Tools

Recently, I read a post on a blog where the author gave a list of her favorite things. For her, it was her husband, animals, and other important things in her life. (I apologize, I do not remember which blog it is was to reference.) This got me to thinking. What are some of my favorite tools in my sewing studio. Not the ones that are common place like a favorite seam ripper or pin cushion. But the ones that are used all the time and make a particular task or technique manageable. Well, here are a couple of my favorite tools...

Each year I attend the Puyallup Sewing Expo and visit one of my favorite vendors. I don't remember their name, but they are located in Bellingham WA. They sell medical supplies that can be used as sewing tools and this is where I purchase for first favorite tool.

The picture above is of a pair of long tweezers. It's about 5 inches in length and works great for reaching into hard to reach places (like a bobbin case) to remove lint and threads. I also use this for holding onto thread tails so I can cut them closely.

These are a pair of Havel's Snip-Eze and are perfect for clipping threads close. I use these when I'm doing machine embroidery, quilting, and hand sewing. Anytime I want to clip the thread as close as possible. Their design makes it very easy on my hands too.

I'm not sure who manufactures this as it was given to me when I purchased my Pfaff 2144/2170 by my dealer. This thread rack is a great tool when I'm using multiple colors of thread when I'm doing machine embroidery. I have assigned a number to each spool so I can organize my embroidery thread in order. Very effective way to stay organized and to stitch through an embroidery design quickly. I could see where this would also be a great tool to use when doing free motion quilting and using multiple thread types/colors. (In case you're wondering, the bobbins on the lower level are used as place holders when I'm using the same color multiple times in a design.)

This tool is a must have for all quilters. It's a Shape Cut™ manufactured by June Tailor. The 'grid' is a 12" x 12" and has slots for cutting strips in 1/2" intervals. This makes strip cutting go so quickly.

I have another June Tailor ruler called a Quarter Cut™. This one is smaller with a ‘grid’ of 6” x 12” and has slots at ¼” intervals. The reason I don’t use this as often as the Shape Cut™ is because the grid is so short I have to fold my fabric too many times, risking the integrity of my strips.

June Tailor also manufactures another ruler called Shape Cut™ Pro. This has a larger ‘grid’ measuring 20” x 23” and would be perfect for large cuts of fabric. However, the intervals of the slots is at 2 ½”. Great if you’re cutting Jelly Rolls or Charm Squares, but not for strip piecing the average quilt.

Well, these are just a few of my favorite tools in my sewing studio. I’ll feature more a little later.