I stabilized my cutting table today. It’s been quite wobbly for some years now and I tried to stabilize it about three years ago. Tried a power drill and hand held screwdrivers last time. The evidence was still hanging pitifully from the crossbars. Things got dire last week, when all of a sudden it became clear to me that I’d better do something or there could be a nasty accident. I considered living dangerously for a moment, tempting fate, but opted to remove my Ott lamp to a safer location.
I’m getting ready to do a lot of wool cutting and knew that the table had to be fixed before getting started so today I took another approach. Got out the cute little Dremel Tool. I love that thing. Am always trying to think of reasons to use it but don’t generally come up with much in the fiber art area. Although….I wonder what kind of distressing I could do with all of those sanding implements. Later.
What a nice table this has been. Purchased shortly after I was married; put together by my husband; occupied for years by my long deceased cat, CoCo, although I do still find cat hairs in the vicinity; and a nice place to sit while beading or stand while painting fabric or cutting out individual or stacked items. 
I ordered this great cutting surface at the same time as the table. Today I turned the cutting mat around, I think for the second time in approximately seventeen years. Now I will have a clean, flat area to work on again but will still be able to appreciate the far corner which has served me so well for so long.
The Dremel Tool worked great. It fit into the tight corners and I was able to get holes started for the screws which then went in nice and easy. Okay, I confess, I invited the husband down to give the final torque to the screws. His wrists hold up to these kinds of things better than mine.
What a novel idea, to add hooks for cutting implements! Yup, I think fast on my feet. Who knows what other great ideas I’ll get in another seventeen years. Speaking of thinking fast, notice that elbow on the upper left side? I was short by one. (The table seems pretty solid without the last one, but I may, for symmetry sake, have to go out and get one more elbow.) I did drill the holes for the last elbow and while I was drilling, I got the smart idea to put my finger on the top surface of the table to check and see if the drill bit was coming all the way through. That’s right, I’ve got a band aid on that finger now. Glad it was a Dremel and not a full size power drill. (That’s obviously a big, DUH.)
So, I’m ready to cut, bead, paint, whatever, without having the table fall out from under me. 2013, look out. I’m ready!
Happy New Year to all! I look forward to seeing all of your beautiful creations.
Oh, and here are photos of the bookmarks I made using fabric samples from my aunt’s weaving, with painted, stamped and machine needle-felted, “repurposed” dryer sheets. (Otherwise known as the starving artist’s Lutradur.) It wasn’t my best experiment ever, but it’s always fun to play and I sent them off as gifts anyway. It’s at least a step up from a grocery receipt. (I was going on the assumption that some people still read actual printed-on-paper books.)
Cheerio!
Elinor 