1. Safe Storage: Use a potholder to make a case for scissors or rotary cutter. For a rotary cutter, fold pot holder in 1/2 and stich side a bottom. For scissors , bring 2 corners together and stich edges. The loops can be used to hang cases in your sewing room.

2. Batting scraps: When you have batting left from projects, measure the pcs and pin a note to each indicating it's size. Store the pcs in a bag from that type of batting so you will know what each is. When you need a piece for a project, you can easily see the size .

3. Bud nets: Ask your local florist to save the bud nets that protect flowers when they are shipped. The nets are great for keeping thread tidy. They are also good for holding stabilizer or rolls of wrapping paper.

4. Block Hanger: Use a skirt hanger to store completed blocks. The clips can be moved to accomodate any size block. This keeps the blocks organizeds w/o wrinkling.

5. Scrap bag: Use a zipper sandwich bag to catch threads and small scraps while you are sewing. To keep the bag from closing , turn it inside out, and it will stay open. You can tape it to your machine or table.

Just a few tips I picked up while reading through a magazine.

Thanks for sharing! My aunt makes the scissor cases all of the time, she's even put magnets on the back of them and put them on the side of the fridge!

Great tips. I've used the one for hanging blocks from a hanger for years. I store my orphan blocks that way. It's fun to look through them and remember what I've done over the years. Here's a tip, when making a quilt with all the same blocks, always make one extra and save it. Then, once you've saved up enough blocks you can turn these extra blocks into a sampler quilt to remind you of all the quilts you've done over the years.

Loretta: I actually don't use that tip unless I'm at a retreat or something like that. I find that if I don't get up and move around, I get too stiff and I have Fibromyalgia and getting stiff is very bad. I actually have the ironing board set up so that I have to get up and walk a few steps to reach it and I have my garbage bag on the opposite side, which sort of allows me to stretch in both directions. I also find taking a few minutes to stretch every hour or so helps to keep me from getting that horrible backache that plagues so many quilters. I have friends that love their coffee filters so I imagine I am in the minority where this tip is concerned.

One of my favorite tips - when your rotary blade is getting dull, flip it over and it will cut good as new.
~Tiffany

Boy we have some very thrifty and frugal people here. Neat and real nifty ideas. Thanks for caring to share........

These tips are great. I've used some, but not all. Thanks for sharing.

I remember watching the show that included your tip. I also have lower back problems, so I too have my ironing board set up to where I need to get up tp press, and I have a tiny littl plastic trash can that I can move to where I'm working for the little snippets and threads.

Tiffany: I have used that tip for my blades, also I have used a piece of foil. If that blade has a tiny nick in it, fold a piece of foil 2 or 3 layers thick and run the cutter through it, seems to work.

Oh Mary, what a great tip with the foil for the blades! I'm definitely going to try that. :!: I have friends who just love and swear by those little blade sharpeners but I don't like them and they don't work well for me unless I am sharpening my blades daily; not something I really want to do if I don't have to. Thank you very much!
~Tiffany

Lots of great tips. Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to try the foil for the blades. Mine seem to get dull way too fast.

I too have problems with my back. I found a little treasure at a yard sale several years ago. It was a child's wooden ironing board from the mid 20th century. I set it up beside me with the iron and I can easily turn to it to press my block without having to get up and walk away from my machine. It's the perfect height. Love it!!!! Linda

Quilters are so creative...I use one of those little tabletop ironing boards (for the little stuff). I set it on my worktable next to the sewing machine so I don't have to get up so often.

More tips from Bebe!!!!
1. Use a foam pool noodle to roll quilts for storage. They are about 2 3/4 in diameter and 60 inches long. the ones w/ hole in center can be joined w / a 5/8 in. dowel to make a longer roll. to keep ur quilt from touching styrofoam make a fabric slipcover over the noodle.
2. label your stabilizer. Different types of stabilizer look and feel the same. Use a pen write the type on each piece so u will not get them confused.
3. Catch thread snips. Use a small square of batting when sewing or quilting to catch ur thread snips. When full clean it or just throw way.
4. Binding clips. Don't use pins when binding use plastic coated paper clips. Easy to slip on and thread will not get caught on them.

Happy
Quilting!!!!

Piggy backing onto this idea I use the flat hair clips. I started to say "clips for pin curls" but was afraid too many young ladies and men wouldn't understand that term. (Does anyone make pin curls any more?) :lol: Anyway, I had a ton of these left over from my pin curl days and they are now put to good use when I'm hand stitching the binding.

I remember the pin curl days, wish I had saved all those clips. I have bought 4-5 packages of the binding clips from JoAnns, but always use either a coupon or get them when the quilting notions are half price.

Another tip for your cutting mats: when batting or fabric lint get lodged into the mat, I use a nylon scrubber (keep mine with my quilting supplies) to scrub the mat with, helps fairly well.

When making a quilt as a gift, I always make at least one extra block then use that and either some of the other fabric used in the quilt or the backing fabric and make a matching pillow. (pillow also bought on sale or with a coupon) My daughter lucked out and got 2 matching pillows, with her name stitched in the center of the block instead of the tulip.

To keep your quilting squares stored neat and flat...I use pizza boxes..they come in 3 to 4 sizes..great if you got more than one project going....they usually give them to you free! Just label each box and they are easily stackable!

I too use the flat hair clips. Um, I am in my 40s and I have never heard of "flips for pin curls." I'm intensely curious as to what a pin curl is. Is that the adorable curl the ladies used to wear at their temple during the 40s?
~Tiffany

tiffany, i think they called those adorable little curls at the temple "spit curls". don't ask why.
a pin curl is a lock of hair that is curled around your finger and secured with a bobby pin or one of the flat clips like a binder clip. you formed these pin curls when your hair was wet then when it was dry or the next morning just take out the pin and style. then spray with "aqua net" to make sure it didn't move a millemeter all day long. i think the main ingredient in aqua net was shellac.

Thanks nanabird! I thought those curls at the temple were spit curls also. I figured they were called that because usually my grandmother would lick (spit) her finger and then force the curls in, making me hold it until it dried or putting a bobby pin in place to hold it. That was usually before church on Sundays and I was such a tom boy my hair never stayed anywhere. :lol: Thankfully Aqua Net was not something she used a lot of.

Wouldn't the pins holding all those curls poke your head when you were trying to sleep? I used to do rag curls with my girls. That is where you take a 1x6 inch strip of fabric, wrap the wet hair around it like a curler, then sleep in it overnight. It makes the cutest Shirley Temple curls!
~Tiffany

hi tiffany a pin curl is what betty boop has in her haiir ladies used to set there hair every nite what they did was rap their hair around their finger and then they would put bobby pins to hold the curl ,the pins where in a cross shape or x to hold the curl i hope this helps nellie by the way you look very young for forty and you do beauitful work on your quilting nellie

We would wrap the hair around our finger into a circle and pin it until the hair dried. Then we'd brush it out and what you got was what you got. The flat clips were a blessing because they were faster to use than bobby pins. As for comfort they were great. It was those brush rollers we slept on that hurt! Then came the huge plastic rollers. Gave one a crick in the neck, that's for sure. We've certainly come a long ways with our hair dos! I love 'wash n wear' hair styles!

I had to laugh :lol: while reading all your post. It sounds like we are all telling our age :wink: . When one reads this board and understands what one is telling then you must be of the older generation, but if you are reading and not understanding :roll: any of this then asks your mothers:) This is such a great board and everyone is sooooooo nice. I love reading and hearing all the stories and your quilts are out of this world. I have just started to get into the quilting mode. I have always sewn and worked with fabrics. I have made many baby quilts and blankets for the new mothers in our church, but I haven’t been brave enough to try real quilting. I want to do machine quilting.

You are in a great place by participating in this message board. I love that there are both young and "young at heart" people. It sure makes it nice to get ideas from different age groups. Everyone is so friendly, helpful, and encouraging.

WELCOME

:wink: Like the Tips!!!