I don’t think I’ve ever shared a round-up of some of my favorite sewing tools and notions, so today’s 31 Days of Blogging prompt was nice and timely!
In general, I’m not a gadget person. This may sound strange when I’m about to recommend quite a few tools and notions, but it’s true! I’m fairly cautious about buying stuff for the sake of stuff, or just because it’s neat. But when I see something that really does make my quilting life easier, I’m all in.
So! Here are 9 tools that I reach for on a regular basis to help me get my projects done!
Handcrafted wood seam ripper. If you’re going to make a quilt, you’re going to need to rip out stitches at some point — it’s inevitable. I’ve had several different seam rippers but a couple years ago at Quilt Festival, I bought this one from Sawyer Creek Artistry and it’s the only one I’ve used since. It’s comfortable in my hand. I like that I can hang it around my neck on the chain thanks to the magnetic attachment, and the pointy end also stays in magnetically. And hey, it’s pretty!
Kwik Klip. Spray baste is my primary method, but I usually go back over even my spray basted quilts with at least a smattering of safety pins to make absolutely sure my quilt sandwich stays together. Closing all those pins is murder on my thumb. Save your fingers a lot of pain by getting one of these! (I saw recently that Paula Jean Creations, the maker of this tool, is closing due to the owners retirement, so maybe get one soon?)
Kai scissors. I learned early that fabric scissors should be used ONLY ON FABRIC, but I didn’t invest in a truly good pair until about a year ago. I bought two pairs of Kai scissors — the 7150 (6″ scissors) and the 7100 (4″ snips) — and I am obsessed with them. They cut like a hot knife through butter, and that is not an exaggeration.
Add-a-Quarter ruler. If you love paper piecing like me, these rulers are SO useful for trimming seam allowances quickly and easily as you go along. I like it so much that I also picked up the Add-an-Eighth version last month at Quilt Festival.
Wonder Clips. I rarely use pins. They get bent, and they poke you, and they’re just generally annoying most of the time. Instead, I use Wonder Clips! I have both the normal size and the mini size and they stay on my sewing table so they’re always handy. (They are also awesome for bag-making as you can see above!!)
Leather thimble. As with seam rippers, I have tried a LOT of different thimbles since I started sewing and quilting…and also ended up not liking a LOT of them. Then I found this leather thimble and I am never going back. It protects my finger but is also flexible and lets me feel what I’m holding. I’m about to wear through the leather on the one I have now, and will definitely be purchasing another one.
Self-threading needle. Burying quilting thread tails can be pretty annoying, but a self-threading needle speeds things up considerably. I have this Clover set and they’ve worked really well for me.
Bloc-Loc rulers. I have the 6.5″ Half Square Triangle version and it makes HST trimming — which can feel really tedious, especially if you’re making a lot — SO much easier. These rulers are admittedly pricey, which is why I only have one…but I kinda want them all. Also pro tip: the 6.5″ ruler can be used for HSTs that 6.5″ or anything smaller, as you can see above!
Roxanne Glue-Baste-It. I am a big fan of glue basting for tricky seams binding, and wrote a whole post about it a couple months ago! The Roxanne brand works really well for me.
Happy quilting!
p.s. I’m doing a 31 day blogging challenge.
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