Gadgets & Tools Recommended to use in 2020
#11
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 16,412
I buy all the new tools and notions to try. Too many to list. Quilters' Select products are the best by far of basic rulers, and mats. Wool pressing mat is nice, Go die cut machine is an oldie but great tool. My best purchase last year was the Grace LED light bar. It is five ft across on wheels so it goes over my sewing table or cutting table wherever I need it. My Arrow sewing chair is a back saver.
#12
my best tool purchase last year was the YoYo magnifier by daylight basics
Having vision problems I have at least a dozen magnifier scattered around the house and in sewing kits but I Love this one. And it is about the size of a yoyo when folded up.
Having vision problems I have at least a dozen magnifier scattered around the house and in sewing kits but I Love this one. And it is about the size of a yoyo when folded up.
#13
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Spencer, OH
Posts: 283
There's a new product out by Odif called "Grippy" - Non-slip coating for rulers. You can also use it on the back of rugs. You spray it on the back of your ruler and it dries in seconds. It wears off on its own or you can remove it with Odif DK5 cleaner. It makes the ruler even more "unslippery" than Quilters Select. (IMHO)
#14
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,779
So many great suggestions! I am already making a list so that when any sales come up I can take a second look!
I didn't know about the anti-glue needles and have ordered some through Amazon (1 pack for me and 1 pack for DD) - they should come in handy - Thank you rryder for the recommendation!
Besides the many rulers that I am drooling over I'm also going to look at the magnifier recommended by KalamaQuilts. I use magnifiers all the time and am always looking for a better design than the ones I have. Unfortunately my eyes need the extra help
I didn't know about the anti-glue needles and have ordered some through Amazon (1 pack for me and 1 pack for DD) - they should come in handy - Thank you rryder for the recommendation!
Besides the many rulers that I am drooling over I'm also going to look at the magnifier recommended by KalamaQuilts. I use magnifiers all the time and am always looking for a better design than the ones I have. Unfortunately my eyes need the extra help
#15
There's a new product out by Odif called "Grippy" - Non-slip coating for rulers. You can also use it on the back of rugs. You spray it on the back of your ruler and it dries in seconds. It wears off on its own or you can remove it with Odif DK5 cleaner. It makes the ruler even more "unslippery" than Quilters Select. (IMHO)
#16
#17
Lots of fun, new notions out there, but I always want a new seam ripper each year (guess that means I make lots of mistakes!), new rotary cutter blades, some great snips(I leave a pair at the ironing board, at the sewing machine, at the long arm, at the cutting table) some new pins if I'm finding many that don't slide well anymore.
I also love my Accuquilt GoBig so would invest in a couple of new dies or cutting mats; like having a rotating small cutting mat to take to classes. I also like having a travel sewing kit--scissors,stiletto, thimbles, thread,pins, snip,pencil, etc to "grab & take" when I go to classes.
I also love my Accuquilt GoBig so would invest in a couple of new dies or cutting mats; like having a rotating small cutting mat to take to classes. I also like having a travel sewing kit--scissors,stiletto, thimbles, thread,pins, snip,pencil, etc to "grab & take" when I go to classes.
#18
The jury is out on new gadgets yet. We have a speaker scheduled to come to our Guild in a couple months to demo new quilting gadgets. I have no doubt I will find things there that I will just have to have.
#19
Here is a non quilt tool to use for quilting. We bought a Bluetooth speaker that connects wirelessly to a phone or tablet. We can use it to play music from Pandora or our collection (or any source our phone can access) or podcasts, or whatever we want to play. I love the freedom of it. Bose has a really nice one on sale right now for $100. Not cheap, but a good quality speaker for the price. We use ours all the time.
#20
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Chula Vista CA
Posts: 7,401
I bought this item at a LQS in San Diego and wish I had bought one for all my friends that sew.
"Craft supply organizer, scissor organizer, sewing caddy, organizer, tool organizer, scissor storage, needlework organizer"
Sorry I can't post a picture of it - they sell on Amazon and Easy. It doesn't hold large scissors but it holds my small scissors and pencils and many other items I use at my sewing and embroidery machines.
Also, I don't visit coffee shops very often but my DD brought me couple of eggnog lattes from Starbucks over the holidays and in the lid of the cup they have this stir stick that plugs the opening and it is plastic. Well, it works wonderfully for applying a spot of glue. Instead of squirting the glue onto something and risk squirting out too much, this little tool can reach down into the bottle and get just a bit. It has a little knob on the end so pulls the glue out easily. Other sticks work well too - but this is something usually thrown away, you can wipe the glue off easily and since it is weighted at the other end I stick it into my scissor caddy until it is totally dry.
"Craft supply organizer, scissor organizer, sewing caddy, organizer, tool organizer, scissor storage, needlework organizer"
Sorry I can't post a picture of it - they sell on Amazon and Easy. It doesn't hold large scissors but it holds my small scissors and pencils and many other items I use at my sewing and embroidery machines.
Also, I don't visit coffee shops very often but my DD brought me couple of eggnog lattes from Starbucks over the holidays and in the lid of the cup they have this stir stick that plugs the opening and it is plastic. Well, it works wonderfully for applying a spot of glue. Instead of squirting the glue onto something and risk squirting out too much, this little tool can reach down into the bottle and get just a bit. It has a little knob on the end so pulls the glue out easily. Other sticks work well too - but this is something usually thrown away, you can wipe the glue off easily and since it is weighted at the other end I stick it into my scissor caddy until it is totally dry.