Fire Hazzard!! Check your machine cords both to the plug in and to the presser foot before you begin each sewing session. If you get in the habit of unplugging your machine when you finish a sewing session it's much easier to remember to check the cords when you start up. Cords are prone to cracking and fraying over time and you won' t even notice that it happened until it's too late if you don't check regularly.

I have a tip that I use at home every day. I have a little stretchy bracelet that I hang on my iron. I put it on my right arm when I turn the iron on and put it back on the iron when I turn it off. I learned the hard way when I left the iron on and threw down a quilt top that I was working on. I happened to fall over the tip of the iron and burned a few squares. Fortunately,it only charred it badly. I had to replace 3 squares. Could have set the place on fire. Now I use that bracelet religiously!

I just use address labels on my stuff that has a flat surface.

I use one of those large tubs from the gum containers to put my Old Rotary blades in. It keeps them off the table and safety for the refuse workers too.

Have proper lighting is always importat too!

Sounds like you will be having fun helping all these ladies! Good Luck.

wear shoes. dropping a pair of scissors on bare feet is not good!. ask me how i know.

I recommend some kind of eye protection. I had a machine needle snap one day and hit my glasses. Thank goodness I had them on. Safety glasses are pretty cheap (and comfortable) nowadays, compared to the cost of losing an eye.

The hair tying back is good, got mine caught in my bobbin winding mechanism, not fun

Another good tip for remembering to turn off your iron is: I have my iron plugged into a surge protector strip. I also have a task light plugged in that is always turned on. When I turn on the surge strip the iron and lamp comes on. I know that if the lamp is on, my iron is on.

I do that too. However My mian reason for the surge protector strip is I had a embroidery sewing machine get fried by a surge after a power cut. It cos quite a bit of money to get it fixed, not to mention I was in the middle of a project with a deadline! At college when teaching I don't have my light but I do have a surge strip with individual on off stip[s so I can switch off the iron but not my computer or machine.

Something my dad always did... label your plugs. They all look the same so label them. In the Uk our plugs are big enough to lable the actual plug, in the US you may need to wrap a label round the cable and write on it with a sharpie.

Dad used to paint black ( and white) plugs with tipex ( correctionfluid) to write on. Save you un plugging something you don't want to. that's a great home tip too!!!

Have a safe place to put scissors and rotary cutters, WELL away from the edge of a surface. Too easy to push them off while moving fabric.

Unplug iron at the end of the day.

Have two people handle large lengths of fabric. Too easy to trip over it if it is draped on the ground at your feet.

Sturdy surfaces. Make sure that machine tables, ironing and cutting surfaces are sturdy and stable.