On pins and needles

The expression "on pins and needles" can have special meaning for quilters. A friend recently spent several thousand dollars getting a milliner's needle extracted from her dog. Given that pins and needles are indispensable tools for quilters, I have collected some tips on safely storing them.
The magnet, in many shapes and forms, is perfect for keeping pins and needles in place as well as for searching for lost ones. Auto parts stores sell a highly-magnetized bowl (used to hold bolts, nails, and such) for under $10. They catch anything even remotely near them. You can turn them upside down and do a clean sweep of the floor to gather misplaced pins and needles. Just be sure to keep any magnetized objects away from your electronic sewing machine.
For searching the chair, couch, or other hard-to-reach areas for lost pins and needles, a bingo wand is very handy. This is a magnetized stick used for picking up bingo chips (see photo). They can be found in most variety stores in the hobbies and game section for about $2-3. It is not as powerful as the bowl but you can get under things and in nooks and crannies.
For transporting needles and pins safely, make a needle box. Choose a small box that will shut securely, like an empty gum or mints tin. Trace the shape of the tin on a flat refrigerator magnet. Cut to size and glue to the bottom of the tin. (It may fit in without gluing.)
Safely dispose of bent, used, or dull needles and pins. Family members who empty the trash will appreciate it. Any handy recyclable will do - a popular one is the old pill or prescription bottle with a childproof lid.

Remember the immortal words of Mother Goose:
See a pin and pick it up,

All the day you'll have good luck;
See a pin and let it lay,

Bad luck you'll have all the day.

(Submitted by American Quilter magazine contributing editor Kathy Niemann)

School supplies: Not just for kids!

Hi – I’m Kathy Niemann, technical pattern editor for American Quilter magazine. Buying school supplies is fun for kids AND quilters.
Small portable stapler
Keep this with your sewing tools. It is handy in general, but if you do wool appliqué, you can staple baste the pieces to the background. The wool closes around the staple holes when the staples are removed.
Compass
Use it to draw circles for a quilting pattern (fantastic for making the Baptist Fan) or to make any size yo-yo templates.
Sharpie®
This may be the ultimate school supply for quilters. Many patterns call for drawing a diagonal line from corner to corner and sewing on either side of the line to make half-square triangles. Sharpies show up well and then you cut the lines away. If you have difficulty keeping track of what order to sew blocks together, number them in a place that will be in a seam allowance. Then sew in order. My favorite Sharpies are the ones with retractable fine points -no caps to keep track of!
Pencil carrier
Have fun selecting one from all the styles, colors, and materials available. They serve as a wonderful centralized place to keep all your marking implements. The zippered ones make a great little portable sewing case for thread, thimble, and scissors. Some are even big enough to store a rotary cutter properly without worrying about the blade cutting something.
Scissors
Back-to-school is the best excuse for having a big selection of scissors. The round-tipped kind are good to put in a carryall because they don't poke through.
Composition book
These classic black-and-white beauties are inexpensive and come in both book and purse size. I cut out pictures of quilts from magazines or color combinations I like and glue them in the notebook for inspiration. Glue fabric swatches in the smaller size book and keep it in your purse for quilt shopping. You can sew a cover for the notebooks, and remove the books out of the covers as you use them up (excellent gifts).
Glue stick
Archival glue sticks are invaluable for glue basting appliqué pieces in position. I even dab some on binding as I go, to keep it where I want it. Glue fabric over the cover of your composition notebook to personalize and use for journaling.

Don't forget a label!

Labels preserve the identity of a project so future generations will know more about the quilt and the maker. Labels could be important should the quilt be lost or stolen. Here are a few tips for making labels:

1. Sew quilt labels onto your quilt backing before the quilt is quilted. That way it is incorporated in the quilting and cannot be removed later. Also consider signing your name and date on the front or incorporating your signature into the quilting.

2. For hand-inked labels, be sure to use a pen that is meant for writing on fabric (many permanent markers are not).

3. Using horizontally-striped fabric for labels will help keep your lettering straight.

4. Depending on how much space you have, include the name of the maker, quilt name, completion date, city and state, intended recipient, special occasion, and care instructions. The label shown was made for a new baby and was printed on printer-ready inkjet photo fabric. (Look for the wonderful quilt pattern that goes along with this label in the January 2010 issue of American Quilter magazine!)

Submitted by Kathy Niemann, technical editor for American Quilter magazine