Two things, a leather thimble with a dimpled coin for controling the needle end. A locally made basket that holds the quilting thread spool on a dowel between the handle ends. It is easy to change the spools and the basket holds all the things i need for hand stitching. It is even nice enough to leave on the side table. The baskets are offered in a number of sizes. I bought the smallest size, love it! The artist is in SW NC.

I purchased all my sewing furniture...quilting station, cutting table with 2 four-drawer chests, ironing bigboard with 2 smaller four-drawer chests from Traci's Tables located in Wisconsin. He threw in a huge cutting mat free. His preteen daughter wrote up my order. Her father paid her a fatt quarter of her choice at the show for every item she sold. What a cutie she was! I had already done my homework and had planned to make this purchase when I went to the show. It was my retirement gift to myself.

I discovered Superior Threads... love their metalic and King Tut varigated threads.

Any PPing patterns...there seem to be such a nice selection from the vendors at shows..

I love my Curve Master foot too!

I did the same thing as Jan in Va, I waited until the last day of a show in Mt. Dora, Fl and got a great deal on a Babylock Symphony machine. I think it was a great buy as I'd been checking prices for many weeks before this show and the man brought it to my house, set it up and gave me a quick lesson. Now I need more. But I also buy things I don't really need at these quilt shows too.

I love to make OBW and the worst thing about them is having to open up the seams. I purchased the strip stick and it takes care of that wonderfully. I have two a short and a long one. The long one is not as useful as the short one. I look for unusual batiks also. But, I am not one to buy much at these things because the prices are usually not that good. I say this as I count my money because Mineola, TX is having a quilt show this weekend and I want to buy something. LOL

My first serger back in the 80's. Still have it because I know no one would want it as it was when sergers first came on the market for home sewers. I had a love hate relationship with it. Kept it threaded always in white because it was so hard to thread. When I got second serger I kept it threaded in black. The new self threading sergers look inticing, but not sure I want ot invest yet because I never really serge anything any more.

I like to try the new items. I love my Accuquilt Go, Alto Quilt Cut 2, and Sew EZ table. Those are the bigger tools I would buy again. The specificity rulers, notions and gadgets are items I buy while browsing the vendors, not much thought goes into if I need them or not.

A seam ripper made by Wahl, the hair cutter folks. It zips through a line of stitches just as slick as a whistle. All you have to do is keep it oiled, no the oil doesn't get on the fabric.