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Friday, July 20, 2012

Back to School Tools for Sewing



   
The Back to School supplies are out in the stores! I absolutely love looking through them to see what's new each year. (Maybe this is a habit left over from my years of teaching school.) 
There were several choices of day planners out. I chose the one you see above because it had pretty colors and the months had tabs so I could find them easily. It is also small enough to fit in my purse. I paid $4.97 for it. Look at the pretty cover. It looked like fabric to me.
 Next up is this "slap ruler" for $1.97. You can give it a little slap and it will curl around your wrist. It comes in handy for quick measuring. I wouldn't use it with my rotary cutter, but it's nice for other things. Because it can be worn like a bracelet, it might be something you could take along to the store to measure design repeats, trim, and things like that.


This pencil case is a bargain for 47 cents! It has a little slide out "drawer" that can be snapped shut. It's the perfect size for......

..... your rotary cutter! And it's the perfect size to slip in your tote!

These ring bound index cards can be closed with the elastic band at the bottom. The label peels off to reveal a modern quilt design on the cover. It's perfect for carrying your fabric samples and information about your quilts in progress. $1.97

This nifty little clip board is very simple and is only $1.44.  Clipboards are great for holding instructions for your projects. 

 This wonderful little Ott Light (it's only about 2 1/4" x 3 1/4"). It has a clip on the back and opens up to reveal a LOT of light! It normally costs $19.99, but I had a half-off coupon. It fits in my purse perfectly. What a great deal for $10!

 This cute little "trinket tray" was in the $1 rack at Michael's. I usually put my empty spools beside the sewing machine so I can rewind them. This little owl is perfect for holding them and a few stray pins while I'm sewing. 
He was so cute, I just had to find a use for him! $1 is in my price range, too!
 Last on the list is this 3-D note board that uses dry erase markers. My husband and I keep a running shopping list and write notes to ourselves about things we need to do, etc. You can't really tell by the photo that this looks 3-D, but it does. This was in the school supply aisle for $6.50. 
Maybe your school supply aisle has a few tools you can use with your sewing. Look through them with a mindset of "what other uses could this have?" It's fun! You might find what will become your favorite sewing tool! 
Until next time......
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11 comments:

  1. Oh, dear, I will have to look for one of those wrist rulers! Some great finds there....

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  2. Thanks for joining our blog :-)))
    Ciao
    Flavia

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  3. Delightful post, Linda! I can't believe the back to school stuff is already out!! The former teacher in me loves it all, too! Now I know what to look for when I go shopping next! You've done all the 'think' work!

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  4. Oh I love back to school supplies. I always buy a new box of crayons...I love the smell of Crayola crayons when they are fresh and new. Talk about a rewind to childhood school days. Your new supplies are wonderful and that slap ruler is a must. You are very clever to look at everything with other-than-intended uses. My Grandmother taught me to do just that...she referred to it as "see it with different eyes". Thank you for visiting and commenting. Summer Sunshine Smiles...

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  5. What great ideas Linda. You always amaze me!!!!! :)

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  6. What great finds in the back to school aisle.

    Your last post gave me an idea with your granddaughters shorts. I came up with the idea of teaching young girls how to sew using American Girl clothing as an incentive. The quilt guild I belong to loved the idea and we have set a program to start in the fall at our local YMCA - so I think a nice one class project would be to make shorts for the doll [to practice on] then a pair for them.

    All the best,
    katie
    www.westiejulep.blogspot.com

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  7. OOh a woman that thinks just like me I see. That sliding pencil case is awesome! I bought two of them last year and really need to buy more this year. I found those are great for so many things. Just like you said, perfect for the rotary cutters. When I took a beginning quilt piecing class last Fall I was able to put my 60mm Olfa rotary cutter in there as well as extra bobbins for my machine, quilt clips, a small ruler, my marking pencils and a few other things. It's perfect. I've been debating storing my bobbins in one of those since they are so easy to store and could fit many bobbins inside plus it slides open so you can pull it out to see them all at once.

    Office supply stores are a huge weakness for me. I'm like a guy in a hardware store in those places. I'll buy thing from the office supply store just because I want to even when I have the same things already at home. They have such fun colors now. LOL

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  8. I enjoyed your post immensely...it is a bright spot in my week. I love school supplies, too! Thanks for the useful suggestions for sewers and quilters.

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  9. My favorite back-to-school tool for sewing is GLUE STICKS - and boy are they cheap during the sales!

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  10. Great ideas Linda. We have just signed a contract to buy a larger house so I am lurking at the school supply and University student aisles looking for storage ideas!!!

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  11. Oh, look at you and your goodies! The ruler is a good idea, and so are the others. Thanks for making us think outside the box ~
    :-}pokey

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