My Favorite Quilting Notion

 Favorite Quilting Notions

Wow, had a FUN guild meeting today (June 2024)  at  Lake County Quilters Guild in Florida. The subject was "Bring Your Favorite Notion".  It was very interesting and entertaining meeting.   

NOTE: Be SURE to remind members to just bring ONE favorite notion, or the meeting might get out of control!  (What???  One gal brought 15 items!!!  Folks were not happy and it drug out the meeting a bit. Just saying.). Otherwise, the meeting was well received and very interesting.

Here We Go

BINDING: Gallon milk jug for binding - OK, I didn't get a picture of this, but the gal cut a large (approx 4") hole in the side of the gallon sized milk/water/tea jug.  As she ironed binding, she drops the pressed binding into the side hole in to the jug.  When applying binding, the fabric is fed through the pour spout.  Looked like a great way to corral lots of binding.

NOTE: We have created a couple of these binding jugs  and my quilting buddy is LOVING this.  You can see the prepared binding in the jug.  She says it comes out the top, and she hasn't run over the binding with her chair or gotten tangled in it.  This was a winner! 
2nd Note: We were doing marathon binding, and didn't have anyplace to put the 'next' binding!  Need more jugs!!!

SEAM RIPPERS

EVERYONE has had to rip out a seam or two (or three).  I am not impressed with most of them. MY favorite is the Clover 463CV seam ripper. They are inexpensive and have multiple uses.  I probably have at least ten of these guys running around my sewing area at any given time. 

• 3 - sewing machine
• 2 - longarm machine
• 2 - travel case
• 2 - sewing friends at my shop
• 1 - Other random rippers around the shop
  

Okay, this might seem extreme, but I purchase these seam rippers in bulk, not only for ripping seams, but as an IRONING press.  If you do paper piecing, use the handle for pressing the papers.

 

The Quick Ripper is actually a small shaver.  It works great for removing seams.

 

Tweezers: 

Several people showed several sizes and types of tweezers.  Mostly, they were used for picking out errant stitches.  Bummer. I don't really use tweezers for seam ripping, I use a good lint remover or sticky tape to remove excess threads.

Derma planer (for getting rid of facial hair) for seam ripper. Inexpensive seam rippers.

DSM Quilting 

For quilting on your DSM (Domestic Sewing Machine) Use a pool noodle to roll each layer of a quilt sandwich to help control the layers while quilting.

 

Use Slap bracelets to keep different layers on noodle secure. I use a longarm quilting machine, so can't confirm this idea.

Miscellaneous

Lint roller - Use lint or Pet roller to remove random threads, especially after ripping seams.  

Notebooks & Office Supply Page Protectors.  I love this.  I have different notebooks with different types of patterns.  Some of the topics include:

• Longarm Quilting
• Custom Quilting  (check out Angela Walters FREE quilting tutorials. I have a notebook full of these tutorials)
  
• UFO's (patterns I have started and WANT to start)
  
• Block builders / Swap Blocks (blocks that quilters like to swap to generate a more scrappy quilt).
  
• 3 Yard Quilts  (Fabric Cafe quilts that create a wide variety of quilts that result in a quilt approx. 42" x 58". )
  
• Charity quilt patterns  - (Quilt kits that we create to make comfort quilts
• Quilt Rulers - One  of my notebooks is strictly for the instructions for the many rulers that have special instructions.
  

Plastic Storage Bags

Be sure to check your local Dollar store for inexpensive storage bags.  I don't know how many boxes of bags I bought from the Cypress TX - Dollar Store for a dollar each.  They got in a huge batch, I bought A LOT of them, but they never restocked them.  Get them when you see them! 

 

Block of the Month - Mystery - OR - Pre-Cutting a Quilt

 

A couple of my buddies and I do  a lot of mystery and patriotic quilts.  We like to pre-cut, and many times we are doing the same quilt, and end up cutting fabrics for two, three or four quilts at the same time.  Usually when doing Mystery quilts we pick a RWB themed fabric palette and the quilt usually ends up donated to our QOV mission.  I generally use a Sharpie pen to label Block 1, Block 2, and so on.  Depending on the amount of pieces use the following baggies.

Snack bags  -

Quart Sized bags - 

Gallon sized bags   -

Two Gallon bags - complete quilt project

 

Sterilite plastic cases

OK, these are my absolute favorite.  These 12" x12" boxes can hold a complete project (or in my case a UFO)  Include the pattern, cut pieces and rulers for easy project.  I also use the larger tubs for quilts in progress.  Get the size for the project.

Rotating Mats

Martelli Round-About Set - 17" Turntable, Cutting Mat & Ironing Pad System.  Includes Cutting AND Ironing rotating surface.  A smaller 10" set is also available

Other Suggestions: 

• 4" rotary cutter with battery.
  
• Paper plates to put pieces. Store in large bag
  
• Nexcare medical tape for back ruler
  
• Bo-Nash iron sheets to clean iron
• June tailor Stripology ruler
  
• Purple Thang
• Mary Kay Buckley pins and scissors
• Bohin needle threader
• Handy zipper jig
• Robert Kaufman phone app.

This was quite a list.  Tried to make note of everyone's favorite.