Catherine wrote:
Roberta Zollner wrote:
The Karstadt and Hertie here have a tiny shelf with American patchwork
cotton -costs way too much, but sometimes it's all there is. Have a
look around your local newsstands -there are several patchwork mags in
German, most with very basic instructions for beginners, and all with
lots of ads and shops and places to order stuff. There's also the
French one, think it's called Magic Patch. Might find something in a
town near you! It's possible to use cotton curtain fabric, except that
it tends to be a bit heavier than patchwork cotton and thus harder to
sew by hand. Also, the designs tend to be large scale and not so good
for smaller pieces.
The problem you will eventually face is whether to work in metric or
inches. I do both: inches for piecing blocks, because all my rulers
are in inches and I'm used to the quarter-inch seam. Then I switch to
metric for cutting long borders and backing and binding strips. Of
course, it's a bit schizophrenic when I come across a German design I
want to try, and sometimes find myself doing it half and half. (But
German designs I want to try are rare.)
Roberta in D
That's something I never thought of... German quilting magazines. Just
obvious enough to be overlooked. 
I was shopping for rotary cutters today too. There are two good brands,
I saw, not too expensive. First was Fiskars, which I've heard of, and
Olfa, which I haven't. Consumer info says the majority prefer the Olfa
because the blade doesn't stay sharp for long on Fiskars.
Any comments?
I have some of each, and never notice the difference... In fact in most
sizes other than the big ones, Olfa blades fit both. I find the Fiskars
better for my hands, but others prefer the Olfa ergonomics. I have the
bigger Olfa and love it, but for the 45mm, Fiskars fits like tailor made.
As for measurements, I don't think that'll be a problem. I've got a
good conversion tool and can use either one.
Here in the UK one buy 45" wide fabric by the metre...
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