The weather here in Cincinnati is finally mild enough to throw open the windows of my studio. And the moment I did, all the junk I had been piling around went flying. Plus dust blew in from the garden. Time to clean and get a few things organized.

Some friends came through with great tips:

1. Save old prescription bottles and put a small hole through the center of the plastic lid. Put your hand quilting or appliqué thread inside. Just pull the thread through the hole. The bottle keeps your thread clean, and great if you work while traveling.
2. Rolling tool boxes (like Craftsman) are great for organization all your tools and notions. The shallow drawers hold all your scissors, rotary cutters, pins, etc., that you use every day. The next sized door is great for templates and rulers. As you progress down, the doors get a little deeper, so they hold more bulky stuff (like cone thread, and irons). They are usually on wheels – handy for any studio. PLUS, they are usually on sale around Father's Day.
3. Use skirt/pant hangers (I ask for them everything I buy new), to hang fabric, works in progress, and blocks. I can easily find them in the closet by just flicking through. Plus they stay reasonably crease free.
4. A small, empty tissue box (the little square kind) makes a great tabletop waste basket. I keep one on my cutting table and near my sewing machine. Plus the printed box adds a little spice to the décor.
5. Place a tape measure on the edge of your cutting table or sewing cupboard with wide transparent tape. You can measure fabric, quilt blocks, etc., without getting out the ruler.
6. Those 7-day pill organizers you can get from the dollar store, are great bobbin holders – especially if you are headed to a class.
7. I have an old silverware basket from a long ago, dead dishwasher. I keep it next to my sewing machine to hold all my scissors and pencils, seam ripper, etc. to use while I'm working.
8. Rubberized shelf protectors are great at preventing your sewing machine foot pedal from slipping all over the place, Just cut a piece larger than your foot pedal and place it underneath. This also works on the bottom of your sewing machine, if it tends to walk across your table.
9. Those pesky, fly-away cards that come in all magazines make good "emergency" templates. I have a little wooden card file on a bookshelf, where I store them.
10. Use a small piece of Astro-Turf in front of your door. Walk (or shuffle) on it before leaving the studio. It will catch all those annoying threads; thus not carrying through the rest of the house.

EXTRA HINT: Did you know that if you prick your finger and bleed on to your fabric, your own spit will take out the blood. But it must be yours -- it has something to do with your particular body chemistry.

Hey, if you have great quilting tips, post them on the message board for others.

Happy Quilting,
Jay