6 of the Best Sewing Tools You Won't Find in the Notions Aisle

Not all of my sewing tools come from the fabric store.  Some of my best sewing tools are, well, shall we say unconventional.  Here are 6 of my best "can't live without" sewing tools.

Lint Roller

As anyone who has ever sat down at a sewing machine knows, you end up wearing lot of thread tails, lint, and fuzzies when you get back up.  Fabrics like fleece, flannel, and corduroy attract a lot of lint and burlap sheds a lot of lint.  A lint roller is a "can't live without" tool in the sewing room.

I not only use my lint roller to remove the tell-tale signs of my sewing addiction from my clothing but I give my finished projects a good roller-ing, too.  (Have you ever noticed on a sewing video that they are forever picking threads from their projects?)  I use my lint roller on the top and bottom of my jelly rolls before I open them.  When I pick out a seam with my seam ripper, I use the lint roller to remove the little threads left behind.  I have three lint brushes-one beside my sewing machine, one at my ironing station, and one in my travel sewing box. 

I am almost as protective of my lint roller as I am of my good pair of sewing scissors. 

Binder Clips

Binder clips are a great sewing hack when you are sewing fabrics where pinning will not work like leather, vinyl, and laminated fabric.  I have a set of Clover Sewing Clips and I love them but for a lot of years I just used binder clips.  They are inexpensive and they get the job done.   I sometimes still use them - out of habit more than necessity.  You can see them in use in previous post Travel Trash Stasher and Scrap Buster -- Sew a Dental Care Pouch.  I carry a bag of binder clips in three sizes in my travel sewing box. 

An inexpensive sewing hack for sewing fabrics like leather, vinyl, and laminated cottons as well as other fabrics. 

Q-Tips and rubbing alcohol

No, I don't keep these on hand for medical emergencies.  I use them to clean my sewing machine especially my presser feet.  Gunk like resins and glues from fabrics and trims accumulate on the throat plate and presser feet.  A little rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip cleans that right up. Depending on what my projects have been, I usually use them about every two weeks.  The machine not only looks prettier but performs better when the gunk is removed. 

Sewing machine cleaning tools

Toe separators

Toe separators? No, I am not getting a pedicure while sewing (I wish!)  Believe me these tow separators are most useful.  I pick them up at the Dollar Store.  I use the separators to hold my bobbins for my project.  The little bobbins slip right in where the toes are supposed to go go and the separator holds them in place.  It also prevents the thread from unrolling off the bobbin.  I keep my bobbins in the separator and together with the fabric, notions and pattern in my project bags.  For a large project a pair of separators will hold 6 bobbins.  For a smaller project I might just need one to hold my coordinating threads and my top-stitch thread.  Definitely a "can't live without" tool!

Painters tape/Masking tape/Scotchtape

These tapes come in handy for a lot of reasons.   Here are a few ways I use them:  I use scotch tape to tape my printed digital patterns together, painters tape is great for marking seam allowance on the throat of my machine, and on a strip of masking tape attached to a corner of my fabric I can write info like care instructions, yardage, or fiber content.

Chop Sticks

Chop sticks!  What a wonderful, free tool!   This is my "blunt pointy object" I use to poke out corners or to push stuffing into corners.  It is a perfect tool to use for this when sewing with children.  I pick up chop sticks every time I order Chinese food.  I never use them to eat with but I always need the for sewing.  What I can't figure out is how they seem to disappear from my sewing room so quickly or where they go. 

As I said, you are not going to find these tools in the notions aisle of your local Jo-Ann's but I have found them all to be "can't live without" tools.

What are your unconventional sewing tools and hacks?