meemersmom

I cut "rings" out of an old knee high w/ a run in it and loosely wrap them around spools of monofilament. I have no troubles keeping the tension, and the thread doesn't come off the spool before the machine pulls it, eliminating snarls and tangles on the spool pin.

And, not really quilting, but when making ruffles (curtains, pillows, bags, etc.), I use dental tape instead of a ruffler foot. It never breaks when gathering (and has the bonus of being able to undo when you need to wash a curtain).

grammy17

I change mine with every project. This is after buying my new 7700. Before--every 10 years or when they broke.

Aurora

I washed an empty juice jug and cut off the top, then inserted it into my thread catcher. I just remove the jug to empty my threads at the end of the day. No more picking loose threads out of the bottomand off the sides of the thread catcher.

Also, I use a tool box for quilt guild and UFO days. Here are photos of my best idea for transporting my quilting gear.

mcdaniel023

I velcro a small pincushion to the side of my machine. Pins are within reach and I can return them to the cushion as I sew. I was constantly knocking mine off and I didn't want one on my wrist.

gal288

Great ides, but if you have a computerized mmachine, be careful. I was having a problem with my machine,, took it in for service, the tech said that the magnetic strip was causing a problem with the machine. moved the strip 12" away, on my table,, nno more problem

suesembroidery

buy clear christmas tree bulbs and stuff the scrap thread in them and hang them on your tree. I fill one up every year and write the year on them. They are prettier than you would think.

OmaForFour

I needed to make a pattern for handquilting that I could put on my candlemat without tracing the design on the material with something that might not come off.

I printed the design by spraying 505 on to a piece of tracing paper, laying it on piece of printer paper smoothly and then running it through my inkjet printer to print the design on the tracing paper.

Then I carefully removed the printer paper from the tracing paper and had exactly what I wanted which I laid onto the fabric. It stayed in place becuause of the 505 that was on it and I added a couple of pins for stability.

I have no idea what special paper to print patterns would cost, but this works well and is always on hand to set up a design of my own choice from whatever source. It also pulls away from the stitching when I am done without a problem.

Pamela Artman

Lots of good tips! I use an empty tissue box for threads and trash. When it's full, I can just toss the whole thing and get another one! I use a sticky lint roller to clean off threads from my blocks. I pre-wind a box full of bobbins. I use several layers of painters tape to mark my 1/4" sewing line. I keep a bottle of water near my iron. I keep a basket underneath the cutting table for throw-away scraps, a plastic basket on my table for scraps that are usable, when it is full, I cut the scraps into strips and squares. I use a "thread bunny" (don't know how it got it's name!) which is just a scrap to sew onto after sewing pieces. Saves thread. Then I decided to keep a stack of squares or triangles next to my machine and instead of sewing off onto a scrap, I just grab a couple of squares and use those as my "thread bunny." Before you know it, I have a stack of 4 patches for a new quilt!

grann of 6

I just came up with an idea yesterday when changing the needle in the sewing machine I have upstairs. In the basement I keep a baby food jar with a hole in the top for inserting discarded needles and bent and damaged pins. I didn't want to trek to the basement, so I put the old needle in the plastic case the new needle came in and wrote on the case that it was used. Now I can throw it out with the trash, so from now on I will save the plastic cases the needles come in.

TheCubbyHole

I recently started a class and wanted a bag on wheels for my Janome MC6500. After looking at several I asked my mother-in-law what she used. Several of her friends recently bought a tool bag from Harbor Freight. I just got mine it has a total of 21 pockets, handle for carrying or you can extend a handle for the wheels. Best of all it was on sale for $19.99 it is reg. prices like $24.99. She also told me that she just bought rotary blades from there called carpet blades. They come in 2 pkg for $1.99