Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Five Essential Studio Tools!

If you know me you'll agree that I do like, and am easily distracted by bright, shiny things but I am a cautious shopper so don't have a lot of the latest doo-dads and gadgets in my studio (the kitchen is another matter!)
Btu I wondered about some of the tools that I keep using over and over again that aren't necessarily quilt related. These are items I consider essential in my studio and perhaps you would agree. So, in no particular order, here they are:

Proportional Scale


This gadget is the answer for enlarging or reducing drawings, patterns, or anytime you want to change the size in a copier.
Its simple to use and saves paper and aggravation! You can see a short Youtube video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi_6u338yhU

Sharps Container


Sitting in the doctors office a couple years ago, led me to think about all the bent pins, broken needles and dull blades I have thrown out over the years (I've always wrapped the blades in cardboard before disposing of them). So I started my own little Sharps Container and have another one in my workshop kit for travelling. Once the container is full I cover the lid with masking tape and put it in the garbage. Hopefully I've made the landfills a little safer!

Camera Tripod


I take a lot of pictures in my studio of work in progress and finished pieces. I take pictures of my dye work for Facebook and my blog.
Last Christmas I got a tripod from DH and love it! It keeps the camera steady, as even the slightest tremor can distort your images and I found a small table mini-tripod for small pieces of work.


And as another tip: I take my camera and a hiking pole out on walks with me, the handle on the pole unscrews so I can mount my camera for a monopod!

Colour Tools


I work with colour all day, I've taken many colour courses, have lots of books about colour in my library, but find I don't have a good colour memory!
So I often rely on these tools to help me when working with dyes or fabrics. They are indispensable in my studio. I often pick up those palette brochures and paint chips at the hardware store as well, they are fun to play with!


Idea and Inspiration Boards



 
I find that any piece of paper, photo, magazine article or snippet of something that lays on a horizontal surface will disappear within minutes. But once its pinned up on a board its more likely to stay there (though sometimes the papers do getting stuck behind other papers!)
So I have put up one very large board and not one, but two more boards as well! I can generally find what I want or needs within a minute or two instead of hours! Sometimes I even try to make them pretty and every couple of months I purge the boards of anything out of date.

So do you have favourite tools that you'd be lost without? Why not sure them with us!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

*A reducing glass, to be able to see a large quilt as a blended piece, to see what sticks out (good or bad.)

*A good friend, perhaps not a quilter, who looks and says "oooh! I love it!" or "What an amazing yellow quilt" when you thought it was primarily red. (pun untended)

Cathy said...

Self threading needles! Great for embedding threads when the quilting is done.