Magnetic Knife Strips for Organizing in the Studio

I use magnetic knife strips (racks, bars, whatever!) in my studio to hold almost everything.

At any given moment you'll find several feet, needles, maybe a throat plate or two, and anything else I might want within arms reach. The magnets on these are super strong; they even hold my Gingher pinking shears and those babies are heavy!

I have these placed right above my work station so I don't have to get up to reach what I need.

And like my pattern weights, these are so functional - but a little unsightly.

But check out what Serena has done to her plain ol' Ikea Knife Strip!

I love, love, love this knife strip covered in fabric!

(She's even posted a tutorial on her blog, so you can make this yourself)

Sure, it's cute for the kitchen - but wouldn't this be perfect for your sewing room too?!

Tell us! Do magnets make an appearance in your studio?

Pretty Pattern Weights

I use large heavy nuts as pattern weights to, well,  hold down my patterns as I cut them out. While extremely functional and economical, as I was cutting out a project today I realized that my pattern weights are pretty boring.

I use these things all the time, so why not spend a minute to spiff them up a teeny bit?

I just cut two felt circles for each nut, and embroidered "sew" and "cut" on them

I then hand stitched around the edges, leaving an opening to slip the nut in and then finish stitching all the way around

I used stuff I had on hand, so these are still a super cheap alternative to traditional pattern weights!

(oh look, there's a sneak peek at my current project!)

Tell us! Have you taken the time to fancy up any of your sewing tools lately?