Basic Supplies

I became very frustrated while strip cutting flannel. The ruler moves, the fabric is hard to cut evenly. After doing some research I found this film that you place on the back of your ruler to keep it from slipping. What a difference! It works great on flannel. I can only imagine how it works on regular cotton fabric. 

     I could not find a catagory for this tip, so I am just sticking in Basic Supplies.

     I use an old-fashioned typing table for just about anything and everything.  It is very sturdy and on wheels, so I can use it anywhere.  I use it next to my sewing machine for pressing and cutting.  With the little "wings" opened up I can have a pressing pad on one side and a cutting mat on the other.  I am not very tall and this is perfect for me to cut out smaller patterns with my rotary cutter.  I would be lost without it.  I can also move it over to the large cutting table with all of my fabric, patterns, notes or anything I need. I found mine at an estate sale for just a few dollars.

     I can't really find an exact catagory for this subject. 

     One the the most versitile and used pieces of equipment in my sewing room is an old-fashioned portable typing table on wheels.  Mine is very sturdy and strong, also it can be adjusted up or down.  I use this table ANYWHERE

The handiest tool I have purchased didn't come from a quilt store.  Just go to the cosmetics counter and buy apair of pointed tweezers.  So handy for picking up little things (and bigger ones too) when you don't have good fingernails or have good iones and don't want to ruin them.

For holiday storage of patterns and fabrics, I use the plastic tubs with covers that you can purchase in a variety of sizes depending on how much you have to store. I mark each tub with a Sharpie permanent marker with the Holiday/Season noted on the end and keep all the fabrics, patterns, etc. that go with that holiday/season in one place. These tubs stack nicely and are easy to see through if you purchase the clear or slightly frosted ones. No more searching for that pattern I used and loved last year! Keeps things very organized.

I have plastic containers that I labeled with different sizes from 1 1/2 up to 5 1/2 inches. Then when I am cutting out strips or squares and I have extra left over I put them in the right size container so I know what I have for the next quilt I want to make. I also trim down my scrap pieces to put in them too.

go to the hardware section or Sporting Good and pick up a tackle box or tool box. I picked up one with seperate plastic containers or slotted areas. I put all of my extra feet in sloted sections for easy to find, put in extra bobbins, needles, sewing machine oil, small screw driver and anything I use on my sewing machine for maintenance or that goes with my machine. I place a small magnet strip inside so when I clean I put all of my tiny screws etc. on that so they don't slip off the table &lose them. I placed my book in the bottom so I don't lose it, and small notebook that I keep track of any settings used in appliques etc or troubleshooting I might need to remember in the future.  I also use a eye make-up brush or a long skinny paint brush ( found in craft section) to clean out all of the lint in my machine cause your able to get back into the machine without taking it apart and picks up more then a regular cleaning brush. This set up makes it portable to carry to class if need to be, easy to find what you need, organized and makes cleaning your machine much easier.

Save your slivers of soap to use for marking diagonal lines (when piecing triangles) or other lines on your quilting.  These lines are easy to remove  and soap slivers are very inexpensive!

To keep my Grabit (magnetic pin cushion) from being pushed off the cutting table, cut rounds of rubberized "fabric" and glue to the bottom of each grabbit.  I used the kind like shelf liners or to use in the bottom of a sink to prevent scratched china.

I love my Grabit - magnetic pincushion, but I was always pushing it off the sewing or cutting table, thus scattering pins all over the place. My solution was to cut a round of rubber webbing (as used in the bottom of the sink or as a