As I was reading the different topics it seems that we all use a variety of tools. Being on a limited budget, I like to make sure what I buy is worth the money. My favorite tools are my gloves, the tweezers which I use constantly and a set of chop sticks which I use for "finger pressing" creases and helping feed and hold fabric in tight areas.

What is your favorite tool? What have you adaped to help you create that final masterpiece? What have you wasted your money on?

My favorite tool is one of my vintage sewing machines preferably my Japanese 15!

What I have adapted to make quilts would be my quilting tables/benches. They are solid wood door planks that I cut a hole into one of them and mounted a treadle under. I can change wooden plates out to fit which ever machine I want to use that day and if I want another layout table I can put a solid plank in it and I am good to go.

The one I wasted money on........nothing so far but I am sure that will change.

Billy

My favorites are Shape Cut Ruler which I use to cut strips and squares, my 6 x 24" ruler which has a guard that keeps it in place while cutting, my snips which I hang around my neck on a piece of ribbon and my Vintage Singer which has the perfect stitch, better than my new Janome!

My most used item of course, is the seam ripper! :) :) :)
I do a lot of froggin'; rip-it, rip-it, rip-it!

Favorite tools are rotery cutter, big 24x36" cutting mat, walking foot, and extra long quilting pins and a iron that has steam. Not no hot buys I made were wedge templet from fons and porter, cheep sisors (sp) and cheep muslin for the backing.

My favorite tools are my quilt hoop on a stand (Jasmine) and my Grandma's darning needle which I use for marking.

I guess my favorite tool right now is Simplicity bias tape making machine with the quilt binding tool. It makes straight binding from 2 1/2" strips.

i only started quilting again a few months ago, have discovered my most useful and favorite thing i use is this board lol
then next favorite is the 4 1/2" square ruler i bought after reading a tutorial on easy and perfect HSTs lol

the most useless thing i bought was a basting gun i bought b4 reading about the spray

awesome, love to see a photo of your cool tables/benches!

Rotary cutter, mat and ruler.

I really like the June Tailor Shape Cut Ruler too, for making strips. I'd recommend the 18 inch one; it's more versatile than the 12 inch.

My rotary cutters, 24 x 36 mat are two very essential things to me. But my best is the moleskin taped to my machine to help with my 1/4" seams. That, and because I can't see the mark on the 1/4" foot!!!

My favorite tools are my thimbles, from the old silver ones I use for applique to my Roxannes for hand quilting. I also like having a pair of tweezers by my sewing machine - they're great for grabbing threads near the needle.

Janet

I would be lost without my moleskin seam marker! It keeps my piecing precise and I don't have to stare at it.

Duct tape...JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!!! I really dont have many tools, but probaly my GOOD scissors, which I hide! I really do use duct tape to sanwhich my quilts...I aleady have it, so why noy use it!

Duct tape is great, as long as you don't accidently buy the insulated kind. I sure made a mess with that, it's a bit more sticky, and the stickiness stays on your quilt, I'm very careful now. I like my T-pins to pin the backing to the floor. I wish I had a wall big enough to spray baste on. I'm sure it would be my favorite tool. I do use it to baste my small projects, and absolutely love it. Otherwise, my favorite tool is my Janome 6500. She just does everything I ask her to, without narry a complaint. Worst investment was also one of those basting guns.

My rotary cutters and mat. And of course my sewing machine and frame for quilting.

Ask and you will receive!!

Billy

I have to agree with TanyaMas, this board has been the best tool by far. If I had to go with a second choice I would say my 1/4 in foot. Well worth the investment.

Oh, yea, I bought one of the basting guns too, and it never worked out for me, either! I'd much rather use pins...

My favorites are the 24 x 36" cutting mat, Martelli rotary cutter, 6 x 24" ruler, Elna 7200 sewing machine & my Voyager 17 quilting machine with ProFlex frame.

My least used is my Alto Quilt Cut II but I plan to use it one of these days. I bought it to cut scraps but have been using my scraps for swap blocks instead of a scrappy quilt. I recently made a bunch of Jewel Box blocks from scraps and only after I had cut them all did I remember the Quilt Cut!

My favorite tool is my Walking foot. I don't know how i used my machine without it! Ripped out a lot of stitches before getting the "foot". I love it....no more puckers

My new favorite tool is the clover chalk marker with the wheel, about $9.00. I now have several in different colors.
And my 5inch gingher scissors.

I agree with no1jan the June Taylor Shape Cut Plus(ruler) is the best thing since sliced bread....I have the 12x18 and its wonderful!!!.

I don't know that I have a favorite tool, but my 20-1/2" square ruler is certainly one of my favorites. It is incredibly useful when I have to lay out and cut large pieces of fabric; most of the fabric I buy is large pieces. At the same time, I use something I created: large-ish plastic buckets of smooth decorative rocks that I use as weights to keep the fabric secure when I line it up and smooth it out. I also love my homemade shelf units that are the "legs" for my large cutting table.

The most useless?? I have MANY things I've bought over the years that I have not yet used, but the thing that concerns me most is EQ5. I was reluctant to buy any quilt software, but decided if I had an opportunity to buy EQ5 at a reasonable price that I would buy it. I did buy it, but it holds no interest for me. I played with it for a few hours each night when I first got it, but it bored me to tears.

I love my OMNI travel folder which has an ironing surface on one side and a cutting mat on the other. I travel 2-3 days a week for work and this slips inside my briefcase or suitcase and allows me to work in my hotel room in the evenings!

Of course the rotary cutter and cutting mat. But I love my June Tailor Shape cut ruler.

Of Course my Janome and then I use my little sissors to cut those wild threads . Love my Rotary cutter,mats and my sissors for cutting cloth. The seam ripper has become my friend it with a good steam iron hides a lot of oooppps

Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler by a mile.

Great sewing studio!!!

My favorite quilting tool is without a doubt -- my quilt guild -- they are such a friendly, supportive, sharing, giving, funny, and industrious group of women. My second favorite quilting tool is my computer -- where I find this group, an abundance of free quilt patterns, quilting terms and techniques, and access to any other quilt tool I might think I cannot live without.

It wasn't that long ago when my grandmother created quilts to keep her family warm with a pair of scissors, newspaper (if she was lucky for patterns), and needle and thread.

I like blue painters tape. It is flexible and I use it to insure that I quilt in straight lines or curved ones when hand quilting a design. You can get it in different widths and it doesn't leave a sticky residue when you remove it.

What is a moleskin marker? A seam guide made of moleskin? Where do you buy it, and how do you attach it to the machine?

You would think as much as I use it, it's my seam ripper, but actually I it's my little titanium snippers my DSL sent me.

My favorite tool is my 1/4 in foot that goes on my sewing machine. That way I always sew a 1/4 in seam.

Maybe the poster will correct me if I am wrong.
moleskin found in the aisle for care is where I found mine. Find the 1/4 inch on your machine, I use a small ruler and set the needle down on the 1/4 inch mark of the ruler, but the mole skin right up to this make, the mole skin is adhesive on the back. Test your 1/4 lining your fabric against the edge of the moleskin. You may have to move it a tadd. Hope this helps.

Leather thimbles for hand-quilting. They are the only kind that work for me.

Ask and you will receive!!

Billy[/quote]

WOW BILLY those are really COOL EFFICIENT work areas! Thanks for posting picture I can show hubby - :)

I am just lovin' this thread!!!!! Such useful info. I have been thinking about getting the June T shape cutter ruler, I have now decided to do it with my 40% off coupon this week thanks to the positive feedback.

Billy, Very nice uncluttered work area. Nice machines too!

My favorite tool is a converted cuticle pusher from my very early years as a beautician to use as an awl, and the next one is forceps shaped like tweezers from my years of being a surgical nurse to grab the fabric and keep the edges together when sewing curves.

it's my 1/4" foot and my perfect binding miter tool that makes putting a binding on so much easier