A Few of My Favorite Things

I still have that catchy tune from the movie A Sound of Music stuck in my head, so I thought it might be fun to start a sewing & quilting themed list of A Few of My Favorite Things. These are in no particular order, and they are not paid endorsements from the companies involved – I’m just sharing a 3 of my favorite sewing and quilting notions with you. 😊

I’m including Amazon affiliate links for your convenience – and also as a way to help pay for my website. Your cost doesn’t change at all; but, Amazon gives me a few cents back when you make a purchase through one of my links. It’s not much, but every little bit helps.

Let’s start with the Dritz Point Turner and Presser:

There are several different versions of this tool that are widely available. What I like about this one is that I can use it in very different ways.

I can use it to poke out corners and seams:

Using the Point Turner and Presser to poke out the corners and smooth out the seams of my sewing project.

And I can use it like a Hera Marker to make creases in my fabric to use as guides for my machine quilting instead of marking up my quilt top:

Using my Point Turner and Presser to “mark” my quilt top the way I would with a Hera Marker.

I find this especially helpful when I have white, cream, or very light fabrics in the quilt.

Another handy tool that I use WAY more often than I ever thought I would is my Clover Roll and Press:

Again, there are lots of different brands with very similar tools out there.

I love the convenience of using a seam roller when I sew foundation paper pieced blocks – it helps me achieve very flat, sharp, precision piecing without having to go back and forth to my iron:

I like to use the Clover Roll and Press instead of my iron when I’m working on foundation paper pieced blocks.

Similarly, I find it offers a super helpful and handy way for me to press as I go when I’m working with small blocks or pieces of fabric:

Using the Clover Roll and Press right at my sewing machine instead of going back and forth to the iron – it’s a fast and convenient way to press as I sew!

And while a plain old iron works just fine, I like the way the Roll & Press helps me prep my binding before wrapping it around to the other side of my quilt – especially at the corners, where the miter prevents the binding from laying flat:

I like to use the Clover Roll and Press to “train” my binding to wrap around to the other side of the quilt.

And last, but definitely not least, is the BladeSaver Thread Cutter.

This item is patented; so, as far as I know, it’s unique. It offers a great way to recycle your old rotary cutter blades. (Three different sizes are available; I have the 45 mm size.) It comes with a magnetic case for safe transport. This case doubles as a blade stand to hold the cutter section securely when you are using it. And it comes in lots of pretty colors!

In the photo below, the yellow, orange, and lavender BladeSavers in the upper left corner are shown with a blade inserted:

BladeSaver Thread Cutters from Purple Hobbies LLC.

It only does one thing, but it does it superbly. It is very stable, and it lets you cut the threads between chain-pieced fabrics incredibly quickly with almost no effort: