If you don't have an old pill bottle I use an empty and washed spice bottle ; the kind that fits on a spice rack as most have a lid that flips open with a top with holes in them. I just slip old sewing machine needles and odd pin etc through the hole and then toss when full.
The best way to safely dispose of pins and needles is to get a sharps disposal container from the pharmacy. They are free here to pick up and return for disposal. That way, no one is accidentally injured, and they are disposed safely. 🇦🇺
I also dispose if bent pins and broken needles, as well as old rotary blades, in my sharps container. Just a convenience since I have one for used insulin pen cap needles and lancets from testing my blood sugar.
I'm participating in the Declutter Challenge for the third year now. I'm at the point where my sewing room is fairly well organized so this time around it's mostly a refresher for me. I do thank you, Karen, because this series has made me more aware of how I work in my space and what I keep or don't keep. Making sure I give myself 2 minutes to clean up and organize things at the end of a day of sewing has been a game changer too, and it's so much easier since everything has a place due to decluttering.
I still have a pack of hand sewing needles that my older sister bought for home ec class back in the mid 70s. It even has the price sticker on it of 79 cents. It's one of those cardboard folder like things with different size needles. They're all in perfect condition, too! 😂😂
Last year during the 2023 challenge I did my needles and then I purchased a bulk amount of my favorite machine needles and I thank you every time I change my needle! I might have to reorder again this year! Biggest game changer yet! Thanks for all the videos!
Easy to use a twin needle Karen. Great for achieving 2 neat lines of stitching on hems. Just place a thread stand next to your machine holding the second thread. Thread both together until the needle. And give it test run.👍🇦🇺
I'm not an experienced sewer but I wear a lot of Jersey dresses and I use the twin needle to shorten hems and for 3/4 length sleeves. Easy to use, once you get your head around it.
I had an old tomato pin cushion from when i first started sewing at age 12. It was faded, hard and i decidec to ta ke it apart to use it for a pattern. It was hard because there were 81 size 7 sewing needles in it! I laughed so hard!
Your challenge last year made me look at my sewing room a different way. I moved my most used tools to a more convenient spot. I got rid of an expensive floor lamp that was always in the the way. I moved my sewing table 6 inches. I couldn’t believe the improved functionality! I was off and running. My sewing room underwent a complete transformation. It also helped that you “ gave me permission” to pass things along.Thank you.
I have about a dozen unique and lovely pin cushions made either for me or by me. I decided to put them in a glass front case that sits on a shelf. Now I get to enjoy all of them and they can’t roam around the house!
Funny story - my 50-year-old pincushion recently developed a hole (dry rot) and the crushed walnut began spilling out. I made a new pincushion and wanted to reuse the walnut. As I was pouring it into the new one, I found 43 needles, used once and lost inside. When I told my quilting sister, a retired nurse, this story she told me about an elderly patient who had a back x-ray and her bottom was filled with needles! #declutterchallenge2024
You mention recycling needles with your metal waste inside a medicine bottle. I'm not sure my city recycling program would appreciate this blending of materials.
I have three pin cushions, 1 by my sewing machine, 1 at my ironing/cutting area and 1 for travel. I do have a sentimental one from my mom and my homemade one when I was 10 or so.
I was gifted three different containers of pins, I put them out for donation at my sewing group, I can’t even give them away. I’m dumping them in my sharps container. So. Many. Pins.
I needed this today. I was recently going through a zip lock bag filled with machine and hand sewing needles and thought that someday I needed to organize them. This is the day! I also need to gather my many magnetic bowls and weed out the misfits. I love Karen's description of her pincushion as a "baby goat of sewing" SO TRUE! I will have to make some hard decisions on those. Have fun everyone. 😅
I worked at this last year. Very pleased with the results. This year I’ll do it again but now I’ll add going through an inherited sewing box. She had tons of pins, needles and buttons. This should keep me busy 😂😂😂
Since I am new to this… I don’t think I have any bad needles.. but I sure doing to check. I will check exactly what kind I have. I know some of my pins are full. Out they go!
Here in the U.K. (Kent) my local pharmacy will accept old /broken sewing needles (hand & machine) as long as they are in a pill container with a sealed lid. They put them in a Sharps yellow box for disposal. Not sure whether this is available all over U.K.
So I threw out 2 baby goat red tomato pincushions. No remorse. And I discarded the bent pins, put pretty colored pins into a pincushion I bought in Hawaii and the rest of my yellow headed ones into my big dusted and cleaned magnetic bowl from Harbor Freight. I also let a magnetic bowl with a weak magnet go. Very liberating. Thank you Karen for helping us deal with things we just tolerate.
One thing not mentioned is what do you do with partially used machine needles when you switch them out? I love having a pin cushion that is a needle organizer. It has squares for universal needles, denim, topstitch, etc. I stick the needle in the correct square and it’s easy to switch from one to another. I don’t lose track that way. You can also make your own.
I use a tomato pin cushion for partially used needles. With a fabric marker, I drew lines to create sections and labeled each section with the needle # and/or use (eg denim).
I inherited many from my mother. Do I need them? I have needle books, but did I put the sharps on the sharps page and the special ones for epp on their page? And I have big fat pins with a ball head for quilting from 40 years ago. I think I'll be bold and toss many today.
So today I did yesterday and today’s challenge. I have a box ready for a friend who will put together sewing kits for her Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. I have taken all spools that are not covered in plastic and put in a box (thank you Karen for reminding me of the dust our hobby makes). I even found a container to put my sewing machine bobbins in to sit by my machine. I also found another box of rotary cutters which I put away. I am a big thrifter but will now be more selective about what I put in my cart unless there is a tool of gadget I cannot love without. As I empty containers I am moving them out of my sewing room to deal with later. Now to organize my crochet tools. Lastly, I gave my Singer sewing machine to my sister and so all singer needles will go her.
If you are able, would you please do a tutorial on double needles? I own one only because it came with my Juki. Thanks once again, Karen, for taking the time to encourage and guide us. I appreciate you.
What model of Juki do you have? I have been looking at the Exceed series - 300, 400, 600 - online. I have yet to see one in person, but I think I want one!
@@FayeKiser-pr2yu I have the HZL-F600. It's a great machine for the price. I do all my piecing (and mending, crafting, etc) on it. It comes with lots of decorative stitches. I was only ever to quilt up to (some) twin-size quilts with it because of the limited throat space, but it was better than my old machine. Now, however, I do my quilting on my .. gasp.. Bernina Q16, which I bought at a phenomenal price on Black Friday. :)
Hmmm I have been keeping pins and needles for ages, it is lucky that they don’t get rusty. Thanks for sharing the tips Karen. I need to sort them out. Happy decluttering day 10.❤❤❤
Today, I have off from the challenge! Yay! My needles and pins are in perfect shape, since I did a lot of hand sewing lately and already discarted the dull and/ or bent ones. My children surprised me with sewing machine needles for Christmas. Great - now I have several packages of perfect ones in stock. The pins I actually replaced in 2023 already since I happened to work with spray glue too generously... and they were too close by... 🤬🤬🤬
Hi! I don't have a crafting room and so little space available. Last year for my first decluttering challenge I decided to allow 2 shelves for patchwork and sewing. So that became my available space as mentioned by Karen. Once the decision taken everything has to fit in (ok I made an exception for fabric for garments that I keep in my closet). That means that only sewing items and related to it are together. All the multipurpose remain in another drawer. Hope this helps
Well, good idea. The spray glue incident actually happened because I had missgrabbed the can! I thought I had a can of compressed air to quickly give everything a "run over" to dust. Well.... Do I have so say more??? 🤬🤬🤬🤬 The worst ever!!! Besides all the pins a lot of other stuff had to go... Hopelessly messed up. But those cans look so much alike!!!! The spray glue is now in the basement!! I AM CURED!!!!
Needle types can also be controversial. For example an accessory expert was emphatic about the damage chrome coated needles can do to sewing machines. Urging these types be discarded. I have a sharps box from the pharmacy for all the problem pins and needles. When it’s full I recycle. Using magnetic pin holders eliminated the need for pin cushions for me. Pin cushions can be a black hole of useless items.
Even after doing this challenge a few times so far, bent needles or old sewing machine needles are a constant. I also use a pill bottle for all the dead needles and it really encourages me to change out my needles more often. Thanks again Karen for the reminders.
Love this challenge! Thank you for sharing your time, experiences and expertise. You were mentioned on the Inappropriate Quilters podcast last week as an excellent challenge for getting organized in 2024. Rochelle didn’t “exactly” follow your suggestions for a specific room that needed to be organized prior to being completely emptied, but she recommended their listeners check out your challenge. WTG IQ
I have only one pin cushion. It’s in the box I use to hold my hand sewing items. I collect my bad pins and needles in a prescription bottle too, but they are not recyclable in my area. I would venture to guess that there are few, if any, areas of the US that allow recycling of anything sharp like pins, needles, or rotary cutting blades. They need to be sealed in something sturdy that will prevent them from injuring anyone and discarded with household trash.
Drs and vets, as well as hospitals, have lots of needles to dispose of. They are referred to as "sharps". I have livestock so i also have needles to treat sick animals. Ask your vet if you can put yours in with their's. Our local Household Hazardous Waste Disposal site hands out special boxes to collect needles in, and then takes them back when they are full. Putting them in with household trash is a bad idea and where i live i think it's illegal.
@@pennyobrien5641 That question was discussed in the comments I read on another channel. Someone asked their doctor if they could bring in their sewing needles for disposal. They were told no - that it would be theft of services - because the doctor pays to have their needles disposed of so they can’t let their patient add needles. If you are in the US, you probably know that recycling and disposal rules vary greatly by geographic area.
I have a lot of inherited hand sewing needles, so maybe I should go through them. I like the idea of buying the sewing machine needles in bulk, but where do you buy them in bulk? I have been using my old pill containers for needles, and old rotary cutter blades. Thanks for the great tips!
Cut a narrow piece of white card stock or old business card that is white on the back, to hold behind the needle. You will be able to see the needle hole and able to thread easier. I rarely use the auto threader.
For my EPP I thread in bulk with the help of a needle threader & then put them in a Clover Domed Threaded Needle Case. It means that I can just carry on sewing without having to repeatedly get out the needle threader. Once the Clover case is empty I just thread up a new batch of needles.
This question is a little OT because I'm a late starter (only on day 2 of the challenge, which I try to adapt as I am not a quilter but very artsy) So here it goes: how would you tackle the challenge differently without an actual crafting room? I have a hard time on day 2 separating what doesn't belong as my cupboards are multipurpose, so I cannot really dedicate space to paper/pencils exclusively. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Container that fit prperly in the space you can get crafty and make them yourself and then get to deorate them how you want. You could still have a dedicated spot for your things even if its a multipurpose space. Like if you have shelves each one can be a different purpose. Example topself crafts next shelf food. If there isnt any shelves i would say clear containers or obviouly labeled containers. I just double checked you said cuboards as in more than one. Can each cuboard be used for a different function in the space. This might be good motivation to declutter other areas. Biggest advice i can say for anything is like things together and ask yourself am i going to use this? If its a seasonal item like for summer you can wait to see if you use it next summer or try and remeber how long you have had it and did you use it last summer. Good luck if you want to give any more info i am willing to answer any questions i can. I love to orgainze and have things look neat. I used to have half a closet i put a dresser in for my craft space so im good with tiny places.
What brand and size is your favorite straight pin, I bought a set of straight pens that turned out to be very sharp. Very nice with a white head ball and I immediately remove them from the packaging and put them in my baby goat and now I don’t know what kind they are.
I use several sizes for different things. Spanish lace pins for piecing..if necessary. The flower head ones for block assembly and corsage pins for long arming.
It may sound strange; but, I have found that some of my needles and pins have rusted when I stored them in a sewing box that was gifted to me. It is a beautiful sewing box; but, it is useless to store any of my metal sewing items in. I'm going to trash that box (and all the rusty pins, needles, snaps, hooks/eyes, and other rusty items stored in it. Yes, the box is made out of wood.
Needles were easy. I bought a travel jewelry bag with 5 long thin zippers pouches and put it on the wall next to my table. I separated them into universal, quilting, and once in a blue moon needles. That took 4 pouches. Then hand needles went in the bottom pouch. I don’t buy a lot of needles and probably don’t change them enough. Pin cushions get lost with me. So I bought a magnetic wrist one that I can’t find. What do you do with the clips and safety pins?
I purchased my clips on bulk on amazon. They came in a pretty round tin w a lid. I put the tin in a mechanics magnetic bowl. The the magnet doesnt hold the clips, but it holds the tin in place. I have a wire rack right next to my sewing table, and the magnetic bowl holds onto that so it doesnt move around. I also have a mini 3 drawer organizer on my sewing table thats designed for school/office. I keep sewing machine needles and seam rippers in 2 drawer, very small rulers, tape measure and marking pens on 1 drawer and the other has the rest of my clips. My safety pins came in little plastic containers, and I just keep them in those.
Thank you, I have a little plastic drawer box on my table. I never thought about just sticking the overflow clips in one of them. I have a small cookie sheet screwed to the wall that I keep all of my magnetic pin tins and my 2 magnetic bowls on. One bowl sits sideways on the cookie sheet, heaped with safety pins, which stay very well just hanging there.
@@jwall6006 love the cookie sheet! We are moving into a smaller space sometime in the next year, and I will lose my dedicated sewing space for a while. I will have to remember the cookie sheet! Even if i cant attach it to the wall, I have several magnetic bowls and just to be able to have my small tools contained in an easy spot will be most helpful! Thank you! 🙂
To Jenniferp4944: how about you dedicate an area in the cupboard and the bookcase to sewing crafts, and mark it off with masking tape that you have labeled. Just be sure to put things back there after you use them. It works for me.
Karen, how about us learning together on how to use a twin needle. I’d love you giving us a tutorial. We can learn together.
If you don't have an old pill bottle I use an empty and washed spice bottle ; the kind that fits on a spice rack as most have a lid that flips open with a top with holes in them. I just slip old sewing machine needles and odd pin etc through the hole and then toss when full.
I love this idea! ❤
The best way to safely dispose of pins and needles is to get a sharps disposal container from the pharmacy. They are free here to pick up and return for disposal. That way, no one is accidentally injured, and they are disposed safely. 🇦🇺
I also dispose if bent pins and broken needles, as well as old rotary blades, in my sharps container. Just a convenience since I have one for used insulin pen cap needles and lancets from testing my blood sugar.
Pin cushions are the baby goats of quilting 😂
I'm participating in the Declutter Challenge for the third year now. I'm at the point where my sewing room is fairly well organized so this time around it's mostly a refresher for me. I do thank you, Karen, because this series has made me more aware of how I work in my space and what I keep or don't keep. Making sure I give myself 2 minutes to clean up and organize things at the end of a day of sewing has been a game changer too, and it's so much easier since everything has a place due to decluttering.
I have also followed the declutter challenge for three years. I agree this year is so much easier.
I still have a pack of hand sewing needles that my older sister bought for home ec class back in the mid 70s. It even has the price sticker on it of 79 cents. It's one of those cardboard folder like things with different size needles. They're all in perfect condition, too! 😂😂
I use a twin needle to sew the hem around the edges of napkins. It makes a neat appearance on both the front and the back.
Last year during the 2023 challenge I did my needles and then I purchased a bulk amount of my favorite machine needles and I thank you every time I change my needle! I might have to reorder again this year! Biggest game changer yet! Thanks for all the videos!
Karen please try fmq with twin needles. Such a cool effect!! Looks like a ribbon.
Easy to use a twin needle Karen. Great for achieving 2 neat lines of stitching on hems. Just place a thread stand next to your machine holding the second thread. Thread both together until the needle. And give it test run.👍🇦🇺
I’ve been curious about those.
I love using twin needles, especially for recreating the hem of a knit dress.
I recently started using them to hem sleeves for my son in law.
I don’t have a cover stitch so I use twin needles for knit hems. Also look nice for topstitching!
I'm not an experienced sewer but I wear a lot of Jersey dresses and I use the twin needle to shorten hems and for 3/4 length sleeves. Easy to use, once you get your head around it.
I had an old tomato pin cushion from when i first started sewing at age 12. It was faded, hard and i decidec to ta ke it apart to use it for a pattern. It was hard because there were 81 size 7 sewing needles in it! I laughed so hard!
I still use mine. 😊 It's been mine for a loooong time 😂.
Your challenge last year made me look at my sewing room a different way. I moved my most used tools to a more convenient spot. I got rid of an expensive floor lamp that was always in the the way. I moved my sewing table 6 inches. I couldn’t believe the improved functionality! I was off and running. My sewing room underwent a complete transformation. It also helped that you “ gave me permission” to pass things along.Thank you.
I have about a dozen unique and lovely pin cushions made either for me or by me. I decided to put them in a glass front case that sits on a shelf. Now I get to enjoy all of them and they can’t roam around the house!
Funny story - my 50-year-old pincushion recently developed a hole (dry rot) and the crushed walnut began spilling out. I made a new pincushion and wanted to reuse the walnut. As I was pouring it into the new one, I found 43 needles, used once and lost inside. When I told my quilting sister, a retired nurse, this story she told me about an elderly patient who had a back x-ray and her bottom was filled with needles!
#declutterchallenge2024
What kind of needles in the bottom? Syringe needles from injections or sewing needles?
Oh, the poor lady!
Some of my most basic sewing safety rules come from my mom's own mistakes.
You mention recycling needles with your metal waste inside a medicine bottle. I'm not sure my city recycling program would appreciate this blending of materials.
I have three pin cushions, 1 by my sewing machine, 1 at my ironing/cutting area and 1 for travel. I do have a sentimental one from my mom and my homemade one when I was 10 or so.
I was gifted three different containers of pins, I put them out for donation at my sewing group, I can’t even give them away. I’m dumping them in my sharps container. So. Many. Pins.
I needed this today. I was recently going through a zip lock bag filled with machine and hand sewing needles and thought that someday I needed to organize them. This is the day! I also need to gather my many magnetic bowls and weed out the misfits. I love Karen's description of her pincushion as a "baby goat of sewing" SO TRUE! I will have to make some hard decisions on those. Have fun everyone. 😅
I worked at this last year. Very pleased with the results. This year I’ll do it again but now I’ll add going through an inherited sewing box. She had tons of pins, needles and buttons. This should keep me busy 😂😂😂
Since I am new to this… I don’t think I have any bad needles.. but I sure doing to check. I will check exactly what kind I have. I know some of my pins are full. Out they go!
Here in the U.K. (Kent) my local pharmacy will accept old /broken sewing needles (hand & machine) as long as they are in a pill container with a sealed lid. They put them in a Sharps yellow box for disposal. Not sure whether this is available all over U.K.
This series is wonderful. It has given me a roadmap to declutter and reorganize. My creative space is becoming comfortable and inviting. Thank you!
So I threw out 2 baby goat red tomato pincushions. No remorse. And I discarded the bent pins, put pretty colored pins into a pincushion I bought in Hawaii and the rest of my yellow headed ones into my big dusted and cleaned magnetic bowl from Harbor Freight. I also let a magnetic bowl with a weak magnet go. Very liberating. Thank you Karen for helping us deal with things we just tolerate.
One thing not mentioned is what do you do with partially used machine needles when you switch them out? I love having a pin cushion that is a needle organizer. It has squares for universal needles, denim, topstitch, etc. I stick the needle in the correct square and it’s easy to switch from one to another. I don’t lose track that way. You can also make your own.
I bought one of those last year. Very helpful 😊
I’ve got a few empty film containers and I use them for my old sewing machine needles. They hold a lot of needles before you have to pitch them.
I use a tomato pin cushion for partially used needles. With a fabric marker, I drew lines to create sections and labeled each section with the needle # and/or use (eg denim).
I inherited many from my mother. Do I need them?
I have needle books, but did I put the sharps on the sharps page and the special ones for epp on their page? And I have big fat pins with a ball head for quilting from 40 years ago. I think I'll be bold and toss many today.
So today I did yesterday and today’s challenge. I have a box ready for a friend who will put together sewing kits for her Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. I have taken all spools that are not covered in plastic and put in a box (thank you Karen for reminding me of the dust our hobby makes). I even found a container to put my sewing machine bobbins in to sit by my machine. I also found another box of rotary cutters which I put away. I am a big thrifter but will now be more selective about what I put in my cart unless there is a tool of gadget I cannot love without. As I empty containers I am moving them out of my sewing room to deal with later. Now to organize my crochet tools. Lastly, I gave my Singer sewing machine to my sister and so all singer needles will go her.
I knew there was a reason I awoke at this way too early hour.
Funny its needles and pins today, ive just sorted all of these yesterday. Loving the challenges, its really helpful
Thank you for your help. I have done this for 2 years now and enjoy doing it.
If you are able, would you please do a tutorial on double needles? I own one only because it came with my Juki. Thanks once again, Karen, for taking the time to encourage and guide us. I appreciate you.
What model of Juki do you have? I have been looking at the Exceed series - 300, 400, 600 - online. I have yet to see one in person, but I think I want one!
@@FayeKiser-pr2yu I have the HZL-F600. It's a great machine for the price. I do all my piecing (and mending, crafting, etc) on it. It comes with lots of decorative stitches. I was only ever to quilt up to (some) twin-size quilts with it because of the limited throat space, but it was better than my old machine. Now, however, I do my quilting on my .. gasp.. Bernina Q16, which I bought at a phenomenal price on Black Friday. :)
Hmmm I have been keeping pins and needles for ages, it is lucky that they don’t get rusty. Thanks for sharing the tips Karen. I need to sort them out. Happy decluttering day 10.❤❤❤
Today, I have off from the challenge! Yay!
My needles and pins are in perfect shape, since I did a lot of hand sewing lately and already discarted the dull and/ or bent ones.
My children surprised me with sewing machine needles for Christmas. Great - now I have several packages of perfect ones in stock.
The pins I actually replaced in 2023 already since I happened to work with spray glue too generously... and they were too close by... 🤬🤬🤬
Hi!
I don't have a crafting room and so little space available. Last year for my first decluttering challenge I decided to allow 2 shelves for patchwork and sewing. So that became my available space as mentioned by Karen.
Once the decision taken everything has to fit in (ok I made an exception for fabric for garments that I keep in my closet).
That means that only sewing items and related to it are together. All the multipurpose remain in another drawer.
Hope this helps
Well, good idea.
The spray glue incident actually happened because I had missgrabbed the can! I thought I had a can of compressed air to quickly give everything a "run over" to dust.
Well.... Do I have so say more??? 🤬🤬🤬🤬
The worst ever!!!
Besides all the pins a lot of other stuff had to go... Hopelessly messed up.
But those cans look so much alike!!!!
The spray glue is now in the basement!!
I AM CURED!!!!
Any tips on identifying machine needles that are not in a package? What size or type?
Needle types can also be controversial. For example an accessory expert was emphatic about the damage chrome coated needles can do to sewing machines. Urging these types be discarded. I have a sharps box from the pharmacy for all the problem pins and needles. When it’s full I recycle. Using magnetic pin holders eliminated the need for pin cushions for me. Pin cushions can be a black hole of useless items.
Good idea to only give myself one more year to learn to use the twin and triple needles. Very good idea!!
Maybe she’ll do a tutorial. I love how she teaches.
Triple needles?! What fresh horror is this now? 😉😉😉
i have one twin needle......it really doesn't take up all that much space....
Thank you for sharing!
Even after doing this challenge a few times so far, bent needles or old sewing machine needles are a constant. I also use a pill bottle for all the dead needles and it really encourages me to change out my needles more often. Thanks again Karen for the reminders.
OK...gathered everything up and can identify some pins to pass along....I like your idea of using certain pin cushions for certain types of pins.
Loved the needle discard container. Thank you for the share.
I've just learnt that there are denium needles. Thank you! I was about to do a project with denium😊
I used mine for quilting. The machine I used at the time did better with a denim needle.
My granddaughter likes to chew gum. It comes in a wonderful plastic container. I can throw blades and needles in it. Works very well.
Love this challenge! Thank you for sharing your time, experiences and expertise. You were mentioned on the Inappropriate Quilters podcast last week as an excellent challenge for getting organized in 2024. Rochelle didn’t “exactly” follow your suggestions for a specific room that needed to be organized prior to being completely emptied, but she recommended their listeners check out your challenge. WTG IQ
I have only one pin cushion. It’s in the box I use to hold my hand sewing items. I collect my bad pins and needles in a prescription bottle too, but they are not recyclable in my area. I would venture to guess that there are few, if any, areas of the US that allow recycling of anything sharp like pins, needles, or rotary cutting blades. They need to be sealed in something sturdy that will prevent them from injuring anyone and discarded with household trash.
Drs and vets, as well as hospitals, have lots of needles to dispose of.
They are referred to as "sharps". I have livestock so i also have needles to treat sick animals. Ask your vet if you can put yours in with their's. Our local Household Hazardous Waste Disposal site hands out special boxes to collect needles in, and then takes them back when they are full.
Putting them in with household trash is a bad idea and where i live i think it's illegal.
@@pennyobrien5641 That question was discussed in the comments I read on another channel. Someone asked their doctor if they could bring in their sewing needles for disposal. They were told no - that it would be theft of services - because the doctor pays to have their needles disposed of so they can’t let their patient add needles. If you are in the US, you probably know that recycling and disposal rules vary greatly by geographic area.
I didn't suggest a Dr but I suggested a vet. It worked for me.
Lucky me!
What about scrap metal places? They would likely take them.
This is great advice
I have never used twin needles thank you
Thanks Karen - loving this series as always! Where do you buy your sewing machine needles in bulk please?
Amazon 😎
One of my favourite sayings is…’life is too short to use blunt or bent pins’.
I just did this the other day!
Definitely have more pins than I use and needles, too.
A tic tac mints container is great for collecting needles and pins. Plus you can enjoy the tic tacs guilt free knowing you're being extra thrifty 😂😂
Good info
I have a lot of inherited hand sewing needles, so maybe I should go through them. I like the idea of buying the sewing machine needles in bulk, but where do you buy them in bulk? I have been using my old pill containers for needles, and old rotary cutter blades. Thanks for the great tips!
I'm looking at easy to thread needles because I have such a hard time threading them.
Cut a narrow piece of white card stock or old business card that is white on the back, to hold behind the needle. You will be able to see the needle hole and able to thread easier. I rarely use the auto threader.
I use a magnifying glass for threading.
@@marinaabad4995 so do I but it takes so long to get everything into position.
For my EPP I thread in bulk with the help of a needle threader & then put them in a Clover Domed Threaded Needle Case.
It means that I can just carry on sewing without having to repeatedly get out the needle threader. Once the Clover case is empty I just thread up a new batch of needles.
It helps me to snip the end of the thread at a sharp angle and not straight across. Makes it just a little thinner at the tip.
This question is a little OT because I'm a late starter (only on day 2 of the challenge, which I try to adapt as I am not a quilter but very artsy)
So here it goes: how would you tackle the challenge differently without an actual crafting room? I have a hard time on day 2 separating what doesn't belong as my cupboards are multipurpose, so I cannot really dedicate space to paper/pencils exclusively. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Container that fit prperly in the space you can get crafty and make them yourself and then get to deorate them how you want. You could still have a dedicated spot for your things even if its a multipurpose space. Like if you have shelves each one can be a different purpose. Example topself crafts next shelf food. If there isnt any shelves i would say clear containers or obviouly labeled containers. I just double checked you said cuboards as in more than one. Can each cuboard be used for a different function in the space. This might be good motivation to declutter other areas. Biggest advice i can say for anything is like things together and ask yourself am i going to use this? If its a seasonal item like for summer you can wait to see if you use it next summer or try and remeber how long you have had it and did you use it last summer. Good luck if you want to give any more info i am willing to answer any questions i can. I love to orgainze and have things look neat. I used to have half a closet i put a dresser in for my craft space so im good with tiny places.
I have a box for tools, a can for buttons, another can for beads, etc.
What brand and size is your favorite straight pin, I bought a set of straight pens that turned out to be very sharp. Very nice with a white head ball and I immediately remove them from the packaging and put them in my baby goat and now I don’t know what kind they are.
I use several sizes for different things. Spanish lace pins for piecing..if necessary. The flower head ones for block assembly and corsage pins for long arming.
I think this is going to be the hardest thing I will go through in this challenge lol.
It may sound strange; but, I have found that some of my needles and pins have rusted when I stored them in a sewing box that was gifted to me. It is a beautiful sewing box; but, it is useless to store any of my metal sewing items in. I'm going to trash that box (and all the rusty pins, needles, snaps, hooks/eyes, and other rusty items stored in it. Yes, the box is made out of wood.
Wow I wonder why a wooden box would do that!
Strange. Must be very acidic.
Needles were easy. I bought a travel jewelry bag with 5 long thin zippers pouches and put it on the wall next to my table. I separated them into universal, quilting, and once in a blue moon needles. That took 4 pouches. Then hand needles went in the bottom pouch. I don’t buy a lot of needles and probably don’t change them enough. Pin cushions get lost with me. So I bought a magnetic wrist one that I can’t find. What do you do with the clips and safety pins?
I purchased my clips on bulk on amazon. They came in a pretty round tin w a lid. I put the tin in a mechanics magnetic bowl. The the magnet doesnt hold the clips, but it holds the tin in place. I have a wire rack right next to my sewing table, and the magnetic bowl holds onto that so it doesnt move around. I also have a mini 3 drawer organizer on my sewing table thats designed for school/office. I keep sewing machine needles and seam rippers in 2 drawer, very small rulers, tape measure and marking pens on 1 drawer and the other has the rest of my clips. My safety pins came in little plastic containers, and I just keep them in those.
Thank you, I have a little plastic drawer box on my table. I never thought about just sticking the overflow clips in one of them. I have a small cookie sheet screwed to the wall that I keep all of my magnetic pin tins and my 2 magnetic bowls on. One bowl sits sideways on the cookie sheet, heaped with safety pins, which stay very well just hanging there.
@@jwall6006 love the cookie sheet! We are moving into a smaller space sometime in the next year, and I will lose my dedicated sewing space for a while. I will have to remember the cookie sheet! Even if i cant attach it to the wall, I have several magnetic bowls and just to be able to have my small tools contained in an easy spot will be most helpful! Thank you! 🙂
To Jenniferp4944: how about you dedicate an area in the cupboard and the bookcase to sewing crafts, and mark it off with masking tape that you have labeled. Just be sure to put things back there after you use them. It works for me.
I loose my pin cushions, I find them and loose them again! Right now I have 3 lost pin cushions! I doubt anyone else has this problem!
Right now I am working with 4 pins on my sewing machine mini pin cushions, while I have 3 pin cushions full of pins & needles!
What is the name brand of the blouse you have on today, it is a beautiful color?
This is my first year of getting up the nerve to declutter my sewing room! And, oh does it need it! Thank you so much Karen!!!❤️❤️❤️