One of the great side-benefits of attending workshops and retreats is that you see your fellow students using tools and products you'd not discovered. And I made a great discovery at my workshop with Laura Fogg a few weeks ago.
My friend Diana was using these quilting disks, by "Quilt Sew Easy," as she did her machine quilting. I'd not seen these before but I'd seen something similar somewhere, and I just didn't think they'd make much difference. But Diana insisted I try them, and I was amazed. Truly amazed.
The white part is hard plastic, and the blue surface (which sits on the quilt) is sort of dense foam but with enough texture that it grips the fabric. I know, it simply doesn't seem like it'd be a big deal. But they make machine quilting WAY easier. You don't need to grip or wear gloves or clutch at the fabric.
I was totally sold after using them for 10 minutes, and I ordered them for myself when I got home. They're around $12.00 (or more, depending on the retailer) -- I ordered mine here.
Trust me. They really work!
well - on my way now to buy some of those! I like using the gloves, but my hands to get hot, so I'll try anything that looks like it will work :) Thanks for the post!!
ReplyDeleteHow fun to see this new tool!
ReplyDeleteDuring a workshop I learned to use sand-sponges (?) to have a grip on the fabric. Cheap and easy and it works!
nicolette;
ReplyDeleteWhat are SAND-sponges ?
These have been my favorite for years! When a new quilt shop opened near me, and I started doing demos and teaching they started carrying them. Now I have three pair - one for my travel bag, one to keep right beside my machine, and the other for the machine at our vacation home - I'm not comfortable quilting without them!
ReplyDeleteGreat info! My readers are going to love it. I've scheduled a link to your post to go live on my blog mid-day tomorrow (Central USA time). Thank you so much for sharing this resource.
ReplyDeleteDenise
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