OKLAHOMA PEACH

I loop a plastic grocery bag on the 2nd thread holder of my machine to hold my loose threads and paper since I am paper piecing right now.

Reba'squilts

I buy sugarless chewing gum in a small plastic container. Don't much care for chewing gum but the container is a perfect size for rotary cutter blades. The top snaps closed and the blades are safely contained. When it is full I just throw it in the trash. I have to try some of the repurposing hints!

Wanabee Quiltin

I use old tins to put my used blades in for recycling, pill bottles for old needles, paintbrushes to clean my sewing machine. I found a utensil holder from a dishwasher and store my pens, scissors, rotary cutters, seam rippers, ruler,etc all on my cutting area.

mitmeg

I use binder clips like these to hold borders while I handsew. I don't get tangled like I do with safety pins and they're a heckuva lot cheaper than the ones marketed to quilters!

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carolynjo

I use a lazy susan and a small rotary mat to cut small pieces. An artist's paint brush to clean out lint.

yorkie luv

I put my cone of thread in a coffee cup, and set it behind my machine. Work great.

yorkie luv

I hang one on the end of my ironing board for clipped threads

AlienQuilter

I bought clamps at the dollar store to hold quilt backing on table. These clamps are the kind used to hold a table cloth to a picnic table.

After the new school year starts, I shop the discounted school items. For instance a pencil sharpener that has both a large and small hole - great for sharpening caulk pencils. Pencil boxes for rotary cutters or assorted pens and pencils for marking quilts. Desk organizer for pencils - holds scissors, large tweezers, etc. Small plastic drawers to hold misc items like needles, sewing machine attachments, note pads, etc. The various sizes of the school boxes that elementary kids have to have are great little organizers/project holders. I have one that has items pertaining to applique, another for items needed to take to a quilt class, etc. You would be amazed at the items you can get from shopping the school supplies.

catmcclure

I use masking/painters tape to keep bias edges from stretching.

When I'm working with small pieces of fabric and small templates, I sometimes use scotch tape to tape the fabric to the cutting board and then tape the small template on top. Really stops fabric/template from moving.

The most unusual thing I use I got from my gynecologist. When they do a pap smear they use a long wand with bristles on one end - like a very, very long eyelash applicator (about 6 inches). It is flexible and can get into every little nook and cranny when I need to clean the bobbin area of lint. I just asked my OBGYN for a few - after explaining why - and she gave me about a dozen. Turns out she and her sister sew/quilt and she now uses them on her machine also.

GheckoAZ

I use a nut pick from a vintage nutcracker set as a stilleto and the opposite end has decorative groves so it can be used to close pins when pin basting a quilt.