Every crafting and sewing store are full of amazing notions to make your creative life a little easier, or more fun/efficient/colourful. But some of the things you find in my desk drawers and on my cutting table aren’t going to be in your local quilt shop or big box store! However, they are there for a reason, and are often reached for in various jobs and tasks while sewing.
Cuticle sticks
These little wooden sticks are so useful for English paper piecing if you’re a glue-baster like me. When you’re at the stage of removing the papers, use the sloped end to gently lift up the fabric by sliding the stick between the fabric and the paper, and then tuck the stick under the paper and flick it out. At $3 or so for a multi-pack, these will last me for years.
Tweezers
If you’ve ever foundation paper pieced, then you know what it can be like removing the paper at the end of the block. Personally, I find it quite cathartic! That is, until you get little bits stuck in the stitches or under a seam allowance, or when you’re trying to get the paper off of a particularly tiny segment. Tweezers to the rescue! These bad boys are really good at getting into the tough spots and grabbing onto the little bits of paper. Just don’t go using them on your eyebrows again… probably not the most hygienic idea.
Metal plate stand
While a peg board full of quilting rulers looks amazing on Pinterest, it’s not suited to every quilting space. One really handy option is to use a plate stand that will store your rulers vertically.
For a few years, I used a smaller, L-shaped black one that I found in our kitchen cupboard when unpacking in our last house. Just recently, I upgraded to this more “heavy duty” A-shaped option as it’s more stable when storing several rulers. I paid just $6 for this one from Spotlight, and it is worth every one of those 600 cents, ha! And I still use the smaller one on the window sill to hold the smaller rulers.
Washi tape
I have a mild obsession with washi tape. Less so now that I’ve left Japan, home of the cheap and gorgeous washi, but my collection will last me quite a while yet! There are two main uses that I’m frequently using washi tape for in my sewing room (and outside, too) – labelling my notions for sewing days, and replacing the need for marking sewing lines on half-square triangles and flying geese.
Be sure to use a darker/more solidly coloured tape so that it has a clear edge to follow when sewing. And the great thing about washi tape, is that it cleanly lifts off your machine without leaving a sticky residue behind.
The other use for washi tape is clearly and easily labelling your sewing notions when you’re headed out to a sewing day or retreat. With rotary cutters and rulers lying around everywhere, it’s easy to misplace your own. I keep a little roll of skinny, cherry blossom washi tape in my sewing bag and use that to label my own gear.
What little non-sewing notion tricks do you have? Share your tips with us!
Linda says
I use a wooden napkin holder to store my rulers, mine has a hinged front so you can adjust the size for the amount of rulers you have in there. I don’t know where it is from. My granddaughter was selling stuff for school at the time.
Alyce says
Oh that’s great!!!
Phyllis Miller says
I use medicine bottles that I have washed to hold several bobbins of a color so when I am sewing on my quilt the bobbins are ready to go and I can keep them together. I have several colors for different projects.
Alyce says
Oh that’s clever!
Janet says
I also use washi tape to label my project boxes. And I use an empty gum container to dispose of old rotary blades and needles.
Alyce says
Ooh, I’m terrible at disposing safely of old needles (have previously stabbed my thumb before), that one’s a good idea!!
Barbara says
I frequently bring up the bobbin thread to avoid knot nests on the back of my work. After the loop of thread is up, I use tweezers to help lengthen it and pull it to the side. My favorite is a long, skinny pair of suture removal tweezers. My daughter, who is a nurse, brought me home an unused one that would have otherwise been thrown away (part of a sterile kit–not all pieces used).
Alyce says
What a great way to recycle them! I’m sure there’s a new sewing notion business in there somewhere 😉
elsa hart says
Oh thank you so much for the tip of using the sloped wooden sticks to remove papers. I glue baste (first time) and I was wondering how I would ever get the papers out without ruining my project.
Where did you purchase them?
Alyce says
Just the local pharmacy with a big beauty section – they’re in the nail care section.
Melody says
In the US we call them “orange sticks” . I have no idea why really. lol!
Gwenyth says
In England too. I have no idea why either
Chris says
Because they were/are made of orange wood.
Chris says
Let me disambiguate that. The wood of the orange tree.
Alyce says
Ohhh! Well there you go! Thanks for sharing that!
Irene says
I found what looks like a 2-pronged fondue fork at a flea market. It is 18 cm long and perfect for holding the ends of fabric together as it feeds under the presser foot. A handy replacement for my lost awl.
Alyce says
Ha! That’s a great solutions!
Allison Reid says
Oh! Yes! I think patchwork quilters are very good at seeing new uses for everyday objects! I use cuticle sticks as ‘pokey pointers’ for pushing out corners in cushions and bags 🙂
Alyce says
Haha! That’s what our extensive chopstick collection is useful for too 😉