January
Draw quilting designs on press n seal to make quilting easy.
Just tear away film when finished.
February
An empty M&M's mini candy container makes a great carrying case for bobbins when traveling to classes and retreats. You can fit 8 bobbins in the regular sized container and, if you are lucky enough to find one of the holiday containers, you can fit 12 bobbins in it! Fill your bobbins ahead of time and drop them in with each project's supplies to save time.
March
Have a ruler that is slipping when you are cutting but you don't have any grippers to add to the back? Look to your medicine cabinet -- opaque ridged bandage tape works great! Cut pieces and place along the edge every few inches to give your ruler traction.
April
If your machine doesn't have a special compartment for your specialty feet, use a large pill box to sort them! It will hold feet, thread pads, and more.
May
When using invisible thread, finding the end and threading your machine with it can be challenging. To make it easier, mark the end of the strand with a black marker.
June
Save the moisture packets that come in medicine and shoe boxes to put in your pins and needles to prevent rust, and in your fabric to cut down musty odors.
July
To keep pieces to blocks together in the order to be sewn, stack in order then clip with a clothespin. This is especially handy for those projects that are worked on over a long period of time as pins can leave holes and rust (particularly in those 10 year UFOs!)
August
Can't find your dry erase board but need to list the steps in cutting your fabric or sewing your blocks together? Grab a flexible cutting mat (available at most grocery stores for $1 - $2). They give you a large surface for writing and can easily be "erased".
September
In a hurry to get to class but can't find your thread cone holder? A quick substitute is to put the thread in a drinking cup! If you remove the straw, you can draw the thread through the straw hole in the lid, screw it in place, set the cup behind your machine, then sew as usual. When you are ready to pack up, just cut the thread and put the cup in your bag, the thread is secure inside and won't unroll.
October
Rulers, rulers, where did I put my rulers? A handy way to keep rulers together is using a shower curtain hook to loop through the hole in most rulers. You can even loop two hooks together and place one over a curtain rod in you sewing room or a rod in your closet.
November
Don't you hate to get to class and realize you forgot your 3 inch, 5 inch, etc. ruler? As long as you have your regular ruler and some note flags, no worries. You can simply place the sticky note flags on the measurement you need!
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