Hands down - Tostitos dip jars. I use it to put all my broken/bent needles, pins, sharps inside and once it's filled, I hand it off to our junker and he disposes it for me. Then I get another jar and repeat.

I also use the back of my flashlight, has a super strong magnet on it so if I drop a pin, I just run it around my floor until I find said pin and put it back in place.

I had the 10 colored drawer rolling organizer from my old classroom. I use it for thread, and it sits next to my machine. blue drawer-blue threads...
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/..._AC_UL320_.jpg

I hand quilt lap size quilts. I use a saucer to draw curved lines. I use a quarter and a silver dollar to draw circles.

Just returned to quilting this year after an almost 20 year hiatus and I find my self using the camera on my cell phone often: to check for value and contrast, to remember which fabric I choose for which block and to audition layouts.

Some good ideas have been added recently. Thanks everyone!

Painters' tape to use as guide lines when doing straight line quilting.

Carpenter's glue bottle to glue the quilt sandwich before quilting.

Carpenter's 4-foot t-square and miter rulers to square up quilt.

I realize many people are fond of Wonder Clips ... But I liberated some small binder clips from the office and use them for the same purposes

Best Point Poker Ever = Long Wooden Golf Tee!!!!!!!!

Beats grabbing scissors, and accidentally poking the end out.
Or pushing with a pencil and ending up with a grey tip from the lead.
Or???

Yes, I just happened to have that golf tee in my sewing machine drawer ...... have used it for keeping bobbins with the matching thread in the past and it just stayed there.

I use a silverware tray from a dish rack I don't use anymore. I put ripper, pens, pencils, all those things in there beside my sewing machine. plastic zip loc bags for flat templets and rulers . I punch a hole in the bag and hang on a nail in the sewing room. A magnetic strip screwed to the wall above my machine to hold all cutting items and other metal things.

I use constantly four little tiny tailors’ bean bag weights (about the size of cotton reels) to keep fabric in place; really useful if working with long strips of binding, say, that seem forever to be aiming to dive off my work table; or to keep templates in place, or fusible backing while I’m drawing or tracing on it - endless uses. They are less trouble than using painters’ tape to fix things down, and are really easy to make oneself to any specific size. I’d had them for ages and never thought to use them for quilting, but wouldn’t now be without them. Someone’s probably talked about these already, that’s the problem with being a newbie! But maybe reminders don’t matter, anyway?! Forgive me if I’m teaching my grandmother to suck eggs - is that peculiar expression used in the US? I’m from the UK where we have such oddities of language!

First time I heard about the beanbag idea. Great one! and Grandmas sucking eggs? Never heard it and had to look it up. LOL! Thank you for the giggle.

New addition to my ... "non-quilting-stuff-reassigned-to-quilting use" .....

A Toothbrush!

Yes, you read it right. I did some white ceramic markings on dark fabric the other day. I usually find that it pretty much disappears while I am quilting, but nope, not that time.

So, what does one do? ..... yup, I discovered that a toothbrush was a perfect scrubber and rubber-outer. The markings were gone in no time, and honestly, with little scrubbing required!! :) Now, a permanent inclusion with my quilting supplies!!

I use the large washers you can buy at the hardware store for this. They're cheap and easy to find and since they have a hole in the middle you can hang them on pegboard pegs easily. they also come in different sizes. As some of the smaller sizes aren't as heavy, I just glued 2 or 3 on top of each other and they work great.

Don't worry about oddities of language. I'm in Texas and we have some doozies here.

I'd forget I had it on and wear it to the store. LOL!

WOW! After 45+ pages ... still a few to add:

Finger nail polish from dollar store in different colors to mark bobbins for which machine they belong to; and since I have several Pfaff machines, I also use the polish to mark which presser feet go with which machines so they don't get separated.

Fingernail polish remover to clean my brush that I use to apply fray check.

Costco bandaid boxes also make great storage containers. I have different ones labeled for my different sewing machines with parts and tools in them.0

I saw the idea of using a fish fillet board to help with seam ripping. They are expensive but seem like a great idea. I’m thinking a clipboard would be an inexpensive option.

8x11 newsprint paper to print paper piecing patterns to. I also use it to print out quilting designs, then spray-baste it to my quilt, quilt over it and tear it off.

Label maker to label my storage containers that are not see-through

Computer list of what’s in my different storage compartments (I can search the Word document and see where to find what I’m looking for … assuming I keep it updated. LOL)

Snap bands to wrap around rolls of stabilizer, etc.

And I have a new shopping list now!

DJ ... So happy that you found the list, read it and added to it!!
And we could all keep computer lists of our fabric inventory ...... I have mine sorted by colours, but then you get a multi colour and wonder? does it go in white? or yellow? or blue? Nope, I am NOT going there!!!

However, I did go that route for my embroidery flosses ..... what is opened, and how many skeins are not ..... cross referenced with the standard DMC list. Helps at home when I don't have just the right shade and in the store when I am tempted, just because I like the colour! Or to extend my collection to have all the shades!

Happy Shopping!!!!!!!

Try the ap for iPad called graphic, you can keep all sorts of inventories in it.

I use chenille stems for cleaning out the bobbin area and feed dogs - they're tiny and flexible, so they'll go anywhere. I bend it in half, put a drop of oil on it and rub it in and it just creeps into the tiniest places to clean out every bit of lint.

Like a teeeeeeny little Swiffer duster for your sewing machines. :D

I really like this idea. I was using a tiny paint brush but it sometimes drops a tiny bristle.

I use pipe cleaners for the same reason - really gets the stuff out. And I also use a smaller, non-makeup used, makeup brush.