Feb 19, 2025
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What’s In Your Toolbox?
Everyone has a sewing basket/box. It can be a basket, plastic box, or any creative container you like.
My tool box travels with me to workshops, studio time, and any where else I find myself quilting. I don’t consider this my “sewing basket/box”. My toolbox contains the most common tools I use when quilting away from home (and even at home). Being an elementary school nurse, I think of my toolbox as “Handy” referring to the animated show “Handy Manny” on the Disney channel. Manny owns a repair shop with his anthropomorphic talking tools. They travel with him in a toolbox to repair jobs . My favorite episode is “Staying Healthy” - no brainer.
If I need a special ruler or tool for a specific quilt or project, I throw it into my tool box but it is only on vacation. It doesn’t live there. Every once in awhile an extra tool ( or two, or three) has stayed for an extended vacation and I have to put them back where they live. I thought I’d share with you what’s in my toolbox.
Overall, the tools in my toolbox are basic necessities for quilting or any type of sewing…scissors, assorted rulers, pincushion with assorted pins, rotary cutter, notepad, pencils, paintbrush (for cleaning my machine), technique instructions I use all the time, Fabric-Tac (for emergenies), a zip-loc with machine repair tools, and a zip-loc with basic colored thread. A really neat item is a square piece (about 8"x 8")of the material you put under your area rugs to keep them from slipping. I use this under my foot pedal to keep it from slipping while I sew.
Quilters find many uses for objects not made for quilting. The yellow cylinder container at the top of the picture is an older Epi-Pen storage container. Bernina and New Home bobbins fit perfectly in this. The newer containers don't work as they have an oval shape to them. I also keep a yellow envelope with any gift cards given to me along with a few extra dollars ( you never know when someone is going to make the all important Starbucks run).
My friend Terri had given me a small Longaberger Breast Cancer Awareness basket many years ago and it nestles perfectly in my toolbox. In it I keep packaged machine and hand needles, boxed new pins and "U" pins, post-it notes, and some small seam rippers. I also keep some Featherweight bobbins in there since they do not fit into the Epi-Pen container.
I also keep a small clear vinyl zippered bag which I picked up at The Quilt Patch in Fairfax Va.. I like picking up small souvenirs from the places I visit especially if they have their name on it. I keep small items that I don't want falling to the bottom of my toolbox and that I can easily find. Small scissors, marking pencils (with refills) and markers, seam rippers - the blue one in front with the hook I use when I’m quilting on the longarm, and assorted small rulers are some items found in here. The yellow greenish ruler (cut off on the right of the picture) is really neat and helpful. I picked it up at a workshop with Bonnie Hunter last summer. It measures precise 1/4” up to 3/4” seam allowances. You put the needle of your machine through the indicated hole and you can see where the measurement is. I'm sure you can order one online on Bonnie's website: www.quiltville.com.
All my tools are where they are suppose to be and I'm ready for my new project -that is if I can find what I need. Have you ever straightened up - put things where they belong and then couldn't find what you are looking for? Maybe I should go mess it up again.
Until next time
Annemarie