I do have favorite things and thought I would share some of them in honor of National Sewing Month! So here are a few of the notions I use in the Loft and love...
I have turned a 72" long, 3/8" wide drawstring with this! Spaghetti straps and button loops are a breeze - a wonderful tool.
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| Dritz Loop Turner |
Speaking of turning, I cannot sew without these. I use the smallest one to turn the fingers on my 14" art dolls (my original design, the Summer Dolls).... the wooden sticks broke a long time ago :-) but I use a chopstick instead! works great. Got mine at JoAnns.
There are a couple notions that I think Clover does better than anyone else. One is their seam ripper. Fits my hand so well and is very very sharp. LOVE it!
The other is their white marking pen. It disappears under the iron. I use it with glee knowing it's going away when I want it to - but not before. This pen is fantastic for drawing long quilting lines and darts and notch marks.
Speaking of markers, my other standby is a purple disappearing felt tip... the ink goes away eventually by itself. And if it doesn't, a whisk with a damp cloth takes care of it. Love this pen.
I very seldom use chalk pencils, as I prefer tailor tacks if it gets to that. However, being a quilter, I do have a good stash of silver quilters pencils :-)
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| Collins Quilters Silver Pencil - JoAnns |
Are you an eyelet lover? Sometimes I am and I want the right tool! Crocodilio! All you scrapbookers are laughing! My daughter is an incredibly talented scrapper and put me onto these...
While on the subject of tools, I have another strange one that I can recommend highly - a meat tenderizer! I use it to set large snaps or grommets! One or two good whacks... It's in my sewing drawer, not in the kitchen! I use the flat surface, and the short handle is perfect leverage.
My newest notion, from Nancy's Notions - these are little 1" x 1 3/4" nippers! For my needlework project bags and handbag. Perfect! Will not snag my bag or yarn!
Well, of course I use cutters and rulers and mats and all sorts of other things. But these are my favorite not-so-usual finds. Hope you enjoyed!
Ciao! Coco
Ohhh gadgets!!! Fascinating
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling that you will be adding a double-eyed needle to your collection soon!
ReplyDeleteOn order as of this morning! I've been using a crochet hook to pull my serger ends thru, what a pain! Thanks so much for the email! and isn't Nancy's Notions a fun shop...
DeleteI have some of these things and absolutely treasure them. I love Clover products!!
ReplyDeleteOh I want, I want! I'm still using a big ugly safety pin for drawstring pulling....
ReplyDeleteHehe, I still use a safety pin for elastic too ;) but I do have a disappearing pen. MIne is years and years old, but it still seems to work OK!
ReplyDeleteYour dolls are absolutely great! Great tool suggestions---I have a few and love them. Love the idea of using the meat "hammer" in the sewing room:)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Victoria! Yes, the hammer can be very stress-relieving as well ;-)
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