BethMI wrote:
speaking of the super slider...which I love...do you know the story about the developer..pat la pierre? (in a nutshell) she was nearly blind, had corrective surgery, made a quilt inspired by the braill alphabet..and won an award at paducah... a very nice lady and her husband. they always have a booth at quilt shows.

I have recently started using Post-it tabs with the needle # written . IN the stationary dept. where you find post-it 's there is a package for file tabs that work like post-its. I write the #on the tab, and keep it attached to the needle case. When I use a needle, I put the tab on the nachine. I also put another tab in the journal so I can see at a glance the size used.
CHeryl

I have one of those Super Slider sheets of super-slippery material that sits on the bed of your machine while you are free-motion machine quilting to help the fabric slide around. I really like it and it does help a lot, but even the "new" version with a sticky back sometimes slips around.

I now use blue painters tape to tape the slippery sheet down to the bed or my machine (right side and front). It now stays put! And when I change the bobbin, I just peel back the tape and then replace it when I'm done.

It works like a charm, and the glue from the tape doesn't harm the bed of my machine.

BethMI

Here's another one.

Took a machine quilting class last week. We taped our backing down to our table with BLUE painter's tape as we began making our sandwich. Worked well!

These are all great ideas. Who knew?????????? I never can remember what size needle is in my machine and have to use a magnifying glass to read the number. Great idea. Thanks. Judy in AZ

yesterday I had to snip hundreds of "jump threads"-- project involved LOTS of tacking, move, tack again, move... so I'd clipped the front as I went, but finally finished that part (Yeah!) and had to flip & clip... so I took the blue painter's tape, put a loop around my left hand, sticky side out, and as I clipped I could just push the threads up to my palm or smash my hand down on the surface & pick up the clippings-- SO efficient! And George came in & said "mom, you've turned your hand into a lint roller!"
So thanks Linda for getting this topic going, my bllue painter's tape hasn't left my "quilting tool kit" since!
Florence

Thanks for the additional ideas for blue tape, everyone! I have got to get busy posting my pictures. Its fun looking at your quilts. I just wish I had some plum jam to eat right now!
Linda

I am glad to read that others find the blue painters tape to be useful in the sewing room. Whenever I finish a painting project, I move the painters tape to the sewing room.

The painters tape is easy to see and you don't get that sticky residue from old traditional masking tape. What to do with the old masking tape? Use it in the kitchen for labeling food containers for the fridge and freezer (with a black Sharpie marker of course).

Hooray for blue tape!

Yea! I've used blue tape for all of those things (as well as for painting). I also use it to cover up all the zigzag stitch buttons when I have my single hole throat plate in. That way, I don't accidentally break a needle AGAIN!
Sharon

I use the various sizes while hand quilting grid patterns. Just lay down the tape, stitch along both sides, move the tape and repeat. The same peice can be reused several times. Turn it 90 degrees and do it again for a perfect grid. No marking and the tape leaves no residue!! Lowes carries every size from 1/4 in up to as wide as 4 inches I think.

I use it for marking my scant 1/4" since I don't seem to have much success with my 1/4" foot.

I put a stack (3-5) of long strips of that lovely blue tape at my scant 1/4" right across my sewing machine bed. This way I can butt up my fabric to the strips of tape the whole way It helps keep me in line!

JOY - blue IS my favorite color!

I've used it to mark straight quilting lines on quilt tops.
Sherry

I keep loops of it handy for thread trimmings and snipped-off dogears, too. And it subs in for a lint roller when I need to clear dog hairs off a project.

I love this idea for keeping track of the needle! I keep forgetting what's in there, and NEVER can keep track of how long I've sewed with it! Thanks! Florence