through it  the way you can with cotton. More like sawing and cursing, really. Then switching to scissors, with more success, but still slippery and unfriendly. I don't have the really good shears it needs. Nor the experience, come to that.

Then I thought as I worked unsuccessfully with the big rotary, well,I havent used this rotary for a while, the big one, maybe I should change the blade, probably blunted this one.

And found there were two blades loaded in the cutter. This is easily done, since they're oiled in the container, very difficult to pry apart, given how razor sharp they are. So it's possible not to realize what you've done.

 But it doesn't cut very well. Anyway, I removed one blade and the remaining one doesn't cut anyway.  I'll replace it once I get my composure back. In fact I've found that even with the right number of blades in (!) my smaller cutter works better.  I did all the epp cutting just fine with it.

Now it's about stitching, more fun than cutting with blunt recalcitrant rotaries. At least I hope so.

Speaking of constructing from fabric and great sewing skills, have you caught Bernadette Banner on YouTube? Fashion historian, costume designer, totally brilliant, and comes with Cesario, a guinea pig.

She's wonderful, makes me want to watch no matter what she's making, amazing skills. Since neither my Android tablet nor smartphone does cut and paste, I leave you to proceed to YouTube and Twitter in search of this channel.

And in that line of work also on YouTube, is Karolina Zebrowska. Subtle and funny as well as very knowledgeable. And talking totally fluently in English, her second language. She's an encyclopedia of costume history. And a comedienne of the first water, and a great conservator of antique clothing.

And there's Zach Pinsent, whom I follow on Twitter, hand makes everything, always wears Regency clothes, he's a way of life!

They are all wildly talented, and great fun to watch. And they're friends.