I love pin cushions. You could make one and add a small package of pins

seam ripper --- MUST be my favorite, cuz I use it all the time!!!!

The fork pins to catch both sides of a seam and everyone who has received them have loved them too. Clover makes
them

needlethreaders

A Purple Thang, a pin cushion, some needles, a small pair of scissors (that really cut) :)

Any $10 item can be $5 at Joann's with a coupon when it isn't on sale.

How about those adhesive lint pickers on a handle, they make all sizes, surely one must be under $5 and most of the rest of what I would suggest has been suggested already!

I recently purchased an ergonomically styled seam ripper--I love it. It has a larger cushioned handle which fits my hand with rheumatoid arthritis. Love it! Also flat headed pins are great.

This was my first thought, too!

Quilting sewing machine needles (sharps), "betweens" hand quilting needles.

Thread Heaven. I wouldn't be caught dead without it, it makes sewing and quilting so much easier. There is less tangling, the thread just glides through the fabric.

You can get the telescoping wands at Harbor Freight. I LOVE mine. Don't remember what the price, but I know it was under $5. GOOD LUCK

long twezzers, needle holder to hold machine needle while i screw it in.

My needle threader is my best friend.

needle holder to hold machine needle while i screw i t in also a little mirror to lay under where it goes to see the hole. also long twezzers.

I find this little tool very useful. I got it in Joann's;
http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?s...lerid=33733883

I really like the little gripper dots to put on the back of rulers so they don't slide when you try to cut.

Not sure of the price, but one of the things I use most frequently is the little paddle-shaped magnet thingie to pick up pins that have hit the floor. I have a cat who thinks chewing glass-headed pins is the thing to do. So, to avoid big vet bills, I'm pretty good at retrieving pins when they hit the floor (all too often). I love my magnetic pin holder, too, but it has to keep its distance from the Bernina and its computerized innards.

Quilt Magnet for sure!!!

Pin Magnet for sure!!!

My favorite would be my mug organizer! I do love the clover seam ripper!

I may feel silly once I know the answer, but, what is a purple thang?

I love my small embroidary scissors, my seam ripper and a small magnet to pick up the pins I drop and spill.

pins, seam rippers, magnetic pin holder, fabric markers, containers such as pencil boxes, pencil cases(for rotary cutter) harbor frieght carpet cutter blades, telescoping magnetic wand for picking up pins, tiny screw drivers, machine oil, Singer machine grease, pin cushions, tiger tape, white leaded pencils for marking fabric, snips or tiny scissors, thread catchers

Seam rippers, can never have enough of those little guys.

A quilt journal or simply a blank book for pics/descriptions of your quilting projects. Another possibility would be a selection of quilt labels,

Seam ripper is my first choice but a box of freezer or parchment paper or flat head pins. Love the ideas here and a good question

It isn't a notion for sewing, but I recently found that an old pair of kitchen tongs hanging close to your sewing area is invaluable when you drop your project. a spool of thread rolls away. I have back problems, and bending over to retrieve is uncomfortable, I plan on putting a small magnet on it. Another nice tool, an expandable magnet. You can get them in quilting catalogs, but I found mine at Ace hardware, extends to about 30 inches, and the magnet is larger and stronger, great for catching pins, metal bobbins etc, that you have dropped. I dropped a packet of needles, and the magnet was strong enough to pick it up through the plastic.

ditto
with a coupon you can get a nice one with a large grip handle at Joann's - Fons and Porter, I think.

Without reading any other posts and giving you my own wishes it would be - new pins, new seam ripper (you know these get dull and we keep using them) and a package of neon sticky notes (to use in my sewing area to keep track of things).

A seam ripper is a must have.
Needle threader, the nice kind.
wash away thread and fusible thread.

John James Gold 'n Glide needles. I like size 10 or 11--a long thin needle that goes through fabric like butter. Love them.

$5.00 gift
 

These are all great ideas, one thing I didn't see mentioned is a magnetic wand for picking up spilled pins or a needle which has flipped out of sight. I have several, one in each "to go" sewing box, and one beside my sewing machine. There is also one on my cutting table. I keep another one handy for the grandkids to goof around with when they stop by.
There are some pretty ones at Hobby Lobby but the strictly functional ones can be found in any auto parts dept.

Lately my go to tool has been a bone folder, great for birthing anything, spritz seam with water, zip the bone folder along the seam and it lays flat with no effort at all. Love it!
I should mention that I have been making a lot of stuffed toys, handbags and xmas stockings...lots of birthing.

Hemostats, no doubt. I am constantly using them to pull thread from the machine or take picked threads from a quilt...they grip like crazy and sometimes, there is no substitute for grip...tweezers just don't cut it.

All the above sound great but I love my 4" square ruler as well and the 6" square but not sure how much 6" costs. Every so often I lose my little ruler so now have 2 of them. The lost one will eventually show up so now I do not have to spend time hunting for it when I am doing the small blocks. I like to check my sewen squares and there are times when it does not look right before sewing and no trouble to check. The kingquilt I am working on is made up entirely of
2 1/2 inch blocks and 4 1/2 inch blocks. The small ruler has been a life saver after I started using it regularly.

I love the blue rinsable markers, can never have too many of these. Love Thread Heaven, Sew Easy and my Dritze sewing and knitting guage, it has a sliding thing in the center that lets you keep your measurement and slots for marking accurately.

I love the purple thang, but my first thought was a magnetic bowl. It is still unusual and is so wonderful for pins!

It is a small stick like thing about the size of a large crochet hook but very different. You might describe it as a finger saver. You can use it to hold down a seam allowance as you sew over it, adjust precisely where your seam is going to be when sewing.... oh, lots of things. I quilt on my regular sewing machine and it really comes in handy then. The shape of it was obviously designed by a quilter. You can use it to push out corners until they are perfect. They are addictive. great and very inexpensive.

purple thang or a porkeypine (sp?) quill wraped in a fat quarter