Price of Quilting Gadgets
 

Earlier this year (after years of sewing and crafting) I had an accident with a rotary cutter that resulted in a trip to A&E, stitches and now a permanently numb fingertip.

As a result, I bought a double suction ruler grip (£13.99) and a small single gripper (£8).

Recently, I found, in the local DIY/Hardware shop, tools that do the very same thing, that are not only stronger but MUCH cheaper in the glazing and tiling section. I bought a single suction grip for £5 and a double for £6.99.

Before buying any new gadget, I will look at my local DIY or model railway shop first!

HettyB

That is why Harbor Freight Store is often recommended here on the board for its tools and gadgets.

I have long had the feeling that quilting notions/tools are overpriced. I believe they know that we quilters will pay the price. It is great that we have the talent to find other options. After all quilting came from using scraps/used clothing in the day and not to throw away anything (like we do today).

I have long said the quilters are being ripped off, especially after I found Harbor Freight. The quilter's notions are pretty colors but sometimes not made as well and always more expensive. I'm willing to forgo the colors for the savings.

I recently found a bolt (20 yds) of Wonder Under 805 for my applique, and a package of 5 cutting blades by going through Walmart.com. The Wonder Under works out to 97 cents a yard, and the blades are $2.72 each. Since Jim works at Walmart, he gets a discount. I had paid $3.99 a yard at a store in town. I would love to know how much I could have saved if I had known this a few years ago.

It does seem that when "for quilting" is added to the label of some things, the price goes up drastically.

Amazon and ebay have good blade prices, but name brand rulers are the same price as other sites. I haven't checked my LQS for the ruler I want. I will, because I try to support them if I can. We have a Harbor Freight now. I'll check on the suction holder. Thank you for the reminder.

Thank you for the reminder - I will be stopping by Harbor Freight for both the single and dual suction grips! I've had a few near misses already and do not want to take a trip to the ER!

I love this forum and all the folks in it for sharing the smart and cost effective ways to safely enjoy our craft :)

Christine

Sorry about your accident. No one cuts fabric in my house without a safety device. I use the Quilter's Slidelock or the cut resistant glove. At our guild it is a hard no tolerance rule no one cuts without a safety tool. Why take the chance of getting cut. Everyone I know that has had a nasty accident has said I"m always careful and pay attention. Some like a foot cut with a dropped cutter may be prevented by wearing shoes not flip flops. Not anyone that works with sharp tools in a shop will not allow sandals or without using a safety device but since it's quilting it's okay?

By what you can afford for safety, not because it's the cheapest.

I do not think we are being "ripped off" by the price of quilting gadgets. How many rulers do you think Ace hardware sells? They have to be in the hundreds of thousands of units. How many rulers do you think Eleanor Burns sells? Less than a thousand? Ace and Harbor freight buy goods from China by the Shipping container. Their shipping costs per ruler are miniscule compared to what Eleanor Burns pays for shipping cost per ruler.

It's a matter of scale. How many more people will buy a suction cup from Ace than from Eleanor Burns or Marti Mitchell, or Kaye Woods or any of the others? There are a lot more tile workers and DIY homeowners than there are quilters.

I happen to have a 6 1/5 inch square up ruler by Marti Mitchell that I love. I use it all the time. It's $12.30 on Amazon. (I bought it at an estate sale.) It's a pretty high priced piece of plastic. But how many people need a ruler like this? I would think no one, unless you are a quilter - and there aren't that many of us quilters out there.

In the conclusion to my soap box rant, I encourage everyone to buy their quilting gadgets where ever they are the least expensive and share that with everyone. However, we need to understand that no one cannot manufacture and ship a specialty product for the same amount of money they can manufacture a mass merchandise product.

bkay