susanwilley

So sorry the Alto did not work out for you! I have it and I absolutely love it. It is the only think I cut on unless I need to cut a very large piece. My diamond shapes turn out so good and make stitching star blocks so easy.

Kitty10628

this made me chuckle

I cant believe all the posts on this topic. Its pretty interesting reading.

Jan in VA

Recently having visited this topic again, I was tickled to see what a hot button this subject is for ALL of us!

It reminded me that in the mid-late 1990s I bought LOTS of embellishments for quilts....
silk ribbon
wired ribbon
round beads/oblong beads/metal beads/glass beads/this-and-that-kind-of-bead
"eyelash" threads
decorative yarns
leather appliques
silk for specialty appliques
fancy buttons (and this started a thankfully short-lived antique button collection craze for me)
"lost its mate" ear rings with stones, beads, mosaics, etc.
decorative tatted laces
antique laces
French laces
small folded-fabric flower shapes

I made TWO quilts using this embellishment stuff - one went to a friend, one is a UFO nearly 20 years old - and haven't pulled the box out again except to add to it!! What's with that???!
Keep saying I'll make a crazy quilt someday with lots of handwork.......but for WHAT?? I'm having surgery on both hands now because I can hardly use them any more; I'll be 70 in January; what makes me think I'll live long enough to use a tenth of the stuff up?!! LOL! Sometimes I think I'll be on "Hoarders" if my daughter sees all this quilting stuff neatly stashed away!

Jan in VA

Pam H

Jan, if it's neatly stashed away I doubt you will be on hoarders. LOL There is nothing neat about the way they store all their stuff.

judylg

Thank you PinceCone for your comment on the cutting mat that turns. The price was too high I always felt, but I did want one. I just use a smaller mat that I can easily turn myself when I need to turn. I keep my big mat down and place the smaller one on top and cut. I guess I will keep on doing this and save my funds for fabric. Enjoy reading all these comments, in the heat of the moment we do buy items we never use, I have a few hanging around here.

estrogen

I've got the same thing and I've used it once...wastes too much fabric and very expensive for the dies....I'm going to put mine on ebay

estrogen

I bought the system at a quilt show and wound up selling it on ebay

MaryKatherine

Serger! Used it maybe twice.

sewingsuz

I bought a suction holder( for I thought a bath tub or shower as a helper) at a thrift store for $2 and i use it on my rulers and it helps. It does not hold for a long time but I just release and put it on the ruler again. My waste was the embroidery module I bought with my Bernina 440 I have not used it. Long story about the lessons and time. I have used my pounce but I have to use a wet/damp wash cloth on the quilt before I use the pounce and then you see the imprint better. This thread has been great!

sewingsuz

I forgot to say something about my serger. I use it a lot but do not try a cover for it. I have done this a couple times and it messes everything up and then you have to rethread. My DH has helped with the threading buy this last time it did not work. loops, I have to start all over and try myself or take it to someone. Threading sergers is a PAIN.