I’ve always loved shopping for school supplies even though it’s been a few years since I’ve been in the classroom!! While selection is good and prices are low I always stock up on a few things I use for quilting. Here are some of my favorites.
1. Fiskars and/or Crayola scissors. These are sharp enough to cut fabric, but blunt-tipped so you don’t accidently cut a hole where you don’t want it. I mostly use these for clipping threads and trimming the “dog ears” off half-square triangles.
2. Crayola Washable Markers. Many years ago I was talking to Lora Rocke at Quilt Market and she said she used these markers to mark quilting lines on her quilts. I wash my quilts after I finish them and the lines have always washed out. I’ve never had any problems with them but you should always test ANY marker with the fabric you’re using under the conditions you treat and wash your finished quilts.
3. Avery Dennison glue sticks. I really like these for fabric. The Avery Dennison glue sticks have silicon and glide better across fabric. I use them to glue down the edges for applique and to hold applique shapes onto the background. If the Avery Dennison glue sticks aren’t available I will use the Elmer’s in a pinch but I’m not crazy about the purple ones. Again, I wash my quilts and I’ve never had any issues with residue from glue sticks.
4. White board. I usually pick up a couple of these during back-to-school sales because the marks tend to shadow after using them for awhile. They are really cheap this time of year. I use them to practice quilting designs and have a couple hanging in my sewing room to use for lists or keeping track of where I am on a project.
5. Pencil case. This is my favorite travel sewing kit. I always have one in the car for binding. It’s small and has a hard case so needles don’t poke through. A needle case, scissors, thimble, thread, and a container of Thread Heaven fits perfectly. I usually wrap a strip of duct tape just below my thimble so the end of the needle doesn’t poke me when I place the tip in the fabric (not when pushing it through–I use the thimble for that!).
I also stock up on little notebooks—love the quilty designs!
Pens—can’t have enough and I’m always color-coding stuff.
And calculators—I like to have them everywhere I might sit so I don’t have to go hunting for one!
What are your favorite school supplies for quilting?
Those Fiskar scissors are my all time favorite, I have them everywhere. 🙂 I cannot believe how sharp they are-found out a few times.
The kids laugh at me when I start stocking up on school supplies….glue sticks are always at the top of the list! Isn’t it fun?!?!
I remember when my kids would sit night after night and show their school supplies. They really remember those times and tell me how much they love them. Also, the items are soooo much cheaper when school starts than a month or two later. Thanks for the tips….I didn’t realize their were markers that would wash out like the ones you showed.
I use most of the ones you mentioned, too, though I like the little bit bigger pencil boxes that are about $1 right now. I can put small projects like paper piecing hexagons, a stitchery block, or something along those lines, with all the threads and stuff I need. I love composition books, too. They are my design pages and for taking notes in church, and all kinds of other uses. Folders! I have folders with designs for different applique projects or stitchery designs. Colored pencils for coloring in designs. Thumbtacks – can never have too many of those!