- There's more to sewing
than just fabric and a sewing machine.
There are all sorts of accessories that you need
and the cost adds up fast.
So it's time to go back to the dollar store
and search out some inexpensive fines.
So, stick with me, and I'll show you how to do it.
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Hi. there.
I'm Karen Brown of "Just Get it Done Quilts."
I give you tips, tricks, and strategies
to help you make the quilt that you want to make.
And if you're new to my channels,
please hit that subscribe button.
(popping noise)
A year ago, I made a video,
come budget dollars store hack.
I have so many more to show you.
So it's time to make another video.
There are some handy things
that you can use in your sewing room
that don't cost a fortune.
If you are a beginner quilter, or a quilter on a budget,
or you just simply want a second set,
check out at least sewing tools
that you can buy from the Dollar store
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So the first item we're going to be looking at,
is down at the end of the aisle, in the hanger section,
we will be looking for pants' hanger
either like this one (camera shot)
or like this one, (camera shot)
or like this one. (camera shot)
So you can store those oversized blocks,
or those row by row strips,
or those awkward size English paper piecing blocks.
and store them in the back of your closet,
so they don't get creased.
This time of year,
the gardening section is usually quite small.
So you might have to check out a couple of stores
before you find it.
But look for this flexible gardening tie.
This is perfect for the nose insert, in face masks.
I cut my piece about four inches long.
I pull back the wire in trim about two millimetres of wire
from either end,
then, shimmy the rubber back into place.
Then, I inserted between the layers of the mask
up by the nose,
and with the wire in place,
and the edge of my presser foot as my guide,
I, sew along the length of the wire.
I find with this type of wire,
I can get a really snug fit along my nose and cheeks,
and I don't get any fogging of my glasses.
And down in the housewares' aisles,
we are looking for a project tray.
We are looking for a tray that has depth, a handle,
and can be stacked, like this one.
This is for storing active projects,
your blocks, your fabric, and any notions.
And they can slip away out of the way,
or they can be stacked depending on what your space is.
Still, in the housewares aisles.
We are looking for these drawer organisers
in three different sizes.
Last year, I made a video
on 10 fast and easy scrap sampler blocks
made out of two and a half inch and five inch strips.
So if you process your scraps often,
and you keep them in these trays
close to your sewing machine,
and whether you use them as leaders and enders,
or you just make them days
when you don't feel like making anything else.
You will always be able to make scrap sampler blocks.
One last thing from the housewares, is a clear tablecloth.
You can also use a heavy duty, clear shower curtain.
Just throw it into the dryer for five minutes
on medium, low, to get the creases out,
and then spread it out over your quilt top.
This is a fast and easy way to plan out
your quilting strategy, right on your quilt top,
you know, the sizes, you know the direction,
and you can keep this and store it with your
quilt until you're ready to quilt it.
Now we're heading into the hardware aisle,
and we are looking for these three Command strips.
and right beside it, we can pick up
some strips of velcro too.
We are going to attach the command strips
horizontally to the wall,
and pin three inch strips of the hook Velcro
at the corresponding spots on the quilt,
then attach your quilt to the wall.
It may take a couple of moments of adjusting your quilt,
and it does require sustained pressure
to get those two pieces of Velcro together.
It's a fast and easy way to hang your quilt.
Next, we head to the stationary aisle.
And first we find the foam board.
I love foam board so much. I use it for so many hacks.
I've already done a video about it,
and I'll leave a link in the notes below.
right next to the foam board, is magnetic mirrors,
and we're going to need to two.
And if you don't already have some,
pickup some electrical tape.
So, we pop the mirrors out of their frames
and just be careful
'cause the edges of the mirrors can be sharp.
So we're going to take that electrical tape
and we are going to cut pieces
and just cover those sharp edges.
And we're just going to go right around
then, we'll repeat with the second mirror
and then, we'll tape them together.
You stand them on your fabric and move them around
to see the possible kaleidoscope symmetry
that you could incorporate in your piecing.
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And take that magnetic strip from the back of the frame
and attach it to the side of your sewing machine
to catch any stray pins.
And at the end of the aisle,
I pick up a pack of glue sticks.
I use this stuff a lot,
I use it in my English paper piecing,
so much faster than hand basting your fabric to paper.
And I also use it in my regular paper piecing.
I put some dabs on the paper,
then, put the paper on the fabric
just to stop it from slipping.
But when the piece is oversized,
I also dab it in the corners
to help hold the fabric in place.
And sometimes, after you do your initial cut,
you find it a little bit flimsy near the cutting area,
and I'll put an extra dab on there,
just to keep my accuracy.
The glue is water soluble. It'll all come out in the wash.
I also use it when I want to machine buy my quilt.
After I've sewn on my binding from the front,
I use glue on the back seam and then press my binding over.
So it's just covering the scene.
And I use a couple of clips just to secure the binding
and using the inside edge of the presser foot, as my guide,
I sew on the binding from the front,
and this is what it looks like from the back.
And the last thing I'm looking for today is doodle paper.
That is, that inexpensive pad of newsprint.
I also have a video on fast and easy string blocks,
and I find when I'm sewing on a diagonal,
it's so much easier to sew it to a square piece of newsprint
to help keep it shape.
Then I just trim it up at a quarter of an inch.
And this is a fast and easy way
for me to sew up my scrap fabric strings.
I also use doodle paper in my printer
to print paper piece patterns,
because it's so much easier to remove the paper.
When the paper is light weight.
That's it for this edition
of "10 Sewing Hacks From The Dollar Store."
If you haven't seen my last one,
I'm going to leave a link in the notes below.
And if you have any others,
please leave them in the comments below.
If you liked this video,
give it a thumbs up, and hit that subscribe button.
You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook,
and Pinterest @ JustGetItDoneQuilts
And of course you can download
all my free stash Buster patterning
on my website JustGetItDoneQuilts.com
So take care.
And I'll see you next time.