It's my Do It Yourself Numbered Straight Pin Trick.
In the past, I have torn up little squares of paper, numbered them, and then pinned them to the top left side of each row in my quilts as I have laid the pieces out for stitching together. I don't have a design wall, so this entire Laying Out Process takes place in the middle of my living room, or as in this case, on my dining room table. (There's half a quilt laid out in the photo below.)
That method worked well, but takes time. Then one day I saw a product online that had the pinheads engraved with numbers, so you could just grab those to mark your rows. Marvelous idea! But they were $25 for the set. For that much, I could rip up a whole lot of scrap paper to make my own rows.
But then one day the light bulb went on. "Why not make my own?" So I did. I simply took plastic, flat-headed pins, a fine point permanent ink marker, and numbered a set up to 21.
I then placed them in even and odd numbered rows for easy access, and put then in this cutest little chicken pin cushion that a local quilting friend had made for me. Viola! A handy tool that looks fun sitting in my sewing room, too!
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| Bad lighting, I know, but I didn't want to move the entire quilt to demonstrate these pins! |
What handy, time-saving tips would you like to share today?
Quilting with a smile,
Barb
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