Granny's Tips

• Board the stash

  Fold yardage onto acid-free cardboard — comic-book or magazine boards work. Sort fat quarters, 2 1/2 inch strips, and crumbs into their own tubs. Half-yard cuts can fold into double fat quarters.

• Strings tell you the yardage

  Tie one string around a board that holds more than a yard, two strings for more than two yards, three for more than three. At a glance you know what you have, even in a dark pantry.

• Skip the gadget aisle

  This is a down-to-earth shop. Patterns are written so you do not have to run to the supermart for a special tool. A square ruler in the 5 inch and 10 inch sizes is plenty if you are sewing Loose Change.

• Wrong side is still a side

  Hunting a pale pink nickel and coming up short? Flip the fabric. There are two sides to every print, and the back is often the quiet color a background wants.

• PDF if you are in a hurry

  Every pattern except the books can be emailed as a PDF for five dollars less than the printed copy. Write “pdf please” on the order. Books still come on paper, and Claudia will sign them.

More rambling lives in the newsletter.