School Supplies for Quilters

I am addicted to school supplies.
It's true.
Just ask my girls. They'll tell ya.
Paper, pencils, crayons, paper clips, folders, tape dispensers.............oh boy.

Now in years past, this was not an issue. We had students. They needed school supplies. I had my addiction. It worked.

But now........eh?
No one is all that excited to get fun school-y stuff from moi.

I've had to make a few changes.
Like just buy it all for myself.
Me. The quilter. It's so great!

You should definitely get in on this!
You can stock your studio for the whole year for $10 or less.
But you have to do it during the back-to-school sales-blitz in August.

Here are some of my favorite things:

1. Binder Paper. You can usually get this for 25 cents or less. Use it to print paper piecing templates. It is the same weight as the special paper piecing paper, but oh so much cheaper. And the lines on the paper really won't interfere with what your doing. (I have NEVER had a problem with it.)

2. Notebooks. These are great for jotting down your ideas (like those amazing middle of the night layouts that you can never quite remember after the sun comes up). And if you get the graph paper kind, they work great for drafting designs.

3.Post-It notes. These are good for.....well, everything. But I like to use them to make notes about patterns. I stick them right on the book pages, so that the next time I look at that particular pattern I will remember any mistakes in the pattern or tangents I might want to pursue, or notes for friends who might be borrowing my book.

4. Pens. You gotta have something to write all of this stuff down with.

5. Sharpies. These are a common item on workshop supply lists. Get them in regular and fine tip, just to cover your bases.

6. Colored pencils and a sharpener. These go with the graph paper. Use them for drafting ideas and designs.

7. Mechanical Pencils with extra lead. These are great for marking. I like to use them LIGHTLY when I am marking blocks for applique (especially back basting).

8. Glue sticks. Another common supply list item. You also need these for making mock-ups of blocks.

9. Paper scissors. Not only are they good for cutting paper (like applique templates) they are also good for travel. Blunt nosed ones will almost always make it through TSA. But if they don't, at least you only paid 50 cents for them!

10. Calculator. For calculating, of course.

11. Paint brushes. If you want to mod podge some cute fabric onto......well, anything.

12. Poster board. Use this to make yourself a portable design board. You'll be super glad you did. Tutorial HERE.

13. Crayons and coloring books/doodle pads. Use these to occupy any little people who might be hanging out in your sewing room. Or make something like this, this  or this to give as gifts.

14. Elmer's Glue. I have no idea why you need this, but I do know that every now and then it comes up and I can't find any. And I think to myself..."How is it that a girl with a school supply addiction doesn't have any Elmer's glue". So I am just sayin'...you might want to get some.

15. Friction Pens. These are great for marking fabric. They put down a nice bold line of ink that is easy to see. And when you are done with it, you just put a hot iron on it and it disappears. (It will reappear if the fabric gets really cold, but you can just iron it off again.)

Well, that is all I can think of right now, but if anything else comes to me I will add it to the list.
Happy shopping.

Update on the uses of Elmer's glue: quilters who dye their own fabrics use it as a resist when creating dye patterns.