Gadgets & Tools Recommended to use in 2020
 

Quilting gadgets and tools have changed so much over the years. What might you recommend for the new decade of 2020 that would be useful to have? Some of us have received gift certificates or $ during the holidays and now since there are a few sales going on it might be the time to treat yourself and get something that will make your quilting life easier. Whether it's something that's been around for awhile or a new invention what do you have your eye on that you think would be helpful in creating our projects in 2020?

I received for Christmas a small ergonomic rotary cutter that fits nicely in my hand, is shaped to feel more comfortable and easier to hold. It's the 28mm Quick Change Olfa cutter that is curvy. The handle on my old one has a straight handle. The old one was fine to use but this one is so much easier for small pieces of fabric or paper piecing. My hands get stiff feeling using the straight handled one but this one is a breeze to use.

I will probably try to investigate the more ergonomic tools available and the things that I have my eye on have been around for awhile and have been recommended by others here before. I've been watching the sales and would like to get one of the woolen mats that have become so popular in a medium size and some of the mylar applique tools to do stems and leaves.

I do not have any affiliation with any brands or companies.
- I would like to know what many of you are thinking of getting for the new decade or what you might recommend that should be added to our supplies.

If you haven't yet tried ruler quilting, I'd suggest getting a ruler foot and a couple of simple rulers. Westalee makes a nice starter set that includes the ruler foot and a couple of useful rulers.

Janome and Bernina make ruler feet for their machines that have an easily adjustable thumb screw so you can raise and lower the foot without having to break out the screw driver.

I love my Sizzix Big Shot Pro die cutting machine- it can use any of the dies made by Accuquilt and others. I use it a lot for managing scraps.

Anti-glue needles for your machine are great if you're using either the sticky stabilizers or spray adhesives- really cuts down on thread shredding due to glue build up. I got my first batch from Organ a few years ago, but I think that Schmetz and Superior also make them now. If only someone would make some for long arm machines that would be wonderful.

Rob

I find Quilters Select rulers and their cutting mats worth the investment, fabric no longer slides, rulers don’t slip and my cutting is far more accurate.

I second Quilters Select. I got my first about a year ago and they're the first ones I reach for.

Yes, the ergonomic rotary cutters are great. I've been using mine for many years but remember the fatigue from cutting when I used my straight handle cutter. And if you don't already have one, I would recommend a rotating cutting mat. They are so convenient, especially if you can't walk to all sides of your cutting table or just don't feel like walking around it to cut from another angle. Joann's rarely has them on sale so I got mine with a 50% coupon at Michael's. Love it!

There's a cutting device that uses old rotary blades that are then used to trim threads. I think it is purple in color. I am forgetting the name of it but will look for the company later when I get a chance. Or maybe someone else knows who makes it.
Looking forward to other ideas for new tools and gadgets. Anything that helps us quilt smarter, not harder.

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 probably sound like a broken record, but the Deb Tucker tools are a must-have in our sewing room. We have nearly all of them, and I love the accuracy I get in the units. It makes putting blocks together so much easier.

I’m also a fan of Martelli products.

I am loving my cricut maker but that is a big gadget to commit to :)

I agree, I love the couple of rulers I have purchased and I am waiting for them to come out with a 12 1/2 inch square ruler.

Like Rryder, i hope to work on my ruler quilting skills this year. When i first got my sitdown longarm i couldnt ever see myself wanting/needing to try ruler work, but after watching some online classes and buying a few basic rulers i definitely now see ruler work as a skill i need to develop! Like many other quilting items, rulers can be quite an investment but i tend to continue to purchase them on an “as needed” basis.

After quilting for 25+ years some stuff just plain wears out. Most of my rulers and cutting mats were purchased in the first few years and they are showing their age (like me!). With retirement on the horizon i am working on replacing some well worn items.

My cutting mats were getting pretty pathetic, so that was a priority. I have quite a few mats in various sizes and intended to replace them one at a time. but... i have been eyeing the Cutterpillar systems since they first came out! Well, there were some great pre-holiday sales online - and the 40% off from the manufacturer sorta kinda pushed me over the edge! Because the price was so much more reasonable, i made the “go big or go home” purchase of the Ultra (biggest they offer) - and me and my aging eyes are very happy with it!!! I also took advantage of the great sale by purchasing a replacement mat, glass overlay, and carrying bag!

Creative Grids rulers are my favorites (used Olfa for years). I am very curious to investigate the non- stick needles someone mentioned, as i use fusible batting almost exclusively. Even though i have a number of rotary cutters i would like to look into an ergonomic one as also mentioned by someone here.

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.

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.

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)

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'm not at home, but I believe I ordered this to use on my ruler work rulers and was pleased with it.

I received 2 different Quilter Select Rulers for Christmas. I already had one. I love them!

I also got the GO/me for Christmas and have ordered a few dies to go with it. I can already see me getting the Go/Big in the near future. DH thought try first go big later. He didn't know it would be such a big hit. Got it a couple days after Christmas as a 12th night gift. It was on sale at $49 so at that price was a no brainer. Of course I was letting him know I really wanted it. :).

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.

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.

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.

Ok, here is the link to the gadget that uses the rotary blades. They have some other cool things, too. I have never purchased from them so I can't vouch for the site. https://www.purplehobbies.com/#/

Not a new gadget by any means, but I am loving the flat, flat seams I get when I use my wooden tailor's clapper. I want a second one, cause it works best if you can let the seam completely cool under the block.

I love my Bose Bluetooth speaker and the quality...I too, listen to music and podcasts routinely while I’m sewing.

theQuiltedCottage, thank you for the Purple hobbies link...they have some fun gadgets.

I am unable to post a picture currently, I only get an URL option. I wanted to post a picture of a product I discovered this past week. It's not a gadget, but a product that has changed my quilting. I have used 505 basting spray for many years, but we all know how expensive it is, and there are many threads on this form on other forms of home made basting spray or how to use Elmers school glue to baste. I went to our local Dollar Tree store in search of the Elmers school glue and found an adhesive spray. It was a 2 oz bottle made by Beacon Value. I unscrewed the cap, it looked and smelled like Elmers glue. I said why not, for a $1. I brought it home, made a sample sandwich with it, I ironed it, then I stitched the sample with no issues, I made a second sample and "washed" it in my bathroom sink. I was able to separate all three pieces with no issues. So I basted a throw size quilt 72x60" with the adhesive spray, I basted the back, laid out the batting, basted batting and laid out the top,then I ironed each section as I went along. I quilted the entire throw with no issues, no movement of fabric, no wrinkles/creases on backing, no gumming of the needle. I used two of the 2 oz bottles to baste this throw. I am just thrilled with this product. For $2, I basted a throw size quilt with no issues. This will become my go to for basting, no more 505 spray for me, which means more money for fabric. Also, this adhesive spray is a pump spray, not aerosol which I liked, no fumes to breath in. If you have a Dollar Tree in your area, it's worth a try, and if you Google it, it is available online.

I too have a bluetooth speaker in my quilt studio that I listen to music on while in there. I splurge and subscribe to Amazon music to be able to listen to anything I want, create different play list, and it's all add free.

Thank you Sewgood for the Odif "grippy" suggestion, already looked it up and have it in my Amazon cart. Can't wait to try it. Great thread, will continue to check in.

Hmmm... i predict a run on Dollar Stores nationwide in search of that spray. I see that Crayola brands might have something similar! Thank you, Quiltah Mama!

Is this what you bought? https://www.dollartree.com/beacon-va...ray-2oz/285192

They do have them! I had to replace that size last summer. I agree with the Quilter's Select rulers. I too got my first one last year...a 6 x 24. I really liked my frosted Olfa, but I was cutting strips the other day and grabbed it instead of the QS and I couldn't get over how much slippage I had. Maybe I am just used to the QS now, but what a difference. They are great when my Grands come to sew, too.

Someone mentioned a rotary mat...I know they have been around for years, but that's what I'm using my gift certificate on. I'm choosing the smaller option...about 12" square as it will be great for trimming my mini blocks that I sew enjoy making.

Yes, that is what I bought and used. Worked excellent. Just be sure to iron your sandwich well after basting the layers.

Thank you! There is a new dollar tree store near me. I will definitely see if they have some.

The new gadget at my house, a flat light box, was purchased for stained glass patterns, but have found it invaluable when tracing lines onto fabric.

I too love my quilters select rulers. I was disappointed though that the 2 1/2 inch square doesn’t seem to work for “the trick” of not needing a rotating mat. I admit that I am not using them with quilters select mats though, I have a large Martelli mat that covers my cutting table. For those of you that have the rulers and mat, do you think it makes that much of a difference?

i really love my wool ironing mat. I use it 100% of the time now.

I was wondering the same thing about the need for the mat with the Quilter's Select rulers. Can anyone answer this question?.

I use my QS rulers just fine without the special mat