I often find new sewing products by reading blogs. I'm not talking about the paid reviews, just the "here's what I use" posts. Just in case I'm not the last remaining hand quilter, I thought I'd share a few things that make my hand quilting easier.
First, a new one I stumbled upon at the fabric store, the Protect and Grip thimble from Clover.
It is grossly over-priced for what it is, but since only Clover is making them, they can charge whatever they want! I got this from Overstock.com. for $7.99--cheapest place I could find one including the local store. Overstock has a lot of sewing items and no shipping charge.
Why is this thimble so great? The rubber keeps it from falling off your finger and the metal tip has that great rim that helps push the needle through tough spots. This turned out to be worth the extra money. Added bonus: freaking cute!
That thimble still won't replace these plain, old rubber finger tips that I've been using for years for hand quilting. This goes on the top hand to help pull the thread through. the thimble is on the bottom hand, right?
Please don't buy these at any specialty sewing stores. You can get them at the office supply store for so much less--$2.49 for a twelve pack at Staples. They stay on and make pulling the need through so much easier.
Next are these flat-head pins from Fons and Porter .
I held off on buying these because I thought I pin was a pin. I was wrong. I bought some because I read that the flat head caused less distortion when piecing. That really does help, but the super thinness of the metal part of the F & P pins also greatly lessens the distortion. Another plus is that they come in the pretty tin WITH a window to see what's in there.
This one is also from Fons and Porter, curved safety pins for holding the fabrics and batting together.
I'm not convinced that this brand is necessarily better than any other curved pin. It's the curve in the pin that's worth paying a little extra. These pins are easier to put on and create less fabric distortion than regular safety pins. I've never been a fan of using straight pins for this purpose. Straight pins are either snagging fabric or pricking my fingers.
The F & P pins are good quality, and I love the nice box with a window--decorative, convenient, and matches those straight pins mentioned above. Gotta make the sewing room look pretty.