Product Review: Judy Gauthier's Maker Tape

Gonna keep this short and sweet...here's the second of the ruler grippers I tested.

Specs

• Two rolls of rough, plastic tape
• Cost: $4.99

Pros

• Multipurpose - good for more than just being a frictional surface on a ruler or template
• Very repositionable, without residue
• Isn't tacky or sticky in the way silicone is - won't collect dust
• Lots in a pack
• Ruler stays PUT.  

Cons

• It is translucent bordering on opaque, so if you are using it on a ruler where you need to see the fabric underneath to line up a measurement, your view may be obstructed. 
• You need to use more than just an inch or two for the roughness to do its thing.

Conclusion

★★★★★

This stuff rocks, and for under $5, it is a GEM.  I just wish it were more transparent like the dots are!  But...no lint.  But this was a really effective solution for curing the slidy ruler problem, and can be used for other tasks too. I do love a good multi-tasker, so 5 stars!  Get you some!

Product Review: The Grace Company TrueGrips

Slidey rulers piss me off.  As I think they probably do most people trying to cut fancy shapes and curves.  Nothing sucks worse than having a rules slip mid-cut.  It's why I vastly prefer Creative Grids to Omnigrid.

There are a lot of different solutions to this problem, and I will review one this week, and another next week.  This week?

Specs

• 30 adhesive grippers
• Clear, silicone-esque material
• Cost: $5.95

Pros

• THE STICK IS REAL.  When you put these on you ruler, they stay stuck.  I mean sure, you can re-position them, but they have a hell of a stick
• I tested this on a straight ruler and on a curve ruler.  RULER DID NOT BUDGE.
• They are clear, so do not obstruct your view of the fabric position in relation to measurement lines (if used on a ruler where that might be important; less important for some templates)  

Cons

• The pack I had did not have the small and large grippers fully cut through, and I damaged a couple trying to separate them
• These are slightly tacky on account of the silicone-ish texture.  Do collect dust and thread bits.  

Conclusion

★★★★☆

They work exactly as advertised, and much better than I had expected.  They work very well, but boy, the lint is REAL.