*Posts may contain affiliate links.

Monday, September 19, 2022

My Day on the "Queen of Gadgets" Blog Hop


Gadgets...have I collected gadgets! Some are great, some are OK, some are completely unnecessary, but when they come in pretty packages, or worse yet, I see a demo at a quilt show with my credit card in hand...well they just seem to come home with me. My quilting BFF and I have frequently gone back to our hotel rooms and dumped out our purchases on the bed, then looked at each other and said, "I don't even remember buying that"!  LOL!!
It's a crazy frenzy, I tell you!

Everyone has different quilting styles and methods, so gadgets vary widely. 
 I'm sharing my top 4 my fav's...some won't even break the bank!


Back in 2016 I broke my wrist and was going through quilting withdrawal. A friend loaned me her cutter to try. On my goodness, it was awesome. I am right handed, but was able to cut perfect strips with my left hand. Thankfully I could still use my sewing machine thanks to the automatic bells and whistles. This cutter actually allowed me to keep my sanity, during the long months of recovery. 

My number ONE gadget and tip to share!


I think it's faster than using dies to cut strips, too!


My project needed 76 strips, some as narrow as 1 1/2". That's a lot of cutting and I don't know about you, but the narrower they are, the harder it is for me to keep them straight using a traditional rotary cutter and ruler. With this cutter I was able to cut and sub-cut the entire quilt in record speed.


What exactly was I making with all these strips, you ask?

This is Dart. 

It's a free jelly roll/strip set friendly pattern from Robert Kaufman.
You can download it yourself  HERE.
This is done with "Island Batik" fabrics, using a Victoria and Albert strip set along with the cream background.  You can find the Fiskers Cutter/Ruler combo HERE


Need a less expensive option? Just cut a piece of the shelf liner and place it under your ruler. It's amazing how much easier it is to cut straight lines. There is just enough grip to it, that it helps keep the ruler from shifting as you cut. It's nowhere near as fast as the ruler/cutter combo, but it's a good alternative. I have to give credit where credit is due. I took a class from Pat Speth, the "Nickle Quilt Lady" years ago, and this was her tip!
If you haven't heard me talk about her lately, she hosts a Facebook group where she posts free member appreciation blocks and sew along quilts all the time. If you grab them early, the patterns are free.
She has recently started a Contributors Appreciation Program, where you can earn free patterns, just by posting photos of your progress to the group! Win-win!!!
I'm in working on her "Somerville" quilt right now.


It's just 2 blocks that are chain piecing friendly.


I haven't had a chance to layout all the rows yet, but here's a peek at a start.
Another tip I stumbled across, out of necessity with this quilt...


When my white marking pencil ran out of lead, I grabbed my grandie's white crayola colored pencil. In my opinion, they are almost useless to kids, but they work great for quilters! She will never miss it.
LOL!!

While I'm a huge Bonnie Hunter fan, and I love piecing her quilts, they can be overwhelming to many. Pat Speth's quilts are much easier to piece and they are all 5" (nickel) square friendly if you choose to go that route, and a great way to scrap bust. Check out her Facebook group HERE

Lastly, are you sick of those tiny little containers they give you to refill your iron with water?
That is, if you get one at all...


If your a cream in your coffee or tea drinker, this costs you nothing. If your not, it's worth buying and dumping it out. LOL!!  Thanks to one of my quilt club girls for that tip. I absolutely LOVE it!

So there you have my gadgets and tips! I hope you find some of them useful to you.
Please visit my fellow bloggers and see what cool gadgets they are sharing today. Don't forget to leave them a little love with a sweet comment. We all love reading them.
 Did you see that Carol is offering a give-away? 

I love it when Creepy Bunny makes an appearance!
Benartex generously offered this fun bundle of "Halloween Spirit" fat quarters!
One lucky winner!
Enter using the Rafflecopter below.
USA mailing addresses only.
Please note: Only one entry per person!

til next time...
Keep on Stitchin'

50 comments:

  1. It's fun to see what each quilter's gadgets and tips are. Some are the same and some are different. Some I have heard before and not tried and some are new to me. Thanks for sharing all of yours, Joan....even if I don't use water in my iron, lol!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your hops are always wonderful and oh how I love your gadgets. As usual I'm off to buy, buy, buy- no wonder I can't find anything!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! I don't know what it is about shopping for gadgets! Thanks for visiting.

      Delete
  3. That was definitely worth the read! I will try that shelf paper but I think the actual cutter/ruler will be best for me. i don't think my cutting is as good as it used to be so this might be my answer. I will also have to try Pat's Facebook group. I have never heard of her. How did I miss that? The iron thing was a good tip too. I am forever filling up my little thing that came with the iron! I will see what I have in my shelves for that! This is starting off to be a very good hop!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Now this is a blog hop where I would bet my last fat quarter that everyone will learn something new! I know I have. Great gadget tips here, Joan! I love those quilt designs that you’ve been playing with. I’m sure I’ll come away from this week with an overload of new inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have never used that kind of cutter, looks interesting. The creamer bottle is a winner-I have been using one for several years to fill my iron! Never thought to mention it to anyone ever, LOL

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for all those great tips and gadgets! Your strip quilt is so lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your tips are fabulous! I have the same cutter and used it a lot until I found my June Taylor strip cutter. You can tell, I am a gadget girl too!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gadgets are fun to buy and to try! Love the ones you mention....especially the coffee creamer...practical and fun! I'll bring one to our next retreat so I can empty it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great gadgets and hacks, Joan! I've never used a ruler/cutter combo. Looks great! The Dart quilt (I just downloaded that pattern the other day...) is beautiful and the one you are working on will be fantastic! Thanks for sharing your gadgets!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is a great post Joan. I've wondered about that rotary cutter/ruler. Now I will have to find a way to hide it in my cart, thanks a lot. lol

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love all the talk about gadgets, although I'm afraid I have way more than my share of them.... Of all the gadgets I've seen so far, your cutter/ruler is the only one I don't have!! As an official gadget-aholic, I have a terrible habit of wanting to buy every new gadget that comes on the market. (Not good for the bank account, but lots of fun!) :-) wvoaks at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's so easy to get caught up in all the goodies for sale at shows, isn't it? Or under the influence of those quilty friends (haha). You have some great gadgets - I too took a class from Pat and have one of those "blue things" to put under my ruler. That pattern you are making is so pretty! I need to check that out (see? quilty friends - influencing me!)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great tips and cool gadgets! A broken wrist does make cutting difficult, but I love the solution to that - strips are hard to accurately cut when both hands work properly!! Shopping at a quilt show with a friend can be very dangerous to your credit card!! I also love Bonnie's quilts, but the wee little pieces she uses can be overwhelming...love the quilt you are working on, now I have to check it out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not sure how I became Anonymous, but I'm really not!! Hope this fixes it - and it will teach me to look a little longer before I click "publish"!

      Delete
  14. Every one of these gadgets are winners. I have never seen that cutter, but it will definitely be on my I-Need-This list. I have that pattern for your beautiful quilt, but it's in another of those to-do piles. I have a lot of those! Seeing it laid out by your pond makes that other-other-to-do-list of visiting you a priority. My credit card popped out a couple times at the Garden of Quilts but thank goodness I didn't see anyone doing demos of gadgets or they would have been in my bag for sure. Thanks for sharing this fun post of gadgets!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I should think about that ruler. I use ACCU for some long strips but this would be great for the larger ones. I also like Pat Speth's quilts and have a WIP I should get back to.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Never thought of using a creamer bottle. Seems it would be easier to travel with that than my squirt bottle to workshops/retreats. I've been quilting over 30 years and enjoy learning time saving tricks and sharing with my fellow quilters. Enjoying this blog hop!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Uhoh This blog hop could get expensive. Thanks for sharing the ruler cutter combo.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great gadgets and tips. That quilt is definitely a love!!!! I am in need of that strip cutter. You are amazing, quilting with that cast could not have been easy.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm raiding my kids pencils right now!! Great tip!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great gadgets and ideas. I am going to use the shelf liner one and buy a creamer and dump it out. Thanks for the numerous wonderful ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for sharing today and for the many wonderful tips. Your quilt is gorgeous. Thanks for the pattern. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  22. Like everyone, I have some really crazy gadgets and some that I couldn't live without. The Fiskar's cutter looks like a great idea. Your strip quilt looks really nice, as do your blocks.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Creepy Rabbit always creeps me out not none of your tips did. You make great quilts and Somerville is gorgeous. Looks difficult but neat to know it's only two blocks.

    ReplyDelete
  24. That cutter gadget looks super cool! I visited a quilt shop that used one, and their cuts were really nice and straight. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Your quilt is wonderful and your fabric cutter is now on "the List". Crayola pencil is a fabulous idea hmmm OK all of your gadgets are fabulous ideas. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Beautiful quilts. I love hearing tips to make quilting easier.

    ReplyDelete
  27. "I see a demo at a quilt show with my credit card in hand....": Guilty!!! There are a few that I am still looking forward to trying...one day! That Fiskars cutter also reminds me of the Alto Quilt Cut systems. Always wanted one of those but couldn't justify the cost. Definitely will try the creamer tip, that is a great water refill for travel sewing.

    ReplyDelete
  28. You sound like me at quilt shows, Joan. We would always come back to the room and dump out our treasures!! I have one of those cutter/ruler combos and do use it occasionally and that Dollar Tree shelf liner too! It comes in handy. And thanks for the creamer container idea! That is a very useful share and I always have creamer containers as I LOVE my coffee! LOL I never thought about using the white Crayola pencil, but that works great!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi Joan, Thanks for those great tips. I learned a thing or two there, and I absolutely love the jellyroll quilt. It is scrumptious. Thanks for being part of this hop.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Your quilt is beautiful! Hard to imagine you were able to accomplish that with a broken wrist. Thank you for all the tips. I'm going to try the shelf liner tip for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I love to see people reference Pat Speth! Her "Nickel Quilts" book was one of my first quilt books! etalmage at earthlink dot net

    ReplyDelete
  32. I like shelf liner under my sewing machine foot. Saves me chasing the foot. I had not seen the tip to use the shelf liners for under a ruler. Can't wait to try this gadget idea.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Beautiful quilt! Thanks for sharing your 4 favourite gadgets!

    ReplyDelete
  34. What wonderful gadgets and a great quilt. I have 2 of Pat Speth's books. I will have to check her facebook. Thanks! Love that pattern and the colors you are working with! Ooo la la!

    ReplyDelete
  35. The ruler looks amazing

    ReplyDelete
  36. love your progress on the Somerville quilt! and that bunny is really creepy LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Those are great gadgets that you shared with us! I've seen those rulers, but never used one... now I know if I injure my hands I can still cut! Thanks for sharing your tips! xx

    ReplyDelete
  38. It is always good to see what different quilters use the most. And how we find things out of necessity like when you broke your wrist. Thanks for your tips, too.
    I am glad your little miss hasn't noticed the pencil is missing.
    (Karen , Sunburnt Quilts.)

    ReplyDelete
  39. These are some clever gadgets! Your Dart quilt is beautiful and your Somerville quilt is Turing out great!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I clicked over here from Carol's at Quilt Schmilt! What an interesting post, and I love your tip about the ruler. I love your Somerville quilt - pattern and and your fabrics - and I love Pat Speth's patterns. That Dart quilt is beautiful too.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Thanks for the gadget ideas!🥰

    ReplyDelete
  42. I'm a fool for useful gadgets and that Fiskars cutter/ruler sent me off to buy one. JUST what I NEED. Seriously. So glad to see your post before I start the next project.

    ReplyDelete
  43. All great gadgets. Thank you for the link to the free quilt pattern, Your quilt is really pretty too.

    ReplyDelete
  44. WOW, WOW, WOW! My ruler cutter just arrived- why didn't I know about this long ago? Thanks so much for the suggestion, maybe now I'll do a better job with my borders. I always find your work inspirational

    ReplyDelete
  45. Great tips. Love the free quilt from Kaufman.

    ReplyDelete
  46. What a beautiful quilt! Sorry about your wrist, but isn't it great you were still able to cut and quilt??
    I love that Fiskar's cutter. When I was a young Mom just starting to use a rotary cutter in the early 90's, I saw that Ruler/Cutter in the quilting section at WalMart. It seemed like a safer tool with little kids around than a rotary blade! I love that it grips the fabric and never slides. The first inch or so is covered up, but it works great for strips 1-1/2" or wider. The ruler was out of production for many years, so I'm glad to see that it's available again. I trim all my quilts with mine. Thanks for sharing your great tips and tricks!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by today. Your comments really do make me day!
;-)