School Supplies for Quilters!

A gift from a student many years ago. I wonder if she is a quilter today?

 In "another life" I was an elementary school teacher. Through the years I taught from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade. Second grade was my all time favorite, I think, although Pre-K would hold a close second, or maybe Kindergarten. Oh, well. It gets in your blood. It's not the type of profession that you can leave at work. You bring it home with you. You dream about the children. You find yourself thinking continually of newer and better ways to get a lesson across. You worry about whether or not you're the best teacher for a particular child. You worry about their home lives. You spend a good chunk of your meager pay check on classroom supplies and teaching aids (at least public school teachers do that!). Teaching is a hard, thankless job in most cases. So why do I miss parts of it so much! I go in the store when the school supplies are put out and I shop the aisles. I feel at home there. So it's no surprise I find a lot of ways to use these supplies with my quilting. Here is a little list of what I found this week:


Under $1:

Clear washable school glue (see glue resist tutorial here), glue sticks (see my applique method here),
box of 24 crayons (for planning colors or even coloring  on your quilts like women did in the 30's), pencil box (I use several for all kinds of smaller things like  beads, scissors, even for supplies for an on-the-go type project)

Under $2:

Hardcover composition books (perfect for jotting down ideas, taking quilt class notes, keeping a log of quilts). The hard cover makes it feel like a real book, plus it's more durable.  I found it in 2 sizes.

Box of 64 crayons (the more the merrier, I say!) and a clear protractor (use this not only for measuring, but the rounded side is useful for drawing out scalloped borders or scalloped quilting)

 Under $4

Frixion pens (ink disappears with the heat of an iron - I use it to mark the embroidery lines on my quilts. Doesn't matter if you stick it in a freezer and the words come back, I will have embroidered over them!!! ), Fiskars Student scissors (these are the ones made for ages 12+, not the ones for younger kids! They are only 1 1/2" shorter than a regular pair of fabric scissors. They are sharp and cost about $3.49. I bought some last year and they are still sharp. I use them for fabric all the time. My "real scissors" have gotten dull so if I am not using the rotary cutter, I am using these!)

So that's my list. You might want to keep your eyes open next time you go through the school supply aisle. You might be surprised at the goodies you can find!