STITCH LINES...... Ramblings on life as a quilter, stitcher, traveler, photographer, gardener and lover of books, cats and fine chocolate....
Showing posts with label notions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label notions. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The Top Five...

A while back, I picked up what I thought looked like an interesting book at Winners. It was titled "The 10 Best of Everything - An Ultimate Guide for Travelers". That intrigued me so I brought it home. It contains lists of 10 bests under many categories such as Sports, Places (islands, gardens, museums and galleries, national parks, etc.), Travel (landmarks, cruises, drives, vistas, etc.), Foods (coffees, chocolates, steak houses, ice creams, etc.). Interesting reading, for sure....
As I was sitting at the sewing machine the other day, I thought- What would I choose as my 10 best or favourite sewing tools or equipment? I pondered this as I was working on my teeny tiny blocks. I decided 5 might be an easier number to start with as 10 seemed a bit daunting... So after some thought, here are my Top Five. (Perhaps I'll add five more later, for a total of The Ten Best... )
1. Bernina - without a doubt the one thing I would never want to be without is my Bernina sewing machine. I have sewed on a Bernina for almost 20 years now and I would have no other. Their slogan is so true: "Nothing sews like a Bernina. Nothing." I love it's perfect tension, it's beautiful satin stitch, it's workhorse attitude.. I love everything about it. Yes, it's heavy, but that's a sign of quality. Metal parts as opposed to plastic. The Swiss know what they're doing... Swiss Chocolate, Swiss watches, and Bernina...
2. Bendable Bright Light - this is probably the best light I have ever used for sewing. I have Ott Lights, both floor and desk, and they are great too. But for a bright light exactly where you want it, you can't beat this little gem. A non-magnetic bracket attaches to your machine with a strong double sided adhesive, and the light snaps into the bracket easily. The gooseneck allows you to adjust the bright white LED light to exactly where you want it. It makes sewing at night and/or with dark fabrics a breeze...I don't know how I ever sewed without this light.
3. Micro Tip Fiskars Snips - I love these little babies. They are SO sharp; I love their spring action (easy on the hands) and small size. With their sharp points, they are great for snipping into small corners or curves.... I've been using these for quite awhile now and they are still very sharp. Just love 'em. Just sayin'
4. Fons and Porter marking pencil - I have tried out many marking pencils over the years but I do believe Fons and Porter have come up with the best! The leads that come with the pencil are white but you can also buy a package of dark leads. The leads are made from a water soluble ceramic material; they give a nice fine line that is very easy to remove - either with the eraser (extras also available) or with water. What more could a gal want? Read more here.
5. Travel Case - I have been lugging my machine around for years, between taking workshops and teaching.... Don't know why I didn't get one of these years ago... A travel case on wheels, similar to luggage. It holds my machine, foot pedal, power bar, all cords and lots more. Pockets on outside can hold extra items. Just makes travelling to teach SOOO much easier....
Good equipment makes this hobby so much easier and more enjoyable. What would you count in your favourites?
Piece,
Linda
"Buy the best you can afford. It's money well spent and better than buying cheap and having to continuously replace..." (good advice from my Mother)

Saturday, April 4, 2009

New notions from Fons and Porter

I'm home safe and sound after a teaching day at The Quiltery in Riverview. It is always such a pleasure to teach at Martha's shop. She has a wonderful classroom - well lit and good space for each individual student. Her shop has a good varied fabric stock, books, magazines and patterns, and a great supply of notions.
I want to tell you about a few new notions I saw while there- you will all want them! Both are by Fons and Porter. First - a pair of gloves for machine quilting. They are comfortable to wear and the fingers and palms are covered with the little "dots" that grip. They are 100% cotton and machine washable, they even come in several color choices. And best of all - they are only $3.99!! If you machine quilt, you will want a pair of these! They really do help reduce tension in your neck and hands.
The other item is a fine lead mechanical marking pencil that washes out. It has a soft grip for added comfort and an eraser. The strong ceramic 0.9MM white lead is specially formulated for fabric and made from water soluble dyes. I have to say I was VERY impressed with this pencil. Those of you who know me, know that I LOVE the General's marking pencils - in fact I convinced Martha to stock them a few years back. But she and I both agree- this one has Generals' beat!! You can buy extra packages of leads- both white and dark, also extra erasers. Now thats impressive! My students today cleaned her out, but she has more coming in next week!

Those of you readers who live in N.B., remember that Martha is one of our Pfaff dealers, and she provides wonderful service. Her husband Peter does all the machine repairs and servicing, and unless you have a major problem, it is same day service -ie bring your machine in in the morning, and you'll get it back later the same day! You can't beat that! AND Peter knows his stuff!!

Well, thats it for today. My little plug for The Quiltery at 630 Pinewood Road in Riverview! One of my favorite shops. You can visit them at http://www.thequiltery.com/

Piece,
Linda

"To love another person is to see the face of God" - Victor Hugo (Les Miserables)
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