Tool Time

The fourth best thing about being a quilter is all the great gadgets, tools and gizmos we get to play with.  The first, second and third best things ~ in no particular order ~ are the joy of the quilting process, the beauty of the finished product, and the pleasure of touching and drooling over gorgeous fabric. 

So when I wrote about my most favorite flying geese ruler last week, it got me to thinking about some of my other favorite tools.  And I expect you to tell me about your favorite tools!

 

Starting at the top, I love the new quick-change rotary cutter from Olfa.  While the quick-change feature is very nice, what I really like is the shape of the handle.  I've never been able to get used to the ergonomic cutters and when I'm doing a lot of cutting ~ I like to cut out the whole quilt at the same time ~ my hand gets tired.  This handle is wider at the middle and the curve of the handle makes it very comfortable to hold when I'm doing a lot of cutting. 

My Clover seam ripper.  This one fits my hand well and I like that the point is very narrow.  My friend Sue likes those surgical steel seam rippers but they scare me... as in, I'll need surgery to close the wound I'll have after using it.  The magnifying glasses at the bottom, those are so that I can see the stitches that need to be removed.

I use a stiletto/awl to guide pieces under the presser foot, and to keep my pieces straight when I get to the end of a seam.  I bought this one from a lovely gentleman on eBay who makes crochet hooks and other needlework tools from beautiful laminated woods.  I would love to buy another one but his stiletto/laying tools have gotten extremely expensive, often going for more than $75.00. 

Can I be honest about something?  I have a scissor fetish.  I love good scissors.  I think it comes from growing up with a Mom who would never let me use the "good scissors".  So now I have lots and lots of pairs of "good scissors".  These two pairs are by Dovo, a German company that started out making barber scissors.  They are very lightweight and very sharp.  And I love the brushed finish.  Pretty and functional! 

My measuring tape ~ I use this to measure my quilt tops before marking and attaching borders.  The metal tape from the hardware store doesn't stretch, doesn't warp and you can use it by yourself if you need to. 

 

This is my favorite thread ~ Presencia 60 wt.  It is very fine and very, very strong.  I first heard about it two years ago when Harriet Hargrave started recommending it.  The simple truth is that Harriet's forgotten more about quilting than I'll ever know, and since her daughter, Carrie ~ who just HAS to be brilliant with a name like that! ~ did an extensive study on thread, I figured that they knew of what they were speaking.  So I tried it and I love it. 

The one thing to tell you if you try it is that you'll want to try using a smaller needle with the 60 wt. thread ~ I usually use a 75/11 needle with this thread.  While the 50 wt. comes in a couple hundred colors, the 60 wt. only comes in about 30 colors.  My favorite color for almost all of my piecing is 216, but I also use 212 and 175.  Presencia is made in Spain and is the preferred thread for couture sewing in Europe.  Oh and you'll love the price, the large spool of 600 meters is about $6.50, and sometimes less. 

Getting old really bites... although, yes, I know, it beats the alternative. 

Since my old Bernina machine doesn't have a flourescent light, this light is perfect as it gives me more light and it lets me direct the light to where I need it!  It's one of the better gadgets of recent years. 

Almost done... the ruler is one of the frosted rulers by Olfa.  I admit it, when I first saw it, I didn't expect to like it.  I figured it would be one of those great "new" ideas that didn't really do anything.  I was wrong about that as I have found the ruler to have less glare than some of my others.  I also like that the lines are very thin and the logo is very small!  The ruler doesn't slide very much, and it is very easy to see through the ruler on both light and dark fabrics. 

The marking pencil and "glue stick" from Sewline are two new products that I also figured would fall into the "fancy new gadget that I won't really use".  It works like a mechanical pencil and it is terrific, especially when you have to mark lines on a dark fabric as you can choose the color of the "lead" you put in.  And the glue stick is just perfect as it is very easy to use and gives you "just enough" stick for when you just need to keep two pieces together for just a little while.  

As for the pins, you really can't see them in the picture but I love the super-fine pins by Clover.  Half the box has yellow heads and the other half has blue heads.  They're a little bendy but they are so fine, you can sew over them... and, yes, I know, you aren't supposed to.  But I do.

And, last but not least, my iPod.  I love to sew with my music.  I've never been able to do the audio book thing, they usually wind up distracting me by annoying me.  I don't like the reader's voice.  I don't like the inflections they put into the words.  I really get annoyed by accents, and by the readers trying to do a voice for the opposite sex.  So I like music, and most of that is rock and roll, with some jazz, some opera, a little bit of country and some classical thrown in.

I also listen to the Squeezebox radio/computer thing my brother got me for Christmas two years ago but that takes me way too long to explain.  Let it suffice to say that I can listen to a jazz radio station broadcasting from Paris on the stereo thing in my sewing room via wi-fi and my computer. 

I also have a few scented candles in the room ~ although I don't keep those on the sewing table anymore.  Almost setting a quilt on fire at 1:30 in the morning changed my thinking on the wisdom of that.  And, yes, I always have some kind of chocolate in there.  And doggie treats ~ there are two treat jars in my sewing room, one by the sewing machine and another on the cutting table. 

Whew!  Finally done. 

So what are your favorite tools?  And what "creature comforts" do you have in your sewing room that you just can't live without when you're stitching?       

Comments

[Sherri]

Thanks so much for this post...I learned a lot! Is the Presencia thread 100% cotton? I've been using Aurifil since it seems to cut down on lint, but I'd like to try Presencia!I also love my Angler--it saves me from drawing lines when sewing flying geese and other similar constructions!

[Michelle]

Thanks for posting - think I need to add some things to my shopping list... Where do you buy the thread?

[Carrie]

The thread is 100% cotton and it is similar to the Aurifil in that it is a long-staple fiber so it doesn't have much lint, and it is very fine.

I know of two places online where the thread can be ordered:

Harriet Hargrave's shop sells the thread ~ http://www.harriethargrave.com/products_show.asp?cat=needles

And from Stone Cottage Quilts ~ http://www.stonecottagequilts.com/presencia.html

[Kim]

My favorite tool is my high-backed office chair. The chair back comes all the way up to my neck and I take it with me when I go to sew-days and such with my guild or bee friends (thank goodness for my SUV!!) I also take along my sew-ezi table with my Janome Gem Platinum. As far as "tool tools" I can't live with my Marti Michelle templates and my 28mm cutter - makes those blocks be so nice. I might have to check out the thread. I have been using the essential thread from connecting threads just because of price for piecing... but for quilting... I LOVE King Tut threads.

[Dee Johnson]

How does this thread compare to Aurifil, so you prefer it to same? Glad to hear about the rotary cutter, was wondering if it was worth the price. I love my new light also. Current fav is my olpha 18 x 24 mat that is on a lazy susan type set up. - awesome.

[Joyce]

Like you, I thought the Sewline pencil would just be a "flash in the pan". But I LOVE it for applique. I have all my friends buying it and my LQS has run out of them twice! My new favorite gadget. Also, couldn't do without my Dovo scissors. And chocolate...definately chocolate.

[Richelle Robinson]

I have a scissor fetish also. One can never have enough and Dovos are one of my favorites. I will have to try the Presencia. It was fun to see some of your favorite things. Thanks!

[Heather]

I like to make my own patterns, so a caculator is always in my hand, also I like my new Gingher scissors, they cut so nice, I can't believe I haven't owned a nice pair like that all along! :D Good pins are important too. This post made me realize how much stuff it takes to make a quilt.

I love your patterns, and have made quite a few quilts from them, they are beautiful! I am so glad you have a blog too, it'll be fun to see what you are up to. Your dog is adorable, I love Golden Retrievers, we have a Lab puppy :D

[dorothy]

i LOVE my 1/4-inch foot with a guide (#57 for the bernina)--i'm still not super accurate but at least i feel better! i also use my Fiskar ergonomic rotary cutter and scissors (it has springs) constantly. i have the nice, fancy scissors but after getting tendonitis by cutting out too much fabric with regular scissors and rotary cutters--i ONLY use the fiskars now. thanks for this topic--it's always fun to see what's going on in other people's sewing rooms!

[Patty]

I love the "Bobbin Saver"! It's the donut shaped ring that holds about 25 bobbins. I fill all the bobbins at once and keep the ring under my acrylic table.

Although not really considered tools, I like the next two things because they make my life easier.. bed risers under the legs of my cutting table (I like to cut out a whole quilt at one time too :-)

And, the big board top for my ironing board! I bought a pattern for it on eBay and my DH made it for me. It was much cheaper than the hundred bucks or so they sell for!!!

[Auntie Pami]

Clover-anything. My tools my Dad made for me. I have a seam ripper and stiletto. I(He's a woodturner --I may even have an extra you can have Carrie.
My Visa. My Bernina(s), even my 1952 model. Those are my favorite things! I would like to try the Dovo scissors.

[Amy @ parkcitygirl]

Love all the great info here! Thanks for sharing :) My favorite tool, along with many of the items you have here would be the calculator.

[Carol]

I love the new rotary cutter also...wasn't so sure when I bought it but I thought I'd better try it...don't want to miss anything. The Bendable Light is probably the best $49 I've ever spent. I have an old Bernina (wouldn't get rid of it for anything) and the light isn't wonderful...this has made all the difference in the world. I've never tried the Olfa rulers...I've been a Creative Grid girl since they came out...although I like the idea of less glare. Love Dovo scissors, or just any scissors...thanks for sharing why you think you love scissors...my mom was the very same way...explains a lot. LOL!

[Kate]

I must admit, I'm a rather tool-less quilter. Ive got my Olfa rotary cutter, and my big rectangular ruler, and thats pretty much it....

[amy]

Along with chocolate, my laptop has now become my constant sewing companion. I like to "watch" movies while I sew, particularly for long stretches of machine quilting. Or maybe I'll stream some NPR or listen to some music or a book or follow a tutorial on the screen rather than printing out on paper. Very handy!

[marianne]

I have to admit I love the Clover seam ripper and I must have a caluculator to do all sorts of figuring whether it be on enlarging blocks , borders, or the general size of the quilt. My LQS got me hooked on the Presencia thread years ago. I like it cause it creates less lint in the bobbin area. I'm with you on the audio books, too distracting. Gotta have my MacBook Pro and my iTunes though. I love streaming music from around the world or listening to talk radio. I'm going to check out that frosted ruler; I've always dismissed it before.

[Lisa D.]

I absolutely LOVE the Presencia thread (I learned about it when I took a class from Jo Morton) and that's all I use for my piecing now. I buy mine from Sew Thankful: http://www.sewthankful.com/Presencia60WtThread.html

I used to be able to buy the cones from them, but I don't see them listed on their website any more. Anyway, I buy the cones for winding bobbins, and the 600m spools for piecing.

[Georgina]

I love my Gingher sissors and embroidery silk thread "Gloriana" . I don't know a lot about gadgets, but this post and the comments are going to make me learn a lot. Great idea, thanks!
Just a note: I love your patterns and enjoy the way you write. Now I'm working on a pattern of yours ("Imagine") and I'm finishing it.
Georgina in Qatar, Middle East.

[Patty]

I forgot to mention I absolutely love the cordless Black & Decker scissors for cutting batting. I also posted a photo on my blog [ www.justonequilt.blogspot.com ] of the batting stand I made because I buy it buy the roll. Simple and cheap!

It would have been free had I waited one more week and just picked up the broken office chair my neighbors left by the curb! ROFLOL ;-)

[Mary]

This was a good review for the thread...I've considered but never really heard of anybody using it. I've marked your blog to return to...lots to read here! Save for tea time!

[Claudia]

I think I could have a list of items as long as your, but here are a few. The Gingher rotary cutter is sharp and fast. A seam ripper(that never gets used), my IPOD with a little speaker you slid it in and its great. A ceramic coaster so that when I have a pop it won't drip. I love the easy angle ruler & Monique's flying geese ruler. The gypse griper for the ruler, so it doesn't slip and your finger gets in the way. Candy so that when something goes wrong you have a piece to make everything better. That just a few

[laurie]

All of the above, plus finger cots for hand piecing and hand quilting.

[nicole]

What a great post. Terrific subject. I may do a post on it as well! Lisa has been recommending Presencia thread to me for ages. She finally just broke down and gave me a spool so I could try it. I love it!
A tool I think we take for granted is our cutting mat. Imagine life without them? We would be back to using templates and scissors. I have a portable cutting mat that is a mat on one side and a squishy ironing surface on the other. Before I had a sewing room, I would set it up on my kitchen counter and do my cutting on the one side and pressing on the other. Now I have a smaller version that I take with me to classes. I set it right next to my machine and while I sew I never have to get up and stand in line to use the iron.

[Donna]

Love you blog, and your patterns.
My favorite things are in my sewing room.
My grandma's pincushion, the grabbitt pincushion and the stand it sits in and the bobbin holder. I love the felt board the try out different quilt layouts, or just to put the blocks on as I work on them. Of course I have a stereo, plants and some art work and lots of storage for the fabric and baskets with half finished projects. Oh did I say that out load.
My sewing room is a world of it's own and a great get away.

[Nancy]

Hi There,
I popped on over to your blog after Nicole posted a picture of the Schnibbles Christmas tablecloth she made, courtesy of a contest you had. I am new to blogs and somewhat new to quilting also but it seems that the blogs are consuming lots of my sewing time (gasp!!!) but OH MY the beautiful quilts I have seen and great tips I am picking up are well worth sacrificing sewing time. I was wondering if you have a site where I can order the Presencia Thread online? I live in Utah and have had to travel quite a ways to get the Masterpiece by Superior threads that I have been using and enjoy as they are very fine and tight, cutting down on the lint and fuzz that collects in the machine. However, I would like to try the Presencia if I can find it. I thank you for any help you can give me. I also had to say that the Schnibbles patterns and fabrics are 'to die for', especially "Good Fortune" I am going to have to try finding some of those along with the pin cushions (who doesn't love pin cushions?). I drooled all over my computer looking at those fabrics. So beautiful, and with winter coming on fast and hard here, and my Scleroderma pain peaking with the cold, I am lining up as many projects as possible since I found that quilting, takes my mind off absolutely everything, except the wonderful swish of the rotatary cutter, and the humm of the sewing machine. OH, and of course the squeek of my chair as I sit and spin and ponder the blocks being arranged on my small but suitable design board. Ah, but again I digress...the thread. Do you know where I can order it? I tried to Google it but got nothing...strange!
Thanks so much, and I do apologize for rambling.
Nancy Jo

[lovetostitch]

I missed this blog earlier, must have been busy at my sewing table. I am a fan of the surgical ripper, I use it almost like a stilletlo, as it is flat to hold the fabic down and forward under the pressure foot. I have a "big board", however my husband made it for me - it's wonderful. I see there are a few things I might like to add to my list of wants tho. Great postings!! Thanks, xo

[Denise Felton]

Great advice! I've scheduled a link to this post to go live on my blog mid-day tomorrow (Central USA time). I hope it brings you a few extra clicks.

Denise
http://needlework.craftgossip.com

[Jess]

Hi, this is a little bit after the fact but I wanted to share one of my little bit odd gadget that I found for free on the ground(don't worry it isn't anything icky)
I found a 7 point antler on the ground last January and now I use it to hold my big spools of thread.
Oh, and I really like my pink rotary cutter and my Gingher scissors!