I like finger cots for ease of pulling the needle through when hand quilting.

My best one is to iron binding down before slip-stitching to the back. I no longer need pins.

Ok, really dumb question here but really need to ask.
When I first started quilting, my grandma told me that after layering her quilts, she then ironed the sandwich to smooth it all out quickly. I thought, cool beans! sounds like a easy solution. Tried it on a quilt that had high-loft batting and it flattened that thing flatter than a pancake! I was horrified and ended up tossing the whole thing out, thinking I had just ruined the fluff I really wanted. Have never tried to iron anything with batting in it again. Does it go back to being fluffy after ya wash it, I guess is what I'm on about.

I've only used warm and natural, not the fluffy batting so I can't answer that! I'm not sure if you can or should iron a quilt with polyester batting in it... I honestly don't know. (making another assumption here that it's polyester batting that's fluffy) but for what I do this really makes the binding much easier. I didn't think about it with other batting.

I have a hard time getting all of the threads up off of my rug. I use a doggie slicker brush with all of the little metal teeth. Lightly I run it across the rug and, OH Boy, dog hair and threads come up by the handfuls. Now I do it in a weekly basis. Crawl around on the floor and brush up all of my whatevers.

Do not iron anything with synthetic batting in it. Cotton will flatten a bit but not a lot. That's probably what your grandma used. I do my ironing before layering.

Do not measure and cut material when its the least bit dark, or should I say when you think you just need a little bit more. It doesn't always work out right.

Chocolate, keep lots of chocolate handy.

Two things I learned on my first quilt, both of them too late to make a perfect quilt. Baste with craft glue, not pins. 1/4 inch seam is not a 'suggestion'. I have a large peg board behind my machine and put bobbins on the four inch long one prong holders. When I am using a bunch of bobbins of the same thread I fill them up and place them on the holder and set it up right beside my machine. It is like a three legged stand.
I have always enjoyed roaming around in Harbor Freight, and need to look at the cutters next time.
Phyllis in Indiana

If you have a Singer Featherweight and no case, check at Walmart. I found a softside Ozark Trail 24 can cooler with an expandable top (for sewing supplies) for $13.88 plus tax. There is a hard plastic liner inside the main section of the cooler that is exactly the right size for the Featherweight. It could be lined with felt or soft fabric, but I don't think it will cause any damage to the machine. You could remove it if you don't like it. The expandable section is on top and there is a sturdy webbing strap for easy carrying. Much less expensive than most other cases.