Do you have one of these in you quilting tool box?
It’s a hemostast. Â It’s a tool doctors might use in surgery to clamp off a blood vessel. Â The end pinches tight together and can lock in place. Â I’m not a doctor…but I have one in my quilting tool box.
YEARS ago I used to make lots of cloth dolls. Â A hemostat works perfect for grabbing the inside of a doll leg, clamping the hemostat, then turning the piece right side out. Â It works great to sneak into an elastic casing and grab the elastic that has slipped out of reach.
Last night, it saved me a couple times. Â I was busy machine quilting my upcoming Moda Bake Shop quilt.
I was machine quilting and a black thread was between the top of the quilt and the batting (inside the quilt sandwich). Â Â There is some light back ground fabric and every once in a while, I would spot a thread under the fabric that was going to show through…See that black thread underneath? Â It’s under the white backing fabric….you can see the shadow at the tip of the hemostat.
I could sneak that hemostat under the top layer and snag that thread. Â Several times that little hemostat saved me….The threads are just small, but I didn’t want them to show through. Â It’s a tool that is quick and easy to use.
I got mine years ago at a “hardware store liquidation sale”. Â I checked at Amazon and they are available there. Â Here is a link. 5.5″ KELLY Hemostat FORCEPS (Straight)
I don’t use it all the time…but when I need it, I am real thankful to have it.
I managed to get some pickles made yesterday too…
Here’s 13 jars. Â The 14th broke in the canner….ugh. Â At least it was pickles and not salsa.
Today is another busy day….my main goal: Â Finish the quilt.
Hi Jo! I did not quite understand what happened. Let’s see if I understood: You are quilting with a black thread in the bobbin and white thread on top. The black bobbin thread pokes up and shows through to the top every once in a while. What did you do to get the black thread back down to the back of the quilt? You used the hemostat to grab the black thread and pull it back to the back of the quilt? Is that right? Sorry. In my old age my brain isn’t as sharp as it once was.
Fran
P.S. Where do you get all your energy from? I am lucky if I get one thing accomplished in a day! Fran
You are amazing. I could use some of your energy. Wait–I had more energy at your age. Don’t get old.
Your quilts are so very nice. I have one of those handy tools. I have used it for quite a few things such as gripping a thread when you are pulling out a seam.
Having a jar break in the canner is a bummer. Here is one, picture this — canning apple butter and 4 of the jars blew off their tops when cooling on the counter. We were washing apple butter off the ceiling. The jars were too full. What a mess.
Ah… the turning scissors.
I wish I had half your energy! You must be a speed quilter or a do you never sleep? I dont know how you do all the quilts you do, let alone canning too. Im inspired and jealous.
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i have a friend who is a dental assistant. she gave me one of the pointy dental tools to use to clean out the insides of my bobbin case. really comes in handy!
the pickles are looking good! the cukes are about done around here now.
Now I know why my mom had a couple of those mixed in with her sewing stuff I inherited. I knew they were hemostats, I just didn’t know what she would use them for. I’m putting those in my useful tool bin right now! Thanks for the tip, Terri in BC
We have the same tool in the fishing tackle….real handy when getting out hooks. But I just may move it to my sewing room..