Worst quilting item purchased
 

What quilting item do you consider the worst that you've purchased and why?

Some of my rulers. They were designed for one quilt pattern only and cost a fortune.

Things I have bought on sale and still haven't used. Like Dottymo I have rulers that I bought just because they were on sale and I may use them some day. Same with templates, I have quite a few because "some day" I intend to make the quilt.

A 2 piece gadget [forget it's name] for sharpening rotary blades. Cost $40 and totally useless.

I bought the electric blade sharpener for way more than that. And it doesn't work very well either. Nothing beats a new blade.
And it's sooo loud. You need earplugs to run it.

I agree. Not all specialty rulers (like the Twister) but most can ONLY be used once.

...a ton of books I thought I really was going to use the patterns from, like others' specialty rulers/templates( some of which still have their original wrap in) that I thought would make whatever so much easier to do...have I learned to say NO!......sometimes...

I'm not a gadget person. I don't buy any use once items. I still have a lot of templates that I inherited from my sister and have never used.

Books and patterns that I look at now and know that I'm never going to use to make anything. Really should do a "clean out, organize, and get rid of".:)

Same here!

Any rotary sharpening thing--I've bought a couple of things. None have worked well.

I am not a gadget person,--much rather collect fabric--so I don't have a lot of gadgets I have bought that I've not used. I did buy a bias binder maker once and haven't used it yet, but I may, so I don't consider it a waste...I'm glad I have it....it wasn't really very pricey or big, so didn't take much room in the suitcase.

Thanks for the info on blade sharpeners. I was all set to buy one from a good source but you all have convinced me not to waste my money.

Neither of my rotary sharpeners worked very well either and were definitely money wasted.

Me, too. Money wasted on a blade sharpener.

A tiny iron. Kept getting burned and it was no more useful than a pressing stick I made.

I love specialty rulers. Everyone I have bought have cost less then a pair of shoes I don't see the gripe about the cost. I've notice over the years at guild, the ones that keep harping over the cost of an item they buy never seem to enjoy using it unless they borrow one. LOL
I guess the one quilting item I bought and used only a few times is the Alto Quilt Cut 2. It's a quality product but I don't like using it at all.

Blade sharpener for sure,

A sidewinder for winding bobbins...the bobbin winder on my machine works fine and is close by.

couple rulers like the twister. Not sure i'll use it. I bought the rotary sharpener from a tv show and sent it back. Worthless. Had my copy of the receipt. Took 3-4 months before I got my refund. We argued about the time I had it in my possession. 1 week and dates of comparison were pointed out They said I didn't give it time. I tried it on 6 blades immediately and had DH try it. Won't do that again. If I can't just go to a store to get it, I don't need it that bad.

I once bought an Alex Anderson "Four In One" tool. It had a seam ripper, a stiletto, a flat part for "finger pressing" and a pointy thing for poking out corners. It was wooded & pretty but the caps over the stiletto & ripper would fall off & it was really poorly made. I did not like it at all.

My worst buy is also a rotary blade sharpener. I wish I had used the money to buy new blades instead! I also wish I hadn't bought the Supreme Slider but I know lots of people like theirs.

I don't have any bad gadgets or specialty rulers, but just wanted to add that I have given up on getting my good metal scissors professionally sharpened-- such as Ginghers and Mondials. They are never like new after sharpening, just have new annoyances to deal with, so now I just buy a new pair when I need them. I'm worth it!

My worst purchases were two Omni-Grid/Omni-Grip rulers, one of each type. Absolutely hated them. I sent one to the west coast for postage and am tempted to 'frisbee' the other one into the woods just to be rid of it but I'd be afraid of hurting a bear. I haven't used it for years and years. :hunf:

the seam ripper with a magnifying glass. the thing is just too unwieldy for me to use.

Years ago I bought a June Tailer Shape Cut for cutting strips. I must press weird on the rotary cutter because I never could get a good straight cut with it. Now it just hangs on a peg unused. Can't remember how much I paid for it but whatever the cost, it was a waste for me.

ghostrider, just curious what brand of rulers have you found that work for you? I'm currently looking for rulers that I can more clearly see the fabric and the markings. No luck so far...

My "collection" of rotary blade sharpeners!!! What a waste of money.

I love gadgets, but for the ones that are a waste of money. I have to go with the several different binding tools I bought and ended up using my little Creative Grid ruler. I also agree with those saying "rotary blade sharpeners." I bought just one and it didn't work. I have read reviews on the others and keep hearing the same thing.

I also bought a couple of Creative Grid rulers for cutting shapes out of 2 1/2" strips and ending up selling them because I don't use them. I also bought the Bias Strip ruler(?) from Quilt in A Day, but have never used it. I am going to sell it as well.

In response, to suern3, I love my Creative Grid rulers, but I am getting more discerning on which ones I buy.

I'm not that big on gadgets, but after spending a week visiting and sewing with a friend in CO who is a gadget collector, I bought a few things. Most will never be used-- an LED light that clips onto your glasses to better illuminate your stitching (never aimed correctly plus was difficult as I only sometimes use cheaters and not always), a blade sharpener (what everyone else has said--total waste of money; thankfully I got a cheap one), a pounce pad for marking quilting designs (why did I think loose powder was a good idea?). I am sure there were a few other things that I have forgotten (since they have never been used)

I guess it would have to be books that I have bought. And thimbles that didn't work right and even the ones that do I still stab my finger at times.

I like the "quilt in a day" rulers the best. They have narrow markings and I don't have to worry about "which" side of the paint I cut on. I have several of the square up ones and have just gotten a HST one that I really like. Here's a link to images of them so you can see how narrow the markings are.

https://www.google.com/search?q=quil...ed=0CAgQ_AUoAw

I bought some plastic clamp things that were supposed to hold your quilt rolled up. What a pain. Thankfully they were cheap.

I am a gadget girl for sure. Probably will always be. Spent on sharpeners, waste, a binder gadget that sews the binding on in one fell swoop, never could get to work. Being a ruler nut isn't an easy thing either, but even if I don't use them but once if they work I'm a happy camper LOL Now I'm putting in a lot of thought into a Go, since I really hate to cut and would love to get SAS dies and MAKE ONE!! Just keep thinking how stinking high the dies are, and will it be worth it. Also the double wedding ring is another one I hear is great to have....
Toni

I agree with this. So many people really like them, but I'm always unhappy with my results.

I only like them for the one time I helped a friend do fleece no sew blankets...awesome for cutting fringe!

My biggest disappointment was buying the two sizes of Quilters Slide Locks. Biggest waste of money I ever spent and now I don't know what to do with them - too expensive to throw away but I will never use them.

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!!

A blade sharpener also-haven't tried the one my husband has in his wood shop hhmmmm........

LOL. Have have these too. -- somewhere I had forgotten about them. :)

Judy in Phx, AZ

None. I have always made wise purchasing choices when it comes to quilting. Ha ha.