I get asked all the time, what items are my favorite? What could I not live without? Cricut or Silhouette? So today I am going to tell you my top 10 items! Now I know June is my no spend month and if you have joined the challenge, well make a list of must haves for July 1! :)
These are in no particular order, just the 10 items I could not be without in my craft room!
1. Straight Edge & Rotary Cutter
I cut a ton of fabric and my straight edge ruler and rotary cutter are always out. I have multiple sizes of the straight edge and 3 rotary cutters. I use one for paper products the other is fabric only to keep the blade sharpe and lasting longer. These cutters are extremely sharp and save me a ton of time when I am working on projects!
2. Juki Sewing machines and Serger
I do a lot of sewing everyday. I need a machine that is fast, but solid. I need quality stitches and a machine that will hold up to things like denim and burlap. I buy my machines from a local quilt shop that is a certified dealer for these products. She is so knowledgeable, services & cleans them annually for me and these are the top of the line machines. What you can buy in a big box store is generally a general purpose machine. The service I get from the dealer is beyond amazing. I have tried several other brands in the past, but none have held up like my juki's. I have 4. 2 Sewing machines and 2 sergers. I have them all out and use them all for different purposes. The one I use the most is the straight stitch industrial machine. It's fast and works great! It was one of the best purchases I have ever made for my business.
3. An oversized ironing board and a hot steam iron.
I went through so many commercial steam irons before I bought this Hot Steam Gravity Feed Iron on Amazon. It uses a large 4 quart water reservoir that I only have to refill maybe 1 time per month, this iron is almost always turned on and gets hot super fast. I was buying out commercial irons, they would drip and leak and they were also expensive. This one was just a little bit more and so worth it!
I also made myself a large ironing board. It is 2 x 4 feet. I make my over covers using ironing board fabric from Joann's. I also use a fat goddess pressing sheet to protect the board surface. The large surface allows me to work on entire projects all at once without having to move it around.
I use a lot of dies in my work to streamline my process. I have worked with the Sizzix company to have several of my designs made into dies so I don't have to hand cut everything. These dies are essential to my everyday work, they speed up my process, and save my hands from having to hand cut several intricate designs.
5. Wire baskets and clear jars
I am an organizational junkie! I love keeping my room clean and organized. I tidy up daily and really clean my room weekly. I am in this room 45-50 hours a week so it can get messy, fast! I use clear jars for things like ribbon, felt balls, buttons, etc so that I can see what I have. I organize them all by color and then rainbow order. Its both pretty & functional! I use wire baskets to store all of my fabric scraps in also sorted by color.
6. Magnetic Pin Bowls by Pleasant Home & Riley Blake
Not only are these pin bowls adorable, but they are also super functional. No more pins on the floor or on my counter. I have 3 of these bowls and they are the best thing I have used for pins! If you spill anything magnetic, they also work great to pick things up!
7. Rainbow Carts from Michaels
I love these carts so much I had to get 2! I use them to sort my fabric pre cuts, they are the perfect size for 10 x 10 & 5 x 5. I have labeled each drawer with the name of the pre cut collection so they are easy for me to find. This also allows me to keep yardage and pre cuts together so I always have the coordinating fabric within arms reach! I will also tell you I bought a cheaper brand of these carts originally and it was not as nice, was un even and the drawers fell out all the time. Do yourself a favor and just buy them at Michaels! You won't regret it!
8. My Planner
If it weren't for this planner I would not get nearly as much done each day. I plan out each day, every day. For me its my go to. The second I start feeling like I am not sure what to do next, I look at my planner. I re evaluate my list and GSD (get stuff done). The way Day designer is laid out works well for me. It has a place for a to do list as well as hourly planning. It also has a monthly calendar. I have been using Day Designer for 3 years, it was a life changing habit for me and I am so glad I did it!
9. Fabric Mini Bolts
I used to have stacks and piles of fabric. I would come home with yardage of some stuff I already had because I had forgotten! I finally made mini bolts! I use foam board that you can purchase at any craft supply store. I cut each sheet down to 7.5 x 10 and wrap the fabric around the board. I then secure it with a pin. My fabric is all out and easy to see so when I am working on a project I can easily see what I have to work with. You can follow my tutorial here.
I have been asked so many times cricut or silhouette. I have both machines and after using them equally I would have to say my vote is for the Cricut. There really are pros and cons to both, for example Silhouette has a better online store, but I know that cricut is working on revamping theirs. For now they have enough that I can work with and i love how easy it is to upload my own designs! I love that this machine is wireless, it writes amazingly well with markers and other pens. It cuts flawlessly, I have had several issues with the silhouette. Many times i have had to start a project over due to a few bad cuts. honestly the one thing i love most is that the blades and mats last longer, I mean much longer and they are significantly less expensive.
Well there you have it friends! These are my go-to's, my I could not live without in my craft room! If you have any questions, please ask!!
