Originally Posted by SlightlyOffQuilter

We all have them. Those tools we use in our quilting room, that were never intended to be used for that purpose. Wallpaper seam rollers, painters tape, chop sticks, the list is long and plentiful. Well, I have a new one , to me at least !

I know everyone loves to talk about what they like to use to keep their hands from slipping when free motion quilting, and I have tried alot of them. Before I came up with this idea I was using the machingers gloves, but they made my hands sweaty, and I had to take them off any time I wanted to change a needle, or rethread, then put them back on again. Plus, I have this OCD thing with hyper sensitive skin, and the gloves really sent me to the brink at times. Once I got my machine frame, I never really thought about it again, no more gloves ! Now that I have gone frame free again, I really had to come up with something else.
These are Scotch-Brite Stay Clean Scrub Sponges. You can get them at almost any grocery or dollar store. There are 2 styles of these, one has a regular sponge on one side and scratchy scrubber on the other. This kind that I use has little rubber nubs on one side and micro fiber on the other.


When I first got the idea to try these I was thinking that the nubby side would be great for gripping the fabric, but its not ! Those little nubs slide all over the place ! Now the micro fiber side is perfect ! No slip at all ! They fit perfectly to the shape of my hand too and that is a nice comfort plus !




All I did was sew on some 1 inch elastic to the sides for my hands to slide into and allow me to move my hands without losing the sponge ! I have been in heaven since I made them the other night. No more sweaty hands and slipping my hands in and out of them is super quick and easy ! Plus, they are MUCH more economical to replace when they get icky !

Originally Posted by muskratwine

I too didn't like the gloves but got a better tip from a friend who is a fabulous machine quilter - use glycerin!! A drop on the palms of your hands makes them just tacky enough to grip the fabric. It does not stain the fabric, is good for your skin and is cheap. A bottle which will last a lifetime is only a couple dollars. I found mine in the first aid aisle at Wal-Mart.