Reading through the discussion on pet peeves, thread tails was mentioned.
Rather than aim these at a near trash receptacle, one can consider using 5 lb brown lunch bag. These can be bought in Supermarkets.
Double cuff and attach to be near at hand of the machine support, using packaging tape.
To stabilize the turn down, I find it the better to make the first turn down deep. then make the next within this.
I have the “collectors” near my machines and each end of my cutting table. When full, one can readily grasp the all and transfer to the larger whatever that is being used to clean up.
A caution of course is to avoid throwing pins or needles into the bags. For “sharps”, there’s always the option of cutting a slit in a container having a plasitc cap. Peanut ones are just about the right size. It takes a LOT of sharps to fill one these.
For members who are without peanut cans, because of an allergy or whatever, they might keep an eye out for something similar.
me
Replies
Spice jars work well for "sharps".
Sue
I use prescription pill bottles as containers for discarded needles. The non-child-proof lids, which I request when I get an Rx filled, are easy to poke a hole into with a large needle. Then the needles can just be pushed through the hole without taking the lid off. Film canisters work well for this, too.
I use plastic bags in a similar fashion, only I have to really fold down the tops to get a firmer edge. Double sided tape holds them in place, and can be reused several times before being replaced. I like your paper bags better, as they could be dumped and reused a couple of times. Cathy
I used the paper bag trick yrs ago, but I guess I'm too rough or in too much of a hurry. I kept ripping the bags...so I went to a trash can. I also have them all over my ironing board. I tend to clip threads and put them in a pile at the wide end of the board...then I knock them on the floor and...here we are again. I guess I should just bite the bullet and take the time to clean as I go...
Deb
The tape lint rollers you buy in the dollar store would be handy for tails. If you unroll a couple of squares and tape it to your table face up, you can just place the tails on to it. Discard when full.ON the ironing board, you could just anchor a couple of squares to the square end.
EXCELLENT IDEA!!!!!!!! I think that will work...and it will help get the ones I miss off of the carpet. It just so happens that my 24 yr old son bought a couple of those only days ago. I just raided his room and took one! He has a 'habit' of going into my sewing room to find things he wants...then after I search for the item for 2 or 3 days, I usually find it in his room. Grrrrr. I've located measuring tapes, my GOOD shears, and my magnetic pin 'picker upper', all in his room. I took one of his rollers and hid the other one in one of his dresser drawers...TeeHeeHee...Paybacks are GREAT! Giggle, giggle, giggle....
Lordy, I can't wait til he moves out....He graduates in Dec...God willin' and the creek don't rise. I love him dearly, but its TIME!!!!!!!!!! Then DH and I will be alone for the first time since we got married. (I had 2 daughters when we married 26 yrs. ago.) That will be different! DS is gone a lot, but it sure puts a crimp on things, never knowing when he and his friends will walk in the door. Sometimes his buddies just walk in...He's spoken with them on the phone and told them just to come on in...Usually I don't mind...but there are times when I'd love to just be in my PJ's. or less..tee hee
Deb
Ditto on the bag idea and a pile on the ironing board - at least I felt I was making the effort to keep my area clean. When I add to the mix our 4-legged hairy 'boys' (aka 2 full-sized, rough coat collies) the thread and little fabric sniplets ends up everywhere! My arsenal now includes a heavy duty vacuum specially designed to handle pet hair (and thread!) As long as I keep the pins off the floor, DH doesn't even notice the thread!
As mentioned, a little cordless handvac like a Dust Buster is fast and magic--a vroom-vroom here, a vroom-vroom there, and presto, no more thread bits on the floor!
I just drop the thread scraps on the floor. So fast and easy. It is easy to then either scoop them up with your hands or use a hand vac.
I hang a plastic grocery bag from the legs of my serger. It fits nicely and lasts the entire project. The threads just trail down directly into the bag from the serger. I actually empty the bag and reuse it several times (eventually the plastic handles wear out and I fill it with trash).
A dear friend visited a craft show a couple of years ago and found a nifty bag that hangs from a velcro attachement to a weighed wooden carving of a sewing basket. It has a pin cushion on top of the basket. The bag is covered with fabric and inside is a slippery rubberized bag (similar to the consistency of a hot water bottle). It is great to have near my sewing machine and ironing board for those snippets.
I'm probably a bit late, but there is a more permanent option. I bought a "thread catcher" from a local chainstore. I can't think of the official name off-hand. I bought the serger version, however there is now a sewing machine version available as well. I'll try to describe it to you, it has a flat plastic board or tray that sits under your serger or sewing machine, the weight of the machine holds it in place. Within this tray is a hole that sits in front on the machine. In/under the hole is a fabric bag, this bag slides in or out when emptying. I love the serger version because when i'm sewing my the off-cuts of fabric just slide directly into the bag, i cut my tail ends & they fall straight in as well, since my sewing machine is so close those tail ends go in as well.
Even with trying to be 'good' about throwing the threads into the trash receptacle, I found that the wheels of my sewing chair were clogged with lint, hair (I'd grown it out for Locks of Love but have since returned to short), and lots and lots of thread! I spent a half hour pulling out all the debris from each wheel - and now I can roll around more easily (which is a safety issue, too)! I guess I wasn't as careful about getting threads into the trash as I thought. Will try to be better about it, now.
>> ... spent a half hour pulling out all the debris from each wheel ... <<
Oh, can I identify!
In the years of earning my credentials in Health Care, I spent many a Student Hour cleaning out debris from the wheels of all manner of equipment.
As a graduate, I began in the Operating Room. With suture material going astray despite efforts, the assignment to clean-the-wheels continued for everyone on staff. Support & Professional.
After some years in various capacities, I returned to the OR. The clogged wheels were far more prevelant because the'd been ignored. Despite the difficulty presented in moving a something. Until I hit the scene. Cleaning-wheels became the norm whenever I was in charge without surgeries to be done. The entire staff, including me pitched in. There was still much staff grumbling. Though this was fruitless because it just had to be done.
nepa
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