Back in the day (many years ago), I watched a lot of quilt shows on public t.v. and bought a lot of things that were demonstrated on those shows. Thus I have "tons" of stuff that I've never used, some I very rarely use (such as EQ5 & GO cutter) and some I've used but do not like or they do not work, such as the 2-piece rotary blade sharpener. (I also have a set of those stupid clamps to hold a rolled-up quilt.) I'm quite sure there is nothing wrong with the specialty rulers I bought but have yet to use. My big problem is that I don't have enough time or enough energy and my days & years are zipping by while I'm not creating all the gorgeous quilts I had planned to create when I bought the "tons" of stuff. And don't get me started on all the kitchen items I bought but either I never use or am not particularly happy with.

I've bought just about every gadget that simulates a longarm. John Flynn's set up. cant remember the name of it but I bought it twice. 3 other little things on wheels that you set your machine on and roll around pretending it's a longarm.
Bobbin winder.

What a great question. This should be a must read by all new quilters. LOL the supreme slider is my big mistake. Terrible price for that small piece of rubber. Sewed it to the back of a quilt once. The oven liner from Christmas tree shop worked pretty good. Now I just spray pledge or use a wax to be buffed off and works great.

The first time I used the JT I had trouble because I was using a left-hand-right-hand Fiskars cutter and it wouldn't fit properly into the slot. Now I use the good Olfas, start out straight, and bam, I can cut perfectly. But I don't use it unless I have a lot of strips to cut. You can use it for 5" squares if you cut 5" strips and then get it lined up crosswise.

Ditto on the supreme Slider - I sewed it right to the quilt - what a mess! But I am a lousy quilter so I need every tiny bit of gadget help I can get.

A ruler. It is still in it's shrink wrap. It was so difficult to use that I just put it in a drawer and said "forget it!".

what I really HATED was the darn blade sharpener. Totally useless no matter how carefully I used it. I know how to sharpen a knife on a stone and I will tell you it doesn't work.

Not fond of the fat lines on the Omni rulers.

And I have never found any of the cute little 1/4" guides to be any use - whether the bumpers or the one which lines up the needle to the bumper or the one with the slot. But that was short money.

I swear by Olfa Frosted Advantage rulers. Thin lines, non-slip, easy to see on both dark and light fabrics.

The binding tool with the instructions printed on it.....there is a MSQC tutorial on it. Well, it does not work for me since the instructions are printed upside down, and I could never remember how to use it and had to check the tutorial everytime I used it.

3 different kinds of blade sharpeners. None of them worked. I could have bought more blades instead. LOL!

the biggest mistake is buying a pattern that uses a special tool never again as usually find I don't like it well enough to ever make another one

Templates, books, patterns, sharpener for rotary blades, needle threader, ruler, off brand cutting mat, rotating cutting mat that falls apart when it's rotated, etc.

The sidewinder for winding bobbins and the quilt calculator. Never got the hang of the calculator though the owner at one quilt store was a whiz with it and could figure yardage on it, it remained a mystery to me. When his was dropped and broken, I gave him mine. I think I heard it whisper "Finally I am given to my rightful master" as I handed it to him.

Batt Scooters tops the list. They were suppose to make moving the quilt around easier and all they turned out to be two pieces of foam that I could have lived my entire life without. Not all was lost as I found a member on this board who absolutely loves 'em, hey different strokes for different folks.

I love my JT rulers, I have 2 the one with the 1/2 lines and the one with the 1/4 lines. Also found one at a rummage sale for a dollar and gave it to my sister. Brownie points for sure.

I bought the Shape Cut Pro a couple of months ago and I don't like it either, for the same reason. I'm making a shadow box quilt and all of the black strips ended up wonky.

Fortunately, I used a Jo-Ann's 50% off coupon to buy it, so I'm not out as much as I could have been. I'm going to try covering the back with Nexcare tape to see if that helps, because I can't afford to spend the $50.00+ for the Creative Grids Stripology ruler. I should probably just stick to my old tried and true method for cutting strips...

I sent my Ginghers in to the company after dropping them and my LQS "tried" to sharpen them. Well worth the time, effort and small fee to have the Gingher Company return them to near new. Go to the Gingher web site and they have info on sharpening.

Round hoop thingy supposed to make FMQ easier. It's a pain.

I bought a Fons & Porter tool that's supposed to be sort of like a Swiss army knife for quilting... it has a seam ripper, snips, etc. all together... but none of them are particularly sharp and it's unwieldy to use. I've taken it to some classes but I can't stand the thing. I'd rather pack stuff separately, quite honestly! :)

Just remember this folks - one woman's trash is another's treasure - you should post some of these things here on the For Sale page, and somebody will snap them up!! Then you'll have more money to spend on a different useless gadget...LOL.

BAAhahahahaha! :D

Thank you for the reminder - this has been on my To Do list for MONTHS.

I bought mine back in the mid-80's when I worked at Jo-Ann Fabrics (before they started selling everything else), and I love those scissors. They're just so dull right now I couldn't cut butter with them...

I love my slide locks! What do you dislike about them?

How are you using the SlideLocks? I won't cut with a rotary cutter without one. I don't use it as a ruler but to hold the ruler on the fabric. Nothing moves, not the ruler or the fabric. They are like the seatbelt in my car at my cutting table.


I love the Pounce. I took a class on how to use it! Fill it with chalk, put both lids back on, hit it flat on the table hard fifty times. Refill, and repeat for fifty more times. You do not have to Pounce again. Do not pounce the chalk on the stencil. Swipe it. The new white chalk will not rub off or smear. It will iron off. The blue chalk won't iron off but can be rubbed off. Pounce stencils have fine mesh instead of open holes if you are looking for buy any new stencils for marking.

One of my downfalls is taking classes. I always manage to buy more than I need or have time to do.
Hand quilting by Luixin - a $60 situpon frame and several silver thimbles - a few hundred dollars spent years ago, I'm sure. Luixin is so cute - how could I not buy? Nice stuff, excellent quality stuff, but not used since the class many years ago.
Another was a class with Sue Spargo on embellished embroidery. She's so talented and makes/has beautiful stuff. But I never finished my VERY expensive acorn pinkeeper - I know it will be lovely if I get it finished - maybe before I'm 90. And of course, there's the cd of designs. Love them, but have no time for it. Oh, maybe if I get my act together.... Maybe if I print them out for the grandkids to color.

I love mine too -- BUT, it took me a while to change my habitual way of cutting fabric so I could use them. At first it seemed awkward to measure with a grid ruler and then switch to the slide lock but now it's a breeze. I also bought a Martelli cutting mat (wait for their sales!) and often just go by the very accurate markings on the mat instead of using a grid ruler.

I can't even remember the name of them but they are little rubber stoppers to put onto straight pins to hold them in place so you don't have to pin your quilt with safety pins. WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY! I tried to use them; they are very hard to put onto the end of the pin especially if you have arthritic hands which I do. They don't stay in place. They fall off onto the floor and the dog tries to eat them. I have them in a safe place now. In the drawer. They also cost me a wopping $35.00. Stupidest thing I ever bought.

QUOTE=auntnana;7234195]I think the only thing I absolutely hated and literally threw across the room was that horrible binding foot that was supposed to do it all in one step. That thing almost brought me to tears!![/QUOTE]

If that was the Martelli...DON'T GIVE UP ON IT. I had mine for several years before I thought that I paid so much for this and couldn't get it to work, I'm going to sit at the machine until I figure it out. There are videos online and the instruction book for reference. I finally got it and can bind a baby quilt perfectly in an hour. There is a learning curve!

Same here and because a Craftsy teacher recommended it. Doesn't work for me either.

dcamarote - Those little buggers are called Pinmoors... I have a stash of 'em and I dislike them as much as you do! :)

The blade sharpener for sure.

I guess I am with most: Blade Sharpeners (have bought several different) and the Quilt Calculator

Oh, and EQ 5. or 4 or whatever it is. Never used it :( Sad.

I also have those plastic clips-never used them. The same is true with the John Flynn set-up. Have several Martelli products that I questioned after I got them. Discovered their web site, once you get past the learning curve their products really do work well. I must have watched their ruler demo 40 times before I got the hang of it. I LOVE their cutting mat. Had an Alto, sold it.

I bought these also. They don't work. I have also bought some useless bobbins, and quilting needles that have such small eyes I can't thread them.

This has been such an interesting thread. Thanks for starting it!

I agree with Gay and aronel, I bought the same gadget and it is really useless.

I fell for this stupid "tacking" gun and little plastic things that was supposed to be a great and easy way to baste a quilt (which happens to be my most dreaded and avoided step). that thing is a total misery and I've never successfully used it. But it was fairly cheap, so no big deal.

Well, besides my current sewing machine...LOL....tulip needles. They have such great reviews, but the eye hole is so tiny. I cannot even get 2 ply Aurifil thread through it without the thread gathering up. Plus, the thread slips right through and I have to rethread the needle more often then any other needle that I have ever used. I bought sizes 8-12 in both the quilting and milliner's needles.

mlt and OnebyOne - I know the problem is "the pilot not the plane" but to me they are cumbersome and I never got the hang of using them. I guess I learned too long ago to cut without them. You know - "old dogs.........". If someone wants them at a reduced price they are for sale or trade for fabric. I ended up buying Creative Grid rulers that don't slip and love using them.