Category Archives: Quilting Essentials

Friday Funday: Quitling Accessories

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

Although I could have hundreds of quilting accessories filling up my sewing room, I find that the most basic ones are all that I need.  There is no race, that I know of, to see who has the most gadgets and accessories…it’s just me and my sewing room with fabric, pins, an iron and my sewing machine.  Most of the other STUFF that quilt shops sell is just that – STUFF.  I already have a one-butt sewing room, so why fill it up with anything more than the basic accessories and then lots of fabric?  🙂

Bobbin holders are one of the necessities I need in my sewing room.  When starting a quilt, I take the thread that I have chosen to use for the quilt and fill two or three bobbins (depending on the size of the quilt project) full of that thread – the extras go into one of the bobbin keepers below…and it saves me tons of time when I run out of thread in one bobbin and can just pop a filled bobbin into my sewing machine.

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And when I speak of filling up my sewing room with fabric, I couldn’t resist purchasing another roll-up of Kona solids.  hmmm, that’s some yummy solid fabrics, for sure!  And if you read this blog regularly, you can see that I still haven’t unrolled the previous Kona roll-up that I purchased in November 2013!

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Unfortunately for Kona, I may be forced to stop purchasing their fabrics and talking about them in my social media.  I have asked them to sponsor a few things and they refuse to respond to me.  That’s not playing nice…and I want to play nice with my quilting products!

What essential quilting accessories do YOU have in your sewing room/studio?  Inquiring minds want to know!

Electric Seam Ripper

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

One of the gifts I received from Linda at AbbiMays.com this Christmas was this Galaxy Notions electric seam ripper.

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I have to tell you, I considered sewing something and then ripping it out with this gadget, but I refrained from doing so.  Then yesterday morning, I was binding a quilt and realized I’d put the silly thing on backwards!  So, without further ado, I now had a reason to break out this seam ripper and WHOA!  Amazing little gadget – and now one of my precious ones in my “must have’ basket of quilt needs.  I will tell you that it did not like to rip out back-stitched areas of my quilt…but, once I manually ripped those out, this little tool went to work and I can tell you I have never had so much fun!  🙂

After I received mine, I purchased two more for special women on my Christmas list.

If you do not have one, you NEED one!  Go to AbbiMays.com right now and order your own.  You will fall in love with this modern miracle for ripping out seams!!!

Quilting Essentials

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

I am a self-taught quilter, just as I am a self-taught website designer.  I purchased a quilt in my teen years and borrowed a sewing machine and now, 30+ years later, I am continually honing my craft.

Through the years, I have put together a small but mighty list of quilting essentials.  Everyone knows about thread, patterns, fabric, etc.  But, quilters who have been around a quilt a time or two also have their own idea of quilt essentials – and I personally feel it’s imperative to share those quilt necessities with new quilters.  Especially since I learned these things through other quilters or by trial and error.

See this photo?

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THESE magnetic pin holders are on my quilting essential list.  Not only will they hold my pins securely but if I drop pins on the floor, I just turn the magnetic pin holder upside down and go back and forth with it down near the floor – and it will pick up my pins even if I cannot see them!  I can also put a pin holder in my quilt bag, for hand-sewing projects that I may need while riding in the auto or waiting for doctor’s appointments.

What is on YOUR quilting essential list?

Fiskars Self Healing Rotating Cutting Mat

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

I know, I know – I’m a slow learner and am quite behind the times.  🙂

This past weekend, while shopping for thread, I found this Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Mat at one of our local big box stores.  I had seen my quilter use one when we went to Quilt Market last year but hers was too small for what I needed it for.

FINALLY, the stars were aligned just right and I purchased the 14″ square Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Mat.  Now all I need to do is find my way to my sewing room and start having fun with my new gizmo!

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Do YOU use a turn-table rotary cutting mat when you quilt – inquiring minds want to know!

This Little Light of Mine…I’m Gonna Let it Shine!

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

Earlier this year, when my (third) foster mother was wintering with us, we took a trip to that big box store (initials WM) to pick up some incidentals for my foster mother to have quilt projects to work on while she was staying with us.  On the end of one of the aisles was a huge display of Ott Light Sewing Caddy’s:

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The price on these was $10 – and I *knew* the quality and brand was outstanding, so I suggested my foster mother get for when she sits in the evenings and likes to do hand-work.  I *knew* that price could not be beat anywhere…and after asking about it to my quilty friends on Facebook, the wholesale cost alone was at least $30, if not $40 in some places.  After my foster mother snagged one up, we went back a few days later and I picked up two more.  I had no big intentions on who they would go to, only that the cost could not be beat anywhere.  If I had had unlimited funds, I would have bought a shopping cart full of them!  One of my quilty friends even went a step further and called her local big box store and he called ours and was told they were Christmas oversights and were selling them at that amazingly low price just to get them sold.

Well, one of them went to my mother-in-law as her Easter basket earlier this year – and she has it all set up next to the chair that she likes to do hand-work in later in the evenings…and she absolutely loves it.  My foster mother loved hers so much, she took it home with her!

That left me with one left.  It sat in the box for the longest of times because I just had not come across someone to gift it to.

Then, one evening, I was needing to put the binding on a quilt and could NOT seem to get enough light on the subject, regardless of where I sat in the living room.  Then the light bulb (pun intended) went off in my head that I had the answer right in my sewing room – all I had to do was unpack it and fill it up with what I needed to whip-stitch the binding on a quilt!

Hence, I gifted myself with the final Ott Light Sewing Caddy!

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And when my foster mother comes back, she can use mine and not have to travel with hers…but, leave it safe and full of all of her fun things until she returns to her summer home!