OpenTube

5 Pricey Quilting Gadgets vs. Cheap Household Hacks

Sew Becca

31,860 views

Are you tired of spending a fortune on specialty quilting notions and fancy gadgets? In this video, we’re putting 5 hyped-up, expensive quilting tools head-to-head against household hacks and tools you probably already own—saving your budget for what actually matters: MORE FABRIC!

In this video, we test:
✨ HST Squaring: Slotted Trimmer vs. Standard Square Ruler
✨ Fabric Basting: Temporary Basting Spray vs. Elmer's Washable Glue Stick
✨ Flatter Seams: Hardwood Tailor's Clapper vs. Heavy Books
✨ Chain Piecing: Blade Saver Stand vs. Spool & Seam Ripper Hack
✨ Straight & Diagonal Seams: Diagonal Seam Tape vs. Frog/Painter's Tape

Which of these hacks surprised you the most, or what household quilting trick did I miss? Let me know in the comments below!

✨ Special Discount Mentioned:
Save 20% off at Purple Hobbies using code sewBecca at checkout!

Timestamps / Chapters
0:00 - Are Specialty Quilting Gadgets Worth It?
0:54 - Hack 1: HST Slotted Trimmer vs. Square Ruler
8:08 - Hack 2: Basting Spray vs. $1 Elmer's Glue Stick
15:11 - Hack 3: Tailor's Clapper vs. Heavy Books
18:47 - Hack 4: $30 Blade Saver vs. DIY Thread Spool Hack
20:57 - Hack 5: Diagonal Seam Tape vs. Painter's Tape
27:20 - Save Your Money for Fabric!

🌟 LINKS & RESOURCES 🌟
🌐 Website: https://www.sewbecca.com
🛒 My Product Recommendations: https://www.sewbecca.com/sew-studio-e...
📧 Email: info@sewbecca.com
📸 Instagram: Instagram: sewbecca
🎉 VIP Membership: https://www.sewbecca.com/join-vip
🌟 Join YouTube Perks: https://www.youtube.com/sewbecca/join
📄 Facebook Page: Facebook: sewbeccallc
💬 Facebook Group: Facebook: sewbeccafriends

#QuiltingHacks #SewingTips #SewBecca #QuiltingOnABudget #QuiltingNotions

20 Comments

@sewbecca Creator 4 days ago Pinned

Which hack are you going to try first, or what budget-saving trick did I leave out?"

@diannejenniges305 4 days ago

This is not a hack, but I find some of my sewing tools at thrift stores. I enjoy your videos

@MarjorieBardwell 4 days ago

Clapper-1 foot oak chair rail…under 2$ at Home Depot a couple of years ago.

@joyfulhope4474 4 days ago

"and we all know we can use that money to buy fabric" cracked me up!!! I like the way you think. 👏🤣

@BettyBailey-y7d 4 days ago

I use those little cut offs for a narrow border on the quilt they were cut from. Looks beautiful on my quilt.

@kellilogan-wilson4517 3 days ago

I already wasted my fabric money on all these gadgets 😢😭. But I learned so much from this video most importantly how to correctly use the seam allowance tape. You are a great teacher and you have a new subscriber. Thank you

@Norma-Loveless 4 days ago

I use the tape also when I’m doing cross hatching quilting on my quilt

@JeanneMcMillin0977 4 days ago

Learning to use your rulers is invaluable. They do everything the specialty ones do. Have to be careful with the slotted trimmers because that narrow end where the trim slot is at are fragile and will snap right off. I use my 90 degree ruler for HST's but can use a square one also. also the seem ripper and spool, bingo! Most of the time I use the cutter on the side of my machine.

@meacadwell 3 days ago

I'm in a quilt guild and actually tested the best way to get flat seams in quilting cotton as a presentation. No clapper necessary.
- On a regular ironing board with regular ironing board cover
- On a wool pressing mat
- On a smooth oak board

The best way is to iron quilting cotton is on a smooth oak board. That's it. The hardness of the oak and the porosity of the wood does it all.

That being said, I also tested other types of fabric and they also did better on the hard board than on the other ironing mediums but some did need the clapper to make them completely flat, such as wool.

@BettyPequeno 4 days ago

My husband always has scrap lumber around so he made me an awesome clapper by just smoothing and rounding a piece with sandpaper. Works great and basically free to me! 🥳

@BettyBailey-y7d 4 days ago

My hack that I used on the last quilt I hand quilted was to purchase a roll of masking tape and use a quarter inch line on a rotary ruler and rotary cutter to cut 1/4” strips from the masking tape stuck down on a cutting mat. So much cheaper than buying 1/4” quilting tape. I did this after I could not find mass produced quilter’s tape.

@BettyPequeno 4 days ago

Love the seam ripper as a chain piecing cutting tool! Have wanted to buy one of those fancy ones, but just couldn’t justify the expense. Thanks for this idea! ❤❤

@wandawalker2837 4 days ago

Love the seam ripper jack...brilliant!

@michele-f1u 3 days ago

I use Elmer’s school glue to baste my quilts. My back and knees thank me 😂.

@marilynbook4211 4 days ago

The only hack I didn't know but will use is the seam ripper in the spool

@karenfranceslewis1513 2 days ago

Washi tape is useful for temporarily marking rulers when repeating the same measurements over and over but post it notes with most of the note trimmed off also work too.

@DebiFrick-y2b 4 days ago

I LOVE my clapper. Fortunately I already had one from my garment sewing days! It's quite old but works perfect! Thanks for sharing your ideas!! Now we have more $$ for fabric. 😅