kay carlson

Use the letter opener with a long plastic pointed hook and small razor blade at the closed end to "snip" threads. Often available free of charge as advertising, you can probably replace the business card section with a photo of your choice.

Line the inside of small metal mint tin with a cut down section of an outdated magnetic calendar. This becomes a neat storage area for misc. needles which do not fall out if the tin hits the floor by accident.

Use each cylindrical plastic cheese shaker with two section plastic screw on lid for misc. clips, safety pins etc. You can add a small packet of drying agent to each bottle, as well. You usually find one or more of these little packages in purses at point of sale. When returning clips or pins the the container, use the larger open semi-circle portion of the lid to drop in the items. You will love this tip....

Use a 4 by 6 inch fishing tackle box to store several filled bobbins for your basic colors. Separate each color in the individual little compartments. If you just want a variety of colors for sewing, your bobbins can be something you've recycled.

If you want to use the bobbins for your machine, select the correct bobbin for your machine. For quick jobs you could use two bobbins (top and bottom) to complete your task. No need to haul a large amount of spools along when you leave your workstation. The additional advantage is having bobbins wound so you can quickly begin a larger project by just popping a spool of thread on the top of your machine.

Colors I use most often are: white, natural, tan, darker brown, navy, silver gray, light gray, medium gray, dark gray and black. I usually have a larger cone of the same to use at the machine. Purchases are simplified. :-)