I don’t think Slovenia is especially known for its gophers? They do have an adorably invasive critter that’s like a tiny beaver without the big tail, but as implied— not native to Slovenia, and not what this was.

Anyway, when we got them home and out of the packaging (the mats, not the wee beavers) we discovered it was just placemat. Singular. Both pieces were stitched together, back-to-back. Why? I don’t get it. I separated them, and then let them languish in my mending pile…

Until yesterday! Using what I think is probably a sturdy poly-cotton blend, from some old curtains I thrifted, I finally gave the mats a proper backing. One became two again, and now we can eat breakfast as it was always intended: off the face of a photoshopped alpine gopher, while a cow supervises, unmoved. (Unmooed?)

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A year or so went by, and Rodrigue noticed a Facebook group about Projectors for Sewing. (Note: I only use FB for groups… apologies when I don’t see what you post there.)

This was cool for two reasons. One: dealing with paper patterns is the worst, most tedious part of sewing, IMO. Printing, taping, cutting out… potentially hours of work before even getting to fabric, every time you want to make something? Yuck. Two: It further distanced me from the time I would actually have to sew something by putting a lengthy tech and home improvement challenge between me and the activity I ostensibly craved doing most.

As shown in the featured image above, a mini projector is mounted in the ceiling, and projects pattern pieces directly onto the fabric!

Following advice from the group, I:

• discovered we already had one of the group’s preferred tables, as friends had given it to us when they moved. I yoinked it into my office.
• researched projectors and settled on a Yoton Y3, which was affordable and had the right throw distance to my table.
• found an hdmi dongle that lets me mirror either my laptop, or any of my mobile devices
• went on a long deep dive looking for very large cutting mats and finally settled on Ultimat, which lets you link together multiple small ones to form nonstandard sizes.
• Mounted the projector in the ceiling and hid all my cables, except that one bulky connection, which I’ll need to hide under some art, once I find the right objet
• Downloaded Pattern Projector, software which is developed and maintained on a voluntary donation basis by the group organizer, Courtney Pattison
• Easily calibrated the software to my projector and table
• Subscribed to everyday genius Courtney Pattison’s buymeacoffee because holy heck, wow.
• Discovered the rad, adaptable, inclusive Apostrophe Patterns, which has a range of basics that you can enter your own measurements into, to generate a custom fit pattern for your own body, super easily

And then it actually happened! Seconds after completing my setup, I was actually sewing!

I was of course missing a million things (like elastic… it’s always waistband elastic), and my primary project is stalled.

But finally having the space in order unlocked some tailoring and mending projects that had been lying around, attracting moths for some time. I fixed a couple of shopping bags and hacked an old, icky jumpsuit into some serviceable PJ bottoms (see cat sitting on them, above)– all in the space of an afternoon and a morning.

Although there were many steps involved and many bits and bobs to sort out and acquire, this was a relatively affordable venture. The whole thing, including subscribing to Courtney’s coffee, probably cost about $300 CAD, with all taxes and shipping (spread out over a year). With the time, hassle, paper and tape waste it will save, I think it will more than pay off– especially if it helps me sew through my existing fabric stash, and keep using reclaimed and secondhand fabrics.

It feels good to finally get back to excitedly sewing!

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