Tooth picks for needle turn applique, and when I strip piece ( like a bargello) I use my clothes drying rack with the small wooden dowels, to keep my strips organized. It folds flat and is easy to store when not being used.

A small foam meat tray by my machines work to hold my scissors, pencil, small 2 inch square ruler (check my 1/4 inch seam) and seam ripper. I use larger meat trays to organize my cut fabric blocks.

When at Home Depot a couple of weeks ago, I spotted a huge rolling tool cart with a wooden top. Hmm- that would make a great ironing board and storage cart. My DH wrestled it into the car and into my new sewing studio. Now I am organizing my quilting supplies, next thing is to make an ironing board from the wooden top. It is just the right height for pressing my fabric and has 9 big drawers.

coffee filters for sewing on........(senior moment)... hope you know what I am talking about :)

I love it! I also use a cat to hold down fabric...at times they rearrange my block layout to their liking

Never heard of this, please enlighten as to what it is. Sounds interesting!

I use an empty paper towel roll cardboard to wrap my binding around. I have an unused paper towel holder that I put the roll on and I can pull the binding off as I'm sewing. It doesn't get tangled in my lap or on the floor.
I also would like to know what a buffalo tooth is.

I use empty "Tic Tac" containers for used needles and bent pins. I use a prescription bottle for used 45 cm blades. I use snippets of oxygen tubing and wall anchors to put over the sharp points of small scissors I have lost the covers for. I have a plastic box for fishing to hold all the feet for my machine. I used a sharpie to write on the bottom of each section which foot goes in that section. It has room to hold thread, needles, scissors, etc., so when I go to a retreat or class, I just grab the box and it has everything in it.

I use the plastic sheets that come in a package of bacon for template plastic. Just be sure to give it a good scrub with dawn soap. I also use a large muffin tin for sorting thing like buttons, pins and clips. Empty square tissue boxes make great collection boxes for trimmings from batting that I later use for pin cushions. A must have is a collection of assorted sizes of plastic storage bags.

One of my most used unusual items is a smooth fist size rounded rock from the garden. It is a paper weight, presses seams, small hammer and anything else that comes to mind at the "moment" I am looking for something to use.

I use empty coffee can for thread ends ( when full, put the lid back on and throw away), Medicine bottles for 45m used blades, medicine bottles with hole in top for used needles and pins. All are easy to throw away when full. the medicine bottles have screw on lids. Cover the hole in the needle on with a bead headed pin and tape.

I save all #1 & 2 lb. clear plastic containers from strawberries to hold different sizes of fabric strips, & I use clear plastic donut containers from Walmart to keep extra strips, scraps & blocks from each finished quilt top. After the quilt is finished
I will then put extras in kitchen baggies. and place into extra's container...I also use a wooden container used to keep silverware and napkins, for my small rulers, fabric marking Pens, & other small fabric tools.

Not quite a household item.....
 

Loved all the ladies' answers. Of course I have to be different......where I go for mammograms we have the option of purchasing a foam mat (one side is to stick to the machine's plate - that's always cold!). I bring them home and use them beneath my machines. Don't forget to put the peel off paper back on before you put it in your purse. This and an ever present supply of chopsticks are my favorite items.

I use post-it notes to remind me of the settings that I used on a project. My machine erases all settings when I shut it off.

We are a medical family so I use hemostats for pulling those pesky whiskers and to guide small pieces through the machine.

In a class I took with Carol Doak several years ago, she suggested using a postcard, or the inserts you get in abundance in magazines when paper piecing to fold over the paper before sewing the next piece. She also uses plastic meat or similar type trays from the grocery store to hold cut pieces for paper piecing. I use Freezer paper when working with appliques, as well as using it for a pressing cloth when fusing applique pieces. In addition to qt. and gal. zip lock bags, I also use the very large, 2 1/2 gal., I think, zip lock bags to keep my projects separated, with pattern, fabrics, etc., so I'm less likely to lose pieces/patterns, etc. when I begin a fabric, hold a work in progress, or just keep everything together so I don't lose them.

I use empty coffee tins and hot cocoa tins to hold my Wonder clips. I have also started using glass jars (read on a blog) to hold smaller spools of thread and misc. items. I use the baskets from Africa to hold patterns and other items depending on the size of the basket.

I use an office cubicle divider for a design wall. I have 2, one for the wall and the other I hang ideas, supplies, my rules, notes and so forth. They are cloth covered and great.

Did not see parchment paper listed. I always have some when I am going to a retreat. I use it in place of the non stick sheet for iron on papers. Also it can be used for pattern making or in place of the paper used for drawing designs for quilting on quilts. It tears off very easily. I also carry a man's cotton handkerchief to use as a pressing cloth. Thanks for all your tips. Most of which I have used over time. All that is except "buffalo tooth" What the heck is that and where did you find it? LOL Oh one more I have found to be useful, a pencil sharpener. Seems like that darn chalk pencil is forever dull.

That's a great idea. Guess I need to check recycled office furniture places.

Chopsticks to poke out corners.

I used WASHABLE chalk and rub it lightly over dark colors before I FMQ with a dark thread. It really helps me see where I've quilted and where I need to go next. It is dusty but no big deal since I always wash my quilts before I give them away. Just remember to use washable sidewalk chalk.

Use those tiny kids cloth like pony tail holders around thread bobbins to keep threads from unraveling
Those foam shelf liner to put under machines to keep from sliding around while sewing
Rubber tubing found @ hardware stores cut to specific length is great @ removing bulb from machine as long as fits inside it

Thanks for this one patski, I need more space for all my dies & I'm too cheep to buy another holder :D

Marge where do you find the 2 1/2 gal Ziplocks? I can't find them anywhere.
Jeri

Orange stick (for cuticles) when gluing applique shapes around stabilizer or freezer paper. Able to get nice curves without jaggedy points. Also good stylus for moving fabric under sewing machine needle.

I did the same thing on my last quilt. Clothespins worked great!

I sometimes use Press and Seal to draw a design on my quilt. I just stick it to the quilt and trace my design then sew on the lines. Works pretty good.

I use a large coffee cup near my machine to catch snips and threads,
a old flower vase on the table I cut on for the same thing,
Corelle plates and bowls and cups for cutting circles, since they don't dull my cutter,
sharpies to hide boo-boos,
old tupperware to store sewing gadgets,
cheap baggies to store cutting templates,
freezer paper for appliqué,
a kid's plastic pencil box to store my rotary cutter and extra blades in
A plastic box type embroidery floss organizer to keep track of extra machine feet
an inside glazed flower pot to hold cones of thread while using them with my DSM
An old beeswax candle for drawing my hand sewing thread through
Two office desk organizers for my small tools, bobbins, forceps, etc.
a hanging key holder on the wall above my ironing board to hold small scissors for snips while pressing, and a small bottle of distilled water for misting while ironing
a clipboard hung over my sewing table to hold patterns where I can see them and they don't get buried that way.
A desk fan that I clip near me while sewing to keep me cool
binder clips for holding the binding in place as I hand sew
a canning jar to hold my supply of safety pins for when I am pinning a quilt.
three old dressers for storing some of my fabric
A rubber eraser for pulling all the threads with I "frog sew" (rippit, rippit)
A bamboo spatula to hold creases while they cool while ironing
Gallon zipper plastic bags to keep things organized as I cut pieces for a quilt
extra paint brushes to keep the lint out of my sewing machine.
color books for applique
I could go on and on, but I will leave room for other's ideas.

I have found them at WalMart in the food section plastic storage bags.

I have a hanging closet, see through organizer for my pantographs. The organizer has pockets going down both sizes, and let's me see the design of the pantos. I only have 40 or 50 pantos and it's plenty of storage.

I just bought some the last time I was in a grocery store that carried it. Looking forward to trying this for FMQ.

I use a letter rack to store my rules and empty blood strip containers for sharps. Biscuit and chocolate tins store heaps as well as empty icecream containers.I have small transparent tube boxes in which I store measuring tapes.

Love the idea of using a key holder for templates. They have some really neat ones...Great idea!

I use a rubber mallot to flatten bulky seams.

The girls down South showed me to use door stops under the back of your machine, adjust as needed, re leaves the strain on your back. You might have to use two depending on how your machine is made.

Some great ideas here! We all have so much in our homes that we can re-purpose.
Sometimes it just takes a bit of thinking to see the other uses! :)

Here's some other ideas that I use ..... and I don't think I saw listed ...........
* Pampered Chef plastic scraper ---> hand/finger seam pressing
* brass newspaper holder for the fireplace ---> holds plastic rulers
* vertical letter/mail sorter with pen holders ---> holds rulers, patterns, stilletos, stitch rippers, scissors, etc.
* eye glass case ---> rotary cutter storage
* piggy bank ---> used rotary blades, needles, pins (actually mine is a miniature postal mailbox); doubles as a fabric/paperweight
* antique insulators ---> fabric weights
* baby change table ---> shelving underneath for storage; table on top holds current project extra fabric etc.
* finger cots, disposable gloves, garden gloves ---> FMQing
* small paint brushes ---> cleaning machine
* single packed alcohol swabs ---> cleaning needle from "goo" build up during FMQing
* long pipe cleaners ---> keep matching thread and bobbin together
* cow magnets ---> pin cushions!
* rubber shelf liner ---> under cutting mats to prevent sliding of mat on table; the spongy-ness of it makes for easier cutting IMHO
* parchment paper ---> see thru pressing cloth
* painter's tape ---> marking measurements on stash fabric; band-aids when PPing, and a piece comes off; notes on machine re settings; labeling project storage boxes;

Recently there was a thread about a pad to prevent the sewing machine from moving. I bought a clear bath mat at Dollar General that has round holes in it. I cut off about 5" from one end to use under my foot control and folded the rest to put under the sewing machine. MAGIC--------for $3

I'm thinking the round holes in the mat will let heat dissipate from the foot control, too.

I like the plastic see thru containers sold for shoe boxes. Surprising how much fabric will fit in one, usually all the fabric for a quilt top. Since they are see thru, it's really easy to see which box holds which project

Is this an honest-to-goodness tooth from a buffalo?

I use the colored flat bread-bag closer things (no idea what they're called) pinned to my blocks to mark which row or column the block goes in when I take the blocks from design wall to sewing machine. I write the column number on with a sharpie and use a different colored tab for each row. Have trained my kids to save them instead of throwing them out and now I have way more than I'll ever need!