Monday, May 13, 2013

new favorite sewing notions

so i had several gift cards from my birthday, and i've been trying to think of what to buy. i finally settled on 2 sewing notions, but that barely made a dent. so i'll share what i picked, and maybe you can help suggest what else i need to own.


first up is the bobbinsaver! in my head i was imagining building some sort of wall hanging thing to store my thread spools and bobbins together. but i'm not too handy in the building things department. i can barely hang a nail on a wall. although i did semi-successfully put together 2 dressers and managed to hang up curtains. i received a power drill from dad awhile back and it is kinda fun, although intimidating. anyway building a thread storage thingy was one of those projects that i would just keep on the back burner forever and it would never actually get built. 

i have my thread in a glass display case from grandma see here and all the guttermann, which i use more frequently, in a cigar box that looks cool. but the bobbins just can't hang out in the cigar box. they go everywhere and start unwinding and it's just chaos. i can't have chaos, so the bobbinsaver came to my rescue. this thing is amazeballs! (funny how i'll type a word that i never really use in real life.) it's this rubbery doughnut shaped thing. your bobbins pop right in and out and the thread stays in place. it's pretty genius. love love love.
 

that's a photo of mine, with all my bobbins in place. i ordered it off amazon, just type in "bobbinsaver" and it should pull up a few results. the exact listing i used is no longer up. i paid all of $2 plus $4.99 shipping.


next thing - sewable swedish tracing paper. i've read it mentioned in multiple blog posts. i finally broke down and bought some. and it's awesome. light-years ahead of the parchment baking paper i've been using for tracing patterns and making adjustments. it feels almost like a lightweight interfacing, kinda cloth-like, and very easy to draw on. i have yet to actually sew on it, but i bet it works fine. all the photos i took were lame. it's a roll of paper, so i bet you can imagine it. again, i ordered from amazon, here's a link, but the price and vendor changes from time to time. i think i paid $10 plus shipping, and one roll is 10 yards long by 29 inches wide. the size is sooo much better than the parchment paper and it doesn't curl back up on you like crazy. so if you're tracing patterns (what? you don't trace your patterns! shock and horror!) you should try this stuff.


do you have a bobbinsaver or use sewable swedish tracing paper? or is there another sewing notion you swear by? and what else should i buy with these giftcards!? 

14 comments:

  1. That bobbin saver thingy looks awesome! I currently just put them in a clear zippered pouch that is free from some makeup stuff. And of course they unravel all the time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh you have to get one! it will solve all the unwinding problems. i have a bunch of those free makeup pouches too, so i'll have to think of other things to store in those

      Delete
  2. I've been wondering whether to buy swedish tracing paper after reading about it. I'm thinking I might need to. I'm using parchment right now so your comment comparing the two was perfect!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh it's sooo much nicer than parchment paper! also it's a lot easier to pin through! i find that it's tough to stab pins through parchment paper. i pin my pattern to my fabric and then cut. pinning through the swedish tracing paper is a breeze. i will never go back now!!!

      Delete
  3. I have a bobbin holder that's kind of tree like made by Nancy's notions. I kind of wish I had gotten the doughnut one like you have because it was pricey, and I have a hard time finding a good spot for it whereas I could have easily hung the doughnut on a hook.

    My favorite notion is my seam gauge from Nancy's notions, and I love it so much it's why I bought that bobbin saver. The horizontal part is a lot wider than your typical metal seam gauge, and it clicks in place every 1/4", so the measurement doesn't slide out of place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw the tree shaped one too, but figure this one might take up less space? I can toss it in a drawer, or i thought about putting a nail in the wall and hanging it up. Very handy.

      I'm checking out that seam gauge, thanks! i just have the standard one that does not lock into place.

      Delete
    2. Is this the one you have, Clover brand? http://www.nancysnotions.com/product/5-in-1+sliding+gauge.do#
      and maybe this one is the same, so i can use my amazon gift card? http://www.amazon.com/Clover-Sliding-Gauge-Nancy-Zieman/dp/B001QNQSUG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368547357&sr=8-1&keywords=5+in+1+seam+gauge

      Delete
  4. I love my swedish sewing paper! I've been using it for a few years now and wouldn't use anything else!

    I use a clear bobbin holder tray thing (not sure of it's actual name!) but it holds all my bobbins for easy reference when I need them. Much better than the lunch box tray I used to use!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was looking for one of those trays, when I saw these doughnut shaped bobbin holders. I'm really loving this swedish tracing paper, used it last night!

      Delete
  5. I bought clear plastic tubing (for aquariums) and cut it into slices just big enough to wrap around my bobbins. No more threads running amuck everywhere. I too, love the swedish tracing stuff, but I don't love the shipping $$ (I'm in Canada), so I buy plastic tablecloth rolls from the dollar store. Almost as good. And you can use some pretty colours, I am currently using light pink. Makes me happy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read that about using tubing somewhere, but never tried it! Plastic table cloths - so clever! Have you checked out https://www.stitchintheditch.com/Swedish_Tracing_Paper_29_x10yds_Best_Price_p/1907.htm. They're located in Canada, so maybe their shipping would be cheaper.

      Delete
  6. I love your bobbin holder! I use my thread rack and stack the bobbins, but it isn't nearly as neat and tidy looking :) If you don't already have a seam gauge I second that. Also I find a French curve or the clear quilting rulers to be a huge help when it comes to altering patterns!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I have a seam guage, but mine is by dritz i think, and above someone mentioned one by clover that looks really good. i get a lot of use out of my french curve, i'll have to get one of those clear quilting rulers too!

      Delete
  7. I LOVE the Swedish Tracing Paper. It is such a smart notion to have. I haven't tried a bobbin saver yet - those are in a jar beside my sewing table for now.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading! I welcome any advice, insights, witty remarks, snarky comebacks, commiserations or just a quick hello. I'd love to check out your blog as well, so let me know where you're posting. Happy sewing!