Gadgets

 Generally I don't go in for quilting tool gadgets.  There isn't a studio for my stuff, the sewing machine is in the bathroom closet, the extra bedroom closet holds the stash, there are baskets here and there with projects in progress, a small chest of drawers in the entryway holds other stuffs.  It's all over the house and that can dictate what I'm going to work on, measured by the effort to pull it all together.

One of my problems has been ongoing and I thought I solved it when the local group I would stitch with moved to a place that had big tables I could use at my will, anytime I wanted. But then this covid thing changed that when I discovered none of them are vaccinated nor do they mask nor do they intend to do either of those.  So, I no longer go there.   My dining room table was a possible but it wasn't wide enough.  Who knew when we had it made and ordered something narrower than normal that I would someday wish for more standard width?  

To hold my backing down I taped with masking tape.  Run out of that so switch to painters tape.  Doesn't hold as well, as they advertise it doesn't, of course.  Then a couple of months ago I noticed on  Kiwikids blog Sue used binder clips to hold her backing in place.  A quick email asking the size she used.

But there was a problem yet again.  The biggest clip size I could find was 2 inches wide and that was fine to a point but they didn't open wide enough for the base of our dining room table.  I slept on it for a few nights

I came up with something like this in my dream state.  We found this at a local hardware store and they worked perfectly.  One of the issues was not only did they have to  open far enough to fit the table skirting but I had to be able to open them with my strength-less hands.  I bought the two they had and asked them to get ten more for me.

        They open wide enough for the table and my hands can squeeze them hard enough to open them. Now where to store them?? 

 

For the record as I was thinking my problem out loud PH went out to the garage and brought these back in thinking the word "clamp" mean something universal. He isn't fluent yet in quilt but he's learning.