Testing 1, 2, 3

Is anyone else out there a gadget collector??? I like to test all of them, the specialty rulers, the needle threaders, the scissors and reverse tweezers...I like to test them all, even if the only reason is to confirm something I already though (ingenious!!! waste of money!!!). Mainly, I think that as an instructor, I NEED to know what works, and for whom. Not all tools are created equally and not all work for everyone, but I do think that I have a responsibility to try them, so I often do......for example...

1. The Bag Bit -- this is the technique of separating everything into bag units before sewing and putting them back in the bag once complete. INGENIOUS this is, keeps everything nice and need and no pieces go missing when you put a project away for a short period.

2. The Angler 2 -- a plastic sheet that you place on your machine so that you don't have to draw all of those half square lines on the backs on your background. SCORE!!! Works a charm. No more time wasted drawing.

3. Sewline Glue Pen -- for gluing paper piecing pieces (especially long ones). Genius!!! For gluing binding in place before sewing (and making it portable without pins or clips). Fantastic!!! For teaching kids to sew. AMAZING! -- seriously, awesome.


So, now that you know I have a fanatical need to test things, you should know I have a new challenger.....a new thread that is on the market that I have been looking at and investigating for a while now. I check it out at every show and I have almost bought it at least a dozen times, but this weekend at Road, I broke down and got some from my friend Alicia -- of the infamous Batty Lady. It is made by a company called Wonderfil, and it is one of a series of threads, everything from 12 weight to 100 weight, in standard colors, and verigated, and best off all they have great line names --- Tutti, Spaghetti, Deco, Dazzles, Razzles, etc......I will be field testing the 100 weight poly (seen here in cream and tan) and the 60 weight all cotton. Now most of you know that I am a strong proponent for the Aurifil thread that I so love. For various reasons, is has been up to now my favorite, due to it's weight, spool size, low lint, it has become my go to thread for piecing, and an all out requirement for paper piecing, since it can handle small stitches as high speed and has enough strength to withstand paper removal. But I have promised to give my opinion on these, so I will be working on some stealth projects this week to show you how it all turns out.

What's your favorite gadget??? Thread???