Recommendations

Clover Curved Awl. I find this an invaluable tool in my longarm business! It’s great for pulling back stitching without clipping the thread. I also use it in my regular sewing when I need to undo just a few stitches, but don’t want to cut the thread, and instead I’m able to tie them off to secure my stitching.

Sew Straight Ruler – I use something very similar to this, mine is called The Angler 2, but this works the same way! I love it for making half square triangles without marking.

Hera Marker. I’ve had my Hera Marker for probably 10 years now and I use it all the time. It’s a great way to make lines with a crease, and also a great tool for “finger pressing” seams. It’s also useful for helping to poke out corners or round out a curved seam. I also have the smaller version.

Curved Stitching Presser Foot – I have used a sewing foot for curved piecing for years. It takes a few times to get the feel for it, but once you do, your curved sewing will go so fast!

EK Success Cutter Bee Precision Scissors – I use these for everything, but they are especially great for snipping threads and cutting out appliqué pieces. I have a second set I use on my house plants!

Self-Threading Needle – I use these at the longarm when I need to bury thread tails after I’ve tied off. Not having to thread an eye saves so much time!

Quilting Happiness. I wrote Quilting Happiness in 2012 with Diane and I still love everything about it. The patterns aren’t too complicated, and there are lots of fun stories, quizzes and bits of information throughout. It’s 12 years old now, but I still think there’s a few unique quilts that haven’t been overdone.

I use this on my longarm to record quilting videos (as well as other locations for other filming needs).

This is another great clamp for attaching your camera where you need it.

I use this for overhead shots when I’m designing on my iPad or shooting videos at my sewing machine. I just clamp it to my window sill or overhead shelf.

This tripod is great for overhead shots. It’s perfect for product photography for my shop.

Osmo Action – I currently use the original model of this, but they also have a 2 and 3. I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase the Osmo again. I use it for stop action and wide angle shots (when i’m at the sewing machine or longarm).

My exact flexible tripod is no longer available, but I would purchase this one should I need to replace mine. This is great for attaching my camera in tight spots or weird angles.

Canon G7x Mark iii – I use this camera for photo and video. I wanted something portable that wasn’t my phone that would have low f-stops. I love that the screen flips straight up, instead of to the side, for vlogs.

Canon 70D – My DSLR is a few styles behind now, but still works great. I use it for video and still images. Nothing beats a DSLRs photo quality.

Canon 10-18mm – This is a great wide angle lens for video and full quilt shots. It’s my primary lens.

Canon 50mm f/1.8 – I’ve had this lens for many, many years and it’s a fantastic lens for close up shots with a soft, fuzzy background.

This is a great microphone at a fantastic price! I’ve used Blue Yeti as and think this performs just as well! Plus – RGB lights!

I currently have an iPad 5th Gen (2021). I chose the 1TB version so I had the extra memory for Procreate and Adobe products. As of yet those are not freed up for use, so don’t be afraid to go with a lower version. But I do recommend a 12.9″ screen!

And of course I use the Apple Pencil with my iPad. They just work flawlessly together.

This is the 2nd gen of the Procreate Keyboard by AOIKTYE, I used the 1st gen, too. Having the shortcut keys can be great time savers for certain projects.

Because I use matte screen protectors (and draw a lot) I go through Pencil tips frequently, so I always have a replacement on hand.

I love this iPad case because of the flap to hold the Pencil in place when I’m traveling with the iPad. It saves it from dropping!

I always use a matte (aka paper-like) screen protector on my iPads. It makes for a more natural drawing experience. This is my go-to brand.

Canon Pixmas have always been my go-to printers. This is what i’m currently using, and it’s a wonderful upgrade from the usual home inkjets. The addition of grey ink really brings life to my prints.

This is my backup printer. It’s no longer made, but also does beautiful prints. It also has the grey ink and is part of the “Fine” inkjet line. If you can find it used, snatch it up!

I also have a laser printer on hand for everyday printing as well as for making gold foil stickers. Since my main printer is no longer an all-in-one, this gives me scanning capability.

This was my last printer and it prints really nice! I especially love that I can print 12×12 prints – Hello custom scrapbook paper!

If you want to print and cut your own stickers, this is the machine! I love my Portrait! It cuts accurate and doesn’t take up much space. It’s perfect for letter size projects, or smaller.

My first cutting machine was the Cricut Maker and it didn’t take me long after getting my Portrait to sell my Maker and purchase a Cameo. I use this for bigger projects and find it to be a lot more accurate cutting machine. I love it!

If you’re going to be cutting a lot of paper/stickers at once, you’ll love having a professional guillotine cutter. I make notepads and TN journals and use this to cut them square. It cuts like butter!

For cutting individual items a personal guillotine cutter is really handy. This one is great because it has all the measurement lines easy to read and the most accurate I’ve found. I also like the clear paper clamp – it really helps to keep the cuts from wandering as it gets towards the bottom of the cut. The blade is self sharpening and there’s a corner punch built in!

When I need to corner punch a lot of items at once I’m sure glad I have this. I mostly use it for notebooks I make, but it’s great if you have a bunch of sticker sheets to punch, too! I even use it for single sheets that need the corners rounded and it works great.

CFS Binding Compound – I use this to make my notepads. While Elmer’s and other white craft glues work, this works a lot better. I find the sheets hold together better for the long haul of my notepad. It doesn’t take much, so the bottle lasts a long time.

Fishers Paper Cutter – I’ve used a few of these portable paper cutters over the years, but this is my favorite. It has a metal “rail” down the cutting edge to help you line up your cuts perfectly! The blades also do a great job of making clean cuts. I don’t find I have to replace them too often.