Attach a ball point pen cap to your sering maching to put
your seam ripper in. You will always know where it is.

I read on here several days ago about ironing a coffee filter. You will have a perfect circle to make a scrapy circle.

Any thread can dry out. My mom taught me that if you pull on it and it breaks right away you shouldn't use it to sew anything. You can use it as gathering thread or donate it to a school for use in art class.

She said if you are going to take the time to make something use good thread!! She was right.

I hate slippery rulers too, My first suggestion is to cut small squares of fine grit sandpaper and glue them to the underside of the ruler. (You'll only need four), Sandpaper circles with good adhesive can also be purchased, although they might be difficult to find in quilting magazines, etc. What I LOVE are small plastic circles which don't block your vision, i.e., you can see right through them and you don't lose the line you're trying to follow. These are harder to find, and I don't remember where I got mine, but if you can find them I think you'll love them too.

Jeandrig

I use 1/2" tubing and cut it about 3/8" wide then cut circle so it will open up, slip over bobbin.

You can put a tiny dot of hot glue on each corner of ruler to prevent slipping. I do this for the bottom of picture frames - no crooked pictures.

Awesome!!!! Too new to give any advice. Thanks everyone!

I put the double sided pc. on mind and on the foot part used
a little pc of flannel.

Love all the tips, and most of mine have already been posted.

A plastic pencil box with a snap lid on it is perfect for storing a 45mm rotary cutter.

Andrea, the ones I tried were about 1/8" thick and raised the ruler off the fabric. I didn't like that. Are yours the same?

I like to use nexcare tape made by 3M on the back ofmy rulers. I leave the first quarter inch doI can see it clealy then run a strip around the edge. If a large ruler Iput a piece down the middle. Works wonderful

To keep a thimble on your finger, put your finger in your mouth

before you put your thimble on, it will stick like glue!

There was a thread of unconventional tools used in quilting. I took those responces and saved them to a word doc. It is 12 pages long. I will add these responces to my list when I have time. Don't think I can post the 12 pages to this list and don't have a web site but if someone wants it let me know and I will be glad to email it to you.
I also am a new at sewing and love the uncoventional tools and the tricks for sewing. judy

I use old eyeglass cases (open at one end) to store my rotary cutters in. You can usually buy them at the dollar store or thrift shops.

I use the very large pill bottles to put my sewing thread in along with the bobbin containing that same thread. Also, use the very large pill bottles to put my hand quilting thread in. I poke a hole in the top of the snap-on lid and put the thread through the hole. Useful when you drop your thread as this way it doesn't unwind. Also, I made a lap pillow and the top part of it also has elastic sewn down at intervals for holding thread. I sewed the elastic in such a way that it will hold my YLI Silk, or my small spools of 60/2 for applique. You can poke a hole in the snap lid of the small pill bottles, feed your thread through, and put the pill bottle under the elastic. Now you don't have to take the spool out from the bottle or elastic during your project. I, too, use the pill bottles for bent or broken pins and needles.

Opps...

I use the clear plastic tubing from Home depot and just cut it with scissors (not the ones I use for fabric) - usually have to trim a little to fit the bobbins and then a slit so it wraps around the thread. I even label w/ a Sharpie is it is cotton, clear, etc.

I also use old pot holders- I just sew them in half lengthwise.

I purchased a folder for storing business cards and use it to hold my packages of needles.

I also wrap my binding around an empty toiletpaper roll - place a string or ribbon through the center, hang it around my neck, and it is easy to attach the binding to the quilt without rolling all over the floor.

I do that!

I wrap binding around empty toilet paper rolls. When I want to use it, I put a ribbon thru it and put it over my neck. I think I saw this tip someplace.

Also, I saved my large, 36 x 54, cutting mat that had worn out. When I need a bottom for a purse or tote, I have DH cut out the size I need from the old mat. Works great!

I use the little ziplock baggies that the walgreens pharmacy put perscripttions in to hold paper piecing patterns, small useable picece of fusible web, block piecing prior to sewing, I also will roll a bag down and use it to put thread in when ripping out a seam.

I used the clear film sold in Joanns but some use glue dots on the back of rulers. Funny thing I've noticed, its' us "shorties" with smaller hands that have the most trouble! Watch other quilters and you'll notice it!

Aah! You may be onto something with the small hands!
Don't think I could ever play piano, either!

Works for me! Thanks! Will think of you often and smile!!!

Sometimes I don't get all of them read! LOL And if more than one day goes by, well then..., I miss too many of them. A tip section would be good thing.

What a good idea!

I do the same thing !! :D :thumbup: :thumbup:

I guess I am dense--I don't understand the threading post

That's really a good idea. Scraps and threads are a big problem for me

Sometimes the auto threader thingy on your machine gets out of line, I just tug on mine a little and it works again. I wasn't worried about breaking it because it didn't work anyway

My tip is for starch & mylar applique. Use a metal fingernail file to hold the edge in place instead of your fingernail. Saves a lot of burns.
Also I keep all of my free quilt patterns from the internet in clear plastic sleeves in a 3 ring binder.

clear fabric grippers by "dritz quilting"...i got this tip from this website...

Cut your thread at an angle for you to thread easier.

i think it's a fantastic idea and i read every tip posted to your topic...hope we get the new thread!

Would you mind explaini ng this again? I am a technodufus, and can't picture what you are explaining. Thank you for your kindness. :oops:

Love these tips, please keep posting them.

You can use a round popsicle stick for a staletto.

I use Velcro dots on my older machine to hold a needle threader (New one has built in.) when the wire breaks, I just peel the (Fuzzy side) Velcro off the threader and stick it to a new threader.

Use clothes hanger to hand my finished quilt tops on and put in closet until ready to hand or machine quilt.

Sharon Schambers has a tut on You Tube that shows how to thread the needle by putting the needle on the thread as one poster was describing. I think the tut is the one about basting your quilt sandwich.