Maddie just competed at the DECA National competition in Nashville and that required her to buy a fancy DECA blazer. I know it is lame but I didn’t want to screw up the alterations, so we took it to the local tailor. 

 This is a great hack to have straight and safety pins handy. A simple piece of felt wrapped around the machine. Now of course, this works great on these machines from days gone by, and not so great on fancy computerized machines. So, this back doesn’t work for me.  

 My main production machine for piecing quilts and making clothes sits on a placemat. That in and of itself is a good trick because I can easily slide the machine around the table without any damage. The placemat also allows me to keep a few pins handy so I am not always chasing a pin cushion.  

 The other idea was even more obvious. Never lose another bobbin – simply hammer a nail into your table and you have a great bobbin holder. I loved that idea too, but I see on an antique library table and wouldn’t want to ruin it. It would work on a piece of scrap wood too though. 

Just a couple of ideas to get you thinking as I am always looking for tricks and shortcuts.