So here we go! My favorite gadgets include some brass Clover brand notions. First, I love my adjustable ring thimble.
If I need a thimble, this is what I like. It won't fall off my finger tip for one! And I wear it in the spot that I typically would stab myself. This happens to be on the middle finger of my sewing hand, between the middle two knuckles. So that's about halfway between my fingernail and where you would position a jewelery ring. Then all my other fingers are free for sewing.
My other favorite gadget is this, also by clover. It's another adjustable ring, but this time it comes with a blade!
I used this a lot when we were stuck in waiting rooms or in the van while one of the kids took lessons. (dance... you know how it is!). So I would do my binding and this worked pretty well. You just have to remember you're wearing it or you could chop out some of your hair. lol I'm just sayin...
And my other favorite gadget are these titanium spring loaded snips. They lock on the back and come with a blade cover. These rock. I use them for fabric, embellishments, and thread.
I believe they are made by SoftKUT. What else? Embroidery needles are terrific, especially for binding and redwork. The eye has a goove so that the thread lies flat as you pull the needle through without that tug&POP!
I could go on and on. So, do share! What are your top picks when it comes to favorite gadgets? Why do you like them so?
Thanks for sharing!
Tell a friend : )
~Monika
19 comments:
oh! I need to get me one of those top thimbles you showed! :D
My favourite gadget is a pair of thread snips which are tied by a ribbon to my sewing machine. I think they only cost a couple of dollars, but they're sharp and I always know where they are. If I'm sewing on some-one else's machine I find myself reaching for the snips which I expect to be just *there*:).
The spring-loaded cutters are my favorite notion too. Scissors have come such a long way since my grandmother had them.
Two gadgets that I can't live without when doing machine embroidery are my tiny curved scissors and tweezers. The tweezers are bent at the end, almost in an L shape and have a very fine point. I can get in the tightest place to snip jump threads while my hoop is still attached to the machine.
The tweezers also work great for removing stabilizer after the embroidery is finished. I expect they would be great for removing paper from paper piecing. Haven't tried that yet.
Joyce
Started redwork embrodiery and would love to have those needles as I noticed a lot of thread tugging going on. What should I look for?.
Thanks for the fabric Monika. I can not wait to use it :)
Michelle
my favorite has to be my Clover stitch ripper....not that I use it a lot....really !!!
I love those little brass rings, I had not seen them before.
I love those spring scissors. I have a bigger pair too. I also love small rulers. I have a few gadgets to help me turn fabric tubes right side out, and guide elastic or ribbon through a casing too (I sew/have sewn a lot of clothes)... love those!!
My favorite gadget is my moustache trimmer. It is so great for undoing seams of any sort. I first thought it wouldn't last but the batteries hold out fine, stays sharp and best of all, never cuts you.
Two things....I use artists' wooden stretcher bars...the kind you stretch canvas on for oil painting ... as mini quilting frames for hand quilting. You can get them in all sorts of sizes and I use mine to hand quilt individual blocks which I then join quilt-as-you-go style. The second isn't really a gadget in that you can't just go out and buy it. My husband took apart an old upholstered chair in order to recycle all the parts and there were heavy duty feet that I now use wedged under the back side of my sewing machine to make it tilt slightly toward me. This makes the angle so much better for me when I'm sewing for long periods of time. Good topic!
Hey Grandma Coco, you just reminded me of another trick. You can use door stops under the back of your machine to tilt it to the perfect angle. I use three for stability, but since they usually come two to a pack, why not use all four?? :)
Joyce
my favorite gadget right now is the Clover Automatic Needle Threader. I am starting to hand piece and my eyes won't let me thread a size 10 needle with size 60 thread with size 58 eyes!! lol
These are all great gadgets!!! My own favourite is the self-threading needle. It actually opens at the top and has notches to keep the thread from popping back out. Great for burying threads after you're done machine quilting etc. They are sometimes called handicapped needles (which I find little odd in this age of political correctness).
I have a small "needle-nose pliar" that I got in my Christmas stocking. It is priceless for tough needle pulling jobs and ever so many other uses. I couldn't be without it.
VGL
Clover white handled seam ripper....nice fine tip and very sharp if you have to unsew you should have the best...Debbie
Great topic and I've learned a lot. I'm not sure I have any tips though and didn't know about the flat side of the embroidery needles. I don't think Walmart carries them and that's my go-to store way out here in the boonies.
Hi Monika. This isn't a quilting tip, but it's related. Are you bringing a child to a quilt show? Instead of spending the whole time telling them not to touch, make sure to get them one (or better yet two) of the white gloves. Tell them they wear the gloves so that they CAN touch the quilts. That way, they can get close, point out parts they like and, hopefully, not get bored!
Definitely a needle threader. I don't care how cheap it is, I still use one of those flimsy hand-held ones. It comes in so handy. I also need to buy some more seam rippers - they disappear every now and then. One of mine got broken. The tip snapped off so I need a couple more.
Alex Anderson's maple wood 4 in 1 Essential Sewing Tool by C&T Publishing is my favorite. It's a sharp seam ripper, a handy finger presser, an extra long stiletto, and a point turner.
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