Buying Spree in USA

[Liberata T.]

At the end of March we'll be visiting the USA, CA. to be exact, to visit family and friends and to SHOP. I confess that I am a gadget girl. ops: I generally shop on the internet for items unavailable or very expensive here and have them shipped to my daughter. I have to be mindful of the new and expensive baggage limitation imposed by several airlines and the weight limits my DH will fuss with. So I am looking to my TQS family for recommendations and advice. I also incorporate embroidery and in the hoop piecing in my quilts. I have a Bernina 830. The Accucut is out of the running.

Slotted rulers for strip cutting: any good? which brand is best?
Ruler connector
Mat connector. Does it come alone or does one need special mats?
Is the Simplicity bias tape maker or rotary cutter worth the price?
Leave in stabilizers: brand?
Any other must haves?

Thanks in advance

[Margo C.]

Leave in stabilizer - Ricky Tims' Stable Stuff:

3 yard tube: http://www.rickytims.com/index.php?p...t&Itemid=2
The tube would be bulky to pack, but you can take it out of the tube and fold it flat. It can be ironed to get the wrinkles out.

50 sheets - 8-1/2" x 11" http://www.rickytims.com/index.php?p...t&Itemid=2
These sheets are the size to go through your printer, but may work for your embroidery.

I think the 3 yards would have less waste if you are not planning to run it through a printer. It is manufactured for embroidery, but I absolutely love it for both machine appliqué and needle-turn where I want a little extra fullness without bulk, plus the advantage of crisp turned under edges.

Have a fun trip!!

[Barbara C.]

Ricky's Stable Stuff
Soft fuse sheets....... http://www.shadestextiles.com/index.html
Thread Stand.... http://flynnquilt.danemcoweb.com/sho...nd-redesigned/
Clover Bobbin Stack- Store........ http://www.amazon.com/Clover-Stack-S.../dp/B002BOSYW4

Also if you ever want to make a Double Wedding Ring Quilt, get John Flynn's book and templates. When I was a beginning quilter I took a class using his products and went home with a completed quilt!

Barbara

[Liberata T.]

Thanks for the suggestion so far keep them coming.

I do have a similar thread stand. I bought that bobbin keeper on another trip when I had my Bernina 630. Great but didn't work for the 830 bobbins. I just gave it to a good friend who received a 440 QE for her birthday. Recycle, I say. I am ashamed to admit that I carted a Flynn frame kit back with me a few years ago but haven't bought the additional pieces to set it up ops:

Someother things I have are a Bendable Bright Light 220 volt that I love, love, LOVE, the mechanical pencil like marker, the compass tool that can be mounted on a ruler for BIG circles (recently shown on TQS video), the quilt basting gun which I am not too sure about, the Wonder Thread Guide which I also LOVE, Quilter's mirror, Jenny Beyer palette, 3 in 1 color tool, Supreme Slider, Quilt halo (which no longer works for me since the 830 is not level with the sewing surface), many, many seam rippers, stilettoes, tweezers, various sized scissors and clippers, the embroidery wand (love it). Maybe I already have everything. Oh no :shock:

[Kathryn S.]

Where in California are you going? If you're anywhere near Monterey, you must go to Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove. they have fabric I've never seen anywhere else. I know, you said you were interested in gadgets, but if you're that close, you would really enjoy going to Back Porch.
From your two posts, it looks like you might have quite a few gadgets already!
kathy

[Nancy M.]

Libbi, You asked in your initial post re: the slotted rulers....I have the June Taylor versions, 1/2" and 1/4", and love them. Got them at JoAnns with 50% off coupons or on sale. I really like them...makes quick work of cutting multiple strips, and I think overall more accurate for me than using a ruler and mat. The limiting factor is the fabric has to be folded to fit the depth of the ruler, so a full width cut has to be folded to four layers, and a fat quarter can be folded in half. There may be other makers....I have looked any more since I found these. Nancy

[Liberata T.]

I will be in the San Franciso Bay area

[Hannelore N.]

Check electrical stuff very carefully. Not all that's bought in the US works in Europe.

[Hannelore N.]

I also love the slotted rulers, and recently got the larger one (18") from my sister. I have been teaching a friend to quilt, and have had her using this ruler for cutting basic strips. Mine are in 1/2' increments and limit you if you need 1/4" or smaller cuts. But definitely worth it and should fit nicely in your luggage.

[Hannelore N.]

Where in California are you going? If you're anywhere near Monterey, you must go to Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove. they have fabric I've never seen anywhere else. I know, you said you were interested in gadgets, but if you're that close, you would really enjoy going to Back Porch.
From your two posts, it looks like you might have quite a few gadgets already!
kathy

OOOOH so exciting. My son is joining the navy and will be going to Monterey for school. DH and I will be driving his car across country and now I have even more reasons to be excited about the trip.....

[Kathryn S.]

OOOOH so exciting. My son is joining the navy and will be going to Monterey for school. DH and I will be driving his car across country and now I have even more reasons to be excited about the trip.....

Cheryl, what a great adventure! Pacific Grove is about 1/2 mile west of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I've been at two Empty Spools Seminars in Pacific Grove, plus been to Monterey other times. Back Porch is not your average neighborhood quilt shop! I envy you making the trip and being able to stay in Monterey for a while. The Aquarium is one of my favorite places.

LIbbi, Monterey is about 150? miles south of San Francisco. There must be a few members near San Francisco who can chime in on good places to check out near there.

Kathy

[Liberata T.]

I am a born and bred California girl--born in Pasadena, went to college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, spent most of my working career in San Francisco and have family spread up and down and across the state. It is very difficult to make choices of where we go and whom we see. In 2009 my brother took us to the fabric district in downtown LA. There was some awful stuff but also some fab brand name fabrics. I will be just down the road from Alex and had hoped that she'd be doing something in the area but I believe that she'll be out of town.

Back to the topic. I though that there were slotted rulers that had slots for cutting strips in various widths commonly used in quilting? Has anyone heard of Martelli no slip rulers? Very pricey. Some times it is very hard to tell from the discription on the websites exactly what the features of the item are. I can pack a 24" ruker.

I go to as many quilt shops as I can but I order online from here to make sure I get the items I want rather than spend all my time racing from shop to shop dragging my poor DH along.

[Norma H.]

Hi Libbi. I recently got the Superior thread snipper and to my big surprise it is really handy. I use it all the time now. Have a wonderful trip

[Kathryn S.]

I am a born and bred California girl--born in Pasadena, went to college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, spent most of my working career in San Francisco and have family spread up and down and across the state. It is very difficult to make choices of where we go and whom we see. In 2009 my brother took us to the fabric district in downtown LA. There was some awful stuff but also some fab brand name fabrics. I will be just down the road from Alex and had hoped that she'd be doing something in the area but I believe that she'll be out of town.

Back to the topic. I though that there were slotted rulers that had slots for cutting strips in various widths commonly used in quilting? Has anyone heard of Martelli no slip rulers? Very pricey. Some times it is very hard to tell from the discription on the websites exactly what the features of the item are. I can pack a 24" ruker.

Wow, you are a California girl! Then you probably have too many places to go when you come over here.

I bought one of the Martelli rulers at a quilt show,it requires a specialized rotary cutter to use. Unfortunately, they told me at the show that I could use the standard rotary cutter. So, I have the ruler and have never used it. I've never seen one in a quilt shop, only at shows, and they weren't at Road to California this year. Maybe someone else has used the ruler and can chime in?
Kathy

[Lesley K.]

Hi Libbi! The AccuQuilt Go cutter is on sale at Joann's Fabric this week and on the Joann website for $199 plus shipping $15 (in store) to 17.50 (online). Maybe you could afford it at the sale price? Have a great trip! Lesley