Welcome to my blog

I hope you enjoy reading my posts, and please leave me a comment. I always enjoy reading them, and will try to visit you in return.

For security reasons for me and for you, I would appreciate it if you would leave your name on your comments.

You are welcome to copy any of my designs, as long as you do not take credit for them yourself. I am very happy for you to sell them. If I have used anyone else's design, I always try to give credit where it is due. If I have missed anything, please let me know and I will put things right.


This is intended to be mainly about my crafting stories, as a personal record of what I do. However, I interpret crafting quite widely, not just paper crafting but other things too. I have a butterfly mind and like to change from one thing to another depending on what I feel like on a given day - knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, cards, baking and several others, including my favourite right now, parchment, both traditional skills and Groovi, very relaxing and calming to do.

I have decided to put some structure into my blog so that each day will have something of a theme.
Monday- for Mindfulness; Tuesday - Tidy Up Day; Wednesday - What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday; Thursday - Technique and Tips; Friday - Finish Off Day; Saturday - Start Something New; Sunday - Anything Goes
These themes are not hard and fast and will be changed if I feel the need.

Thursday 20 June 2019

Thursday Tips and Techniques


Some of you know that I have been struggling with my snipping over the last few weeks.  Somehow my precious Ringlocks have been damaged.  Not a problem, I thought as I already had a new pair on standby.  

Oh boy, was I wrong?  Spectacularly wrong!

Three weeks later and I am still struggling to get used to them.  Struggling to the point that I have even tried today snipping with a very old pair of scissors that I dug out of the cupboard.  

Just because you have two pairs of apparently identical scissors, they will not behave quite the same.  Your new ones will almost certainly be stiffer until you have worked them in.  I took the advice of Jeannine from Clarity and sprayed the new ones with WD40 and then worked them well before cleaning off the excess.  

I also found that it helps to leave them at least overnight before using them in anger.  I have also prepped a page of perforations ready to snip out to make sure I can get it right.  Some are from the fine grid, which I prefer, and some from the bold grid, which I am not so keen on.

I started snipping picot about 15 years ago but really improved with the help of an experienced tutor more recently.  However, with the change of scissors, I really feel I have to go back to basics and do a lot of practice to get it right again.  It really is a case of lots of practice to succeed at any skill.

One of Leonie's phrases from her sticker collection seems apt.  Lots of people are scared to try the picot cutting.  Don't be.

IT'S OKAY TO BE SCARED, DO IT ANYWAY


4 comments:

Yorkie girl said...

I read you post with interest My first pair of ringlock scissors are in a drawer they just don’t cut to the tip and I was having real problems with picot cutting, So I bought another pair and what a difference I was able to use and get a fairly good result, now reading about your experience I wonder if it was just me not the scissors
I will look them out and do a few straight lines and do a test run this weekend to see. Lol
Hope your new scissors are now ready and fit your snipping style perfectly
Hugs 🤗

Sue C said...

Having watched you today I know what you are going through. Its so frustrating when something you thought you had conquered suddenly defeats you again. Hopefully by the time we get together again you will be all sorted x

Lynne Bishop said...

Seems strange to hear you say you are struggling when I know you have been fine for ages. I have had the same problems with scissors they just do not perform the same. You will sort it. X X

Glynis said...

I know someone who does the most exquisite lace work, he lines up several pairs of scissors in front of him. When one pair gets warm, he swaps for a cooler pair. He believes the metal expands as the scissors get warm and makes them behave differently.

I also notice that the paper seems to have a 'warp' and a 'weft' some picots can be perfect going in one direction and although they are good, not be so perfect in the other direction.

Also, I've noticed over the years, that your edges can look much better the day after snipping.

Glynis x