OT - but sewing related

Try a stingy drop of your SM oil on the screw that holds the scissors together,open close them a few times and hope it sort of works in. You might enjoy having a rotary blade that produces a scalloped or pinked-looking edge. And how about getting some help? Band parents, senior citizens, Home Ec teacher? Anybody? (Do they still teach Home Ec?) Polly

Bwhahahahah you make me laugh Miss Polly. Band parents that help? Seriously? My daughter graduated LAST year and I'm still helping. Why you might ask??? Well, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the current staff that they have and have made some lifelong friends in them. If it would have been the previous staff, I would have to him/them what they could do with it.

I have also told them that when I leave the lovely state of MO and move to the ???? state of GA, I would still like to do the flags. Crazy? Yes ma'am.

Thanks for the suggestion on the oil. Hopefully, that will work. I have 15 more flags to do before Monday.

Oh yes, they do still teach home ec but the official title of it now is FACS...Family and Consumer Science. Makes no sense to me.

Maybe I could teach you a thing or two about getting help. There is blackmail, bribery, flattery, whining and/or assault weapons. I was a band parent for 7 years and was really expert at whining. My concern is that you will damage your cutting hand parts by 'doing it all' yourself. Really. Polly

I had a heavy German-made pair of pinking shears that did the exact same thing - I recently gave them away to my g-niece when she took possession of my pfaff 7550 - she's young so she can handle them! The best pair of shears that I have now were a freebie from Fiskars to replace a rotary cutter that required a new screw (they could't find an exact replacement so they gave me my choice of any of their products in exchange) - they are easy on the hands and cut like a dream. jennellh

Well, into the hornets nest I go.

My Mom was a Home Ec teacher for 30 years. She called it FCS the last few years because that was the new term. I'm old, well I feel it today, and still call it Home Ec at my school too. So do most of the students. Only the people at the District Office really use the FCS term. I guess that it is supposed to reflect the viewpoint, which I disagree with mostly, but not totally, that it is more of a science. Go figure that one out. Maybe when it comes to the science of the food ingredient interactions, or dyes on cloth, etc. but I still believe that it is more of a skill, way important, but a set of skills that we can learn and improve and some of us are better at than others. Beyond High School, maybe it is more of a science now, but what we can and have time to teach in the high school is less of a science in my mind.

Humorous side story. When it came time about five years ago to meet with our local advisory boards, revise the curriculum, meet with and make presentations to the advisory boards, me, little old Steve, business and computer teacher, did all of the Home Ec. We had had a different home ec teacher each of the last three years, none of them were willing to tackle it, even with the grant money for salary time for doing it and release time, and since I cooked and sewed and had some knowledge and experience from Mom and others, I was asked to do it. It took me the better part of a year working on it here and there for a couple thousand, but hey, what the heck. I did get some strange looks when I was introduced as the person to be updating and presenting the information, but I knew my stuff so got no complaints.

Cindy, we teachers live for parents like you. We always give a Parent of the Year award at our State Competitive Events conference. It is very important to us as we understand all the extra time and effort that is provided. Most other teachers don't have a clue the extra time we as Voc Ed teachers put in as we continually fix computers, sewing machines, shop equipment, and spend shopping for groceries and other things for our classroom as well as the extra list of duties for checking out at the end of the year to make sure that all of our equipment is secure. The parents that help us, and the occasional student, are most valued. You get a gold star in my book.

Steven Alaska

P.S. I agree with Polly on the wee teensy tiny bit of oil.

I once heard the somewhat revolutionary idea of 'washing' scissors! I actually do it now - though gingerly! It is logical that the pivot point, between the blades, could get some fibre debris 'stuck'. So, I would gently wash them, and dry thoroughly and very carefully to get every speck of damp out; and *then do the oiling.

But, honestly, I think the school could pay for a pinking rotary cutter and some blades. Your hand will appreciate it. I agree that you could do some damage.

The other thing to consider is that there are scissors which are sprung, like secateurs, so that they spring back into place without your having to pull them back.. But I don't know if they do pinking edges? . In message , Cindy Schmidt writes

As soon as they start tightening up, wipe the blades and put a drip of oil between the blades at the nut. Open and close them a few times and wipe off any excess oil.

I don't know whose brilliant idea it was but our high school used to swap teachers for 2 or 3 days every year and they were fiercely creative in what they thought the 'other' side should learn. The World History guy took all the Home Ec girls out to the parking lots and taught them how to change a flat tire. The Home Ec teacher took her temporary class of all boys and awarded them each an 8 lb sack of flour to keep with them at All Times for 48 hours. She wanted them to understand what it's like to always have a cute baby with them. I don't know what that did for birth control but they did learn that child care is a round the clock responsibility. Some taught how to write a check, read the manual for getting a driver's license; just all sorts of things they needed to know and would never see in a text book. Teaching is probably not that much fun anymore. Polly

Oh, I dunno... I used to teach my lot all sorts of things that weren't strictly textbook...

Like the value of a cuppa and keeping yer head down when the teacher/mother/girlfriend has PMS.

How to iron shirts and clean a toilet.

And that Shakespeare can be fun if your first intro to the bard is made via the medium of a rolled up newspaper and lots of floor!

Pinking or wavy rotary blades are VERY rough on cutting boards. I use part of an old board for that and any task that may mark up my table. (IE: marking seam lines on HST and such.) PAT in VA/USA

I could just use my cutting table without putting my mat down. I am planning on re-doing the top of it anyway, so I might just be able to get the next 15 done without too much damage to it.

I did go out and by it today but haven't had time to open it and work with it. Thankfully the blades were 50% off but the actual cutter was $28. Oh well, if it saves me a lot of pain in the long run then it will be worth the $$$ spent.

Thanks for all the hints and suggestions. I will be trying the WD-40 next as the oil didn't really seep down into the hole far enough to make it any easier to use.

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I bought a pinking blade for my rotary cutter. It works well. Would it work on your flag project do you think?

Why are pinking shears so darn stiff to use anyway?

marcella

Well, I took the advice and went out and put the pinking blade.

I HATE IT. I only have to cut through 2 layers and it would never fully cut through. So it was taking me almost just as long to cut. So back to the store it goes.

I will be finishing up my last 4 today and then not have to worry about it until June or July.

Thanks for all of the suggestions!!

It's basically the same fabric. True name is called China Silk. I love working with it other than the fact that it HAS to be cut with pinking shears. The ones that I worked on the other night, my hands were so tired that I gave up and just used my regualr scissors knowing what the end result would be but I just couldn't do it anymore. It was a fraying mess but at least I did have enough that I could put my hem in it.

Many years ago I made Frostline down jacket kits. Rip stop to satin nylon. All projects arived as cut out pieces but the first step was to sear all edges using the flame of the candle, a soldering iron would have been safer. BUT, what about using one of those electric template cutters? Searing and cutting in one motion! Bonnie, in Middletown, VA