Gimme! Labels, Threads and Snips—Oh, My!

the GenQ Crew • July 21, 2011 • 6 Comments

Whether you call them toys or tools, we quilters love our gadgets and good stuff. Here’s a smattering of the latest new stuff to hit the market.

 

Sweet stuff for your stitchy treats

Garnish those garments, quilts and accessories that you’ve handmade for your little (and big) girls with a Sprinkle or two from Izzy & Ivy. These tasty little care and sizing labels will add a bit o’ info and a finishing touch to your handsewn girly creations. The 30-label selection includes a variety of labels with laundering instructions for handmade items. This is great for clothing, but even better for quilts because we can’t tell you the number of people over the years that have been gifted with one of our creations and has treasured it so much that they won’t wash it. Quilts are made to be loved, which means used, and these labels will help reassure a proud q-owner that the baby can drag her new blankie through the house. Also, there are size labels for 6-, 9-, 12- and 18-months and kids’ sizes 2 to 8, so moms and dads never wonder when your stitchy gift might fit their offspring. All of the best-dressed home-sewn items will be wearing one! (P.S. A boy version of Sprinkles is in the works!)

Sprinkles: for your handmade treats and sweets, Izzy & Ivy Designs, $9.95. www.izzyandivydesigns.com

 

Superior silk for the ultimate quilting experience

So, for those of us who love our stitching, there’s a whole new experience waiting out there. Come and revel in Superior’s newest additions to its silk thread collection, one that we ogled and worshipped when it started about a year ago. Superior’s Size #16 Quilter’s Silk is the same quality multi-filament thread (meaning more than one strand twisted together) as its #10 size, but the heavier weight makes it stand out more on your fabric. This is what you turn to when you have an awesome quilt to be quilted and you’re confident about your skills, or at least will proudly stand by the results. The stitches will pop off of the quilt top with that luxurious gleam that only silk gives. (You may never use anything else, budget allowing!) These threads come in 22-yard spools, and there are 36 colors to choose from. A spool retails for $7.99.

The other web-spinning wonder from Superior is its #25 3-Ply Silk Embroidery Floss. We’ve seen embroidery return to quilting in a big, big way over the last couple of years, and stitching those darling motifs in these high-quality silk threads is making our hearts sing. The put-up is 16 yards wound on a slender tube, and you have 25 colors in the collection. Retail is $7.99 per tube. And, here’s a bonus if you’re trying to design your own project and need guidance: Order a color card with the actual threads mounted to it for only $10.

And if you’re having trouble deciding which silk to indulge in, think about Superior’s Silk Sampler Set. For a discounted price of $32.36, try all seven of Superior’s silks and decide what works best for you.

Quilter’s Silk, Silk Embroidery Floss and Silk Sampler Set. Various pricing.   www.superiorthreads.com

 

Super snipping

Paula Reid, the genius machine quilter behind those weird-but-wonderful grippy Batts in the Attic, likes to do Trapunto quilting in a big way. (That’s where you “stuff” the stitching on a quilt with batting to give texture to the design.) But a big part of Trapunto requires snipping away at excess batting and fabrics, and that was always a struggle, Paula says. When she discovered her Batt Snips, she just knew she had to start selling them to other quilters. Beside being small and sharp enough to navigate delicate needlework, they also are blunt tipped, making them a safer choice for keeping on hand at your machine. They also pass inspection at TSA checkpoints, another big plus for any traveling quilter who obsessively packs needlework in the overnight bag before tossing in a toothbrush. Paula has three pair—one by her machine, one in her travel kit and one in her studio, so she’s batting away at threads wherever they may be.

Batt Snips, $14.95,  www.battsintheattic.com

–Jake Finch

 

P.S. If you represent a company in the quilting world and have a new product to share with us quilty/stitchy/crafty types, contact GenQ via alljake@hotmail.com or melissajtmaher@msn.com. We’ll be talking!

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Categories Gimme (new products) Uncategorized

6 Comments

  • Lori • 13 years ago
    COMMENT #1

    Love the idea of the labels from Izzy and Ivy, but can’t find them for order anywhere on their site 🙂 what am I missing? Congrats on Gen Q by the way! going to be a fun endeavor!!!

    • megan • 13 years ago
      COMMENT #

      I believe Izzy and Ivy are wholesalers, so go to the link at the top of their page that says “Find Us” and you’ll get a list of online retailers. Alternatively, you could also do a Google search for “Izzy and Ivy Sprinkles” and you’ll find sellers that way as well.

    • Melissa Thompson Maher • 13 years ago
      COMMENT #

      Hmm, don’t know what’s up. Will see what I can find out.

  • Lois Grebowski • 13 years ago
    COMMENT #2

    oooh, those scissors look like they’d be Uber-handy. I’m a HUGE thread freak. I bought some of the silk thread at IQF earlier this year. I can’t wait to play with it! You all have a great day!

    • megan • 13 years ago
      COMMENT #

      You too, Lois!

  • Mary • 13 years ago
    COMMENT #3

    Love the Trapunto scissors. Wish I would have had a pair of those when I did my last whole cloth. I WILL have a pair of those when I do my next one. Thank you for featuring these items.

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