Welcome to Our Favorite Tools! This blog is intended to give you a list of all the hand tools you’ll find useful when working with your longarm quilting machine and quilting fabric.
Below, we’ve provided a full list of the products we will go through today. Here is a list of the different tools we recommend:
- Pick-or-Knot
- Needle Alignment Magnet
- Seam Ripper
- Curved-Tip Scissors
- Needle Threader
- Hemostats
- Clover Fine Hook
- Small Screwdriver (comes with sewing machine)
- Tweezers
- Thread Cutters for Bobbin Winder and Back of Machine
- Paint Brush, Vacuum, and/or Canned Air for Cleaning
- Needle Tip Oil Bottle
- Cloth Measuring Tape
- Stylus for Lightning Stitch Screen
- Jukebox Tool Holder
Learn more about all of these quilting tools — and how they can help with your project — and make sure you stop by Jukebox Quilts in Fort Collins to shop our selection of quilting products, including sewing machines and quilting fabric, along with our calendar of upcoming events, quilt shows, quilting classes, and other quilting services.
The Pick-or-Knot
The pick-or-knot is a long thin utensil designed by a dentist for his wife, who is a quilter. This awesome and unique little tool has a skinny blunt end with a bit of a bend in it and a very small hook on the other end.
The blunt end of this tool is good for seam ripping when the quilt is still loaded on your longarm quilting machine, as well as pulling up thread ends when you need to tie off. The hooked end can be used to pull threads out from under your quilt top.
The Needle-Alignment Magnet
This magnet is small but mighty. Its long skinny shape allows you to get a grip on the magnet, and the round flat end will be attracted to the needle on your long-arm sewing machine head.
Use this tool to determine which direction the needle is facing by sticking it to the needle on the head of your longarm sewing machine. Whichever direction the magnet sticks out is the direction that the eye of the needle is facing.
This can be incredibly handy especially for those with sight difficulties, or just for those of us who don’t want to bend over to get close to the needle!
Seam Ripper
A seam ripper is a classic tool that is a must-have in every quilter’s toolbox. We recommend the Seam-Fix seam ripper which has a rubbery attachment on both the cap and back end of the handle for easy thread removal.
Cut loose threads as you would normally do with a seam ripper, and use the rubbery end to rub away any small threads left behind!
Curved-Tip Scissors
These scissors are a must-have when working with quilts on longarm machines.
The curved tip of these small scissors allows you to easily cut threads on your quilt without fear of cutting into the quilt top you (or your customer) have spent so much time piecing together!
Needle Threader
This little tool sounds remedial but can be a life-saver.
Combine the use of this tool with the needle magnet discussed earlier and you’re set to thread needles left and right without ever needing to see the actual eye of the needle! This can especially be handy when pulling threads to the back of the quilt top to hide them.
Hemostats
Hemostats are traditionally used in medicine during surgery, but are also handy to have around when quilting!
With scissor-like handles and a tweezer-like grip instead of blades, they can be used to grab small threads in hard to reach places or otherwise manipulate thread.
Clover Fine Hook
This tool has a hook at the end that is so fine, it’s difficult to photograph! Luckily, the handle isn’t as small and is easy to manipulate.
The hook on the pick-or-knot is sometimes too large for the weave of fabric you have, so the clover fine hook can be used to pull threads through the quilt top without leaving visible holes.
Small Screwdriver
You can never go wrong with a small screwdriver like this one! After all, you are working with a machine, and there are plenty of small things to tighten or loosen.
Tweezers
Tweezers are indispensable. Similar to the hemostat scissors, large tweezers can be useful for grabbing threads in awkward places, or cleaning out your machine.
These large tweezers have a longer reach than the small hemostats and the curved tip can be useful for reaching lint build up inside of your machine.
Thread Cutters for Bobbin Winder and Back of the Machine
This handy little thread clipper can be used on the front of your bobbin winder, or attached to the backside of the head of your long-arm sewing machine.
With a sticky back, these little thread clippers can stick to wherever is most convenient for you! (Shown above stuck to the front of a bobbin winder.)
Small Brush, Vacuum, or Canned Air for Cleaning
A small brush like the one shown above can be used along with a scrap of batting to brush off lint from the sewing machine head, especially in the bobbin hook assembly. This can be a critical part of keeping your machine running smoothly!
Other options are using a vacuum or canned air — whatever works best for you!
Needle-Tip Oil Bottle
This needle-tip oil bottle is extra handy for oiling your bobbin hook assembly.
We recommend oiling the bobbin hook assembly during every bobbin change to keep your machine running as smoothly as possible.
Cloth Measuring Tape
A cloth measuring tape as we all know it is a sewing standard. For use with your longarm machine we recommend getting one that is at least 120 inches. The tape pictured also has yards marked out, which can be very useful.
Stylus for Lightning Stitch Screen
The Innova longarm sewing machine has a screen on the sewhead for adjusting the number of stitches per inch, and doing a variety of things as part of the quilting process. Using a stylus like the one pictured above is a great way to interact with this screen and can be easier than using your fingers!
Storage for Tools and Extra Parts
There are many ways to organize your tools and extra parts, but this is one of our favorites yet! Designed by Kelly Gallagher-Abbott at Jukebox Quilts, this make-it-yourself Jukebox Tool Holder is an awesome addition to any long-arm quilting machine. It holds all of the tools covered in this document.
Quilting Fabric and Supplies from Jukebox Quilts
Now that you’ve read through our favorite quilting tools, we hope that you’ve learned some tricks to make your next quilting project that much easier!
If you’re looking for any of the tools we’ve recommended, you can visit our Fort Collins location. Jukebox Quilts is here to help you with the entire quilting process, from choosing the right quilting fabric and tools to finding the best machine and sending your quilt off for longarm quilting.
When you follow our blog, you get access to other valuable information, including:
