GENIUS.... ABSOLUTELY GENIUS. Thank you for sharing and I'm passing the info on to other quilters.

Replacement erasers for mechanical pencils can also be used--just but into smaller lengths.

Love this idea! Thanks for the picture tutorial. I think I can do this easy enough.

I wonder if the hot glue sticks would work too?

You are so clever!!

My question too....never heard of them...I gather they are used to open or close safety pins?.if so....I was told to use the back of a spoon

for those that wonder how they are used... Leah Day uses them and she has a video explaining how:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptqrhOTEgLE

Very clever, and the straws made them pretty colors that will show up on a variety of fabrics. I have been using ear plugs similar to these: https://smile.amazon.com/Macks-Ear-C...able+ear+plugs , and they almost never fall off for me, but this could be a worthwhile way of making some in colors that would contrast with fabrics that are too similar to the ear plugs.

Anyone who hasn't tried this pinning method will be pleasantly surprised at how much of an improvement it is over using safety pins.

Wanted to add that for anyone who would like to test this method without a bigger investment, the dollar stores often have small packages of the foam ear plugs. They are not a bargain price compared to the larger quantities, but you'd only be out a dollar if you decide you didn't like it.

I was just remembering a time when my daughter was visiting and we had a guest bed in the sewing room (no, not a sewing machine in the guest room, though we had that, too!). She is extremely sensitive to sounds, so things like our clock chiming in the night would wake her. When she saw the big jar of ear plugs on the sewing table, she assumed I was being considerate of her and she used a pair. They do work for their original purpose, too.:)

Where there's a will, there's a clever girl to come up with a clever solution! Congratulations.

Great idea, and easy on the budget too! :)