Sister's Choice Quilts

My interests are quilting, reading, cooking, family, decorating, and matters of style. I post regular quilting tutorials and book reviews of current fiction.

New Gadget: Seams Sew Easy

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Lori Holt (Bee In My Bonnet) has a new gadget out that is kind of fun.  Extremely useful too.  She calls it Seams Sew Easy.  It is a plastic seam guide you can adhere to the bed of your sewing machine with little sticky dots that are re-positionable.  

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It sure is a lot cuter than my old Angler 2 by Pam Bono Designs!  I feel kind of disloyal abandoning my Angler 2, but I couldn't resist.  The daisy shape and the invisible sticky dots are a big improvement over my blue painters tape.  I am not sure if the Angler 2 is still available, in which case this new model is a great replacement.  Also, I believe the Seams Sew Easy may be a bit longer, which is handy for sewing larger half square triangles.  I have used my Angler 2 for *years* and have found it the most useful tool.  It eliminates the need to draw lines when making half square triangles.  And if you are making hundreds of them for a project, you know how nice that feature is.  You will cut your piecing time in half!

If you have never used one of these seam guides, I highly recommend you try one out.  Here is a quick image of how to use it to make half square triangles:

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Position your presser foot a quarter inch from the left hand side of the top  point.  Keep your eye on the mark that the bottom point is on.  You will use that line as your stitching guide as the fabric feeds through the presser foot.  When you get to the end, flip the block around and repeat on the other side.

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You end up with two stitched lines exactly a quarter inch from the center line (which you did not have to take time to draw).  Cut down the middle and you have two half square triangles.  You can use this seam guide to make snowball or easy corners too.

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Notice for the easy corner stitching you are using the center line as your guide.

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The only thing that confused me when I got my Seams Sew Easy was that at first I had no clue how to attach it to my sewing machine bed.  "Well, that doesn't make sense", I muttered to myself.  "I'll have to get out my blue painters tape after all. How dumb".   How dumb is right (me,that is).  They are easy to miss, but inside the package are four practically invisible double sided sticky dots.  Peel off one side of the plastic film and stick it to the daisy shape.  Peel off the other side of film to adhere the daisy shape to your sewing surface.  Lori has great photos on how to position it just right, which is critical to the guide functioning perfectly.   Also, the Seams So Easy is re-positionable when you need to remove it for bobbin changing, machine maintenance etc.  And I bet if those sticky dots ever loose their oomph, they can be replaced too.  I think the sticky dots are the same adhesive that keeps movie stars' low cut gowns from becoming a wardrobe malfunction.

27 responses to “New Gadget: Seams Sew Easy”

  1. Brilliant!
    What is the name of the large plastic sewing machine bed you put Seams So Easy on? We have the same sewing machine so it would be helpful to know. Does Bernina make it?
    Hugs!

  2. Brilliant!
    What is the name of the large plastic sewing machine bed you put Seams So Easy on? We have the same sewing machine so it would be helpful to know. Does Bernina make it?
    Hugs!

  3. Brilliant!
    What is the name of the large plastic sewing machine bed you put Seams So Easy on? We have the same sewing machine so it would be helpful to know. Does Bernina make it?
    Hugs!

  4. Thanks Nicole. I have an Angler 2 and never used it because I did not understand it. I hope I can find it since the move. This new one looks interesting. So you just eye the line with your eye as you sew?

  5. Thanks Nicole. I have an Angler 2 and never used it because I did not understand it. I hope I can find it since the move. This new one looks interesting. So you just eye the line with your eye as you sew?

  6. Thanks Nicole. I have an Angler 2 and never used it because I did not understand it. I hope I can find it since the move. This new one looks interesting. So you just eye the line with your eye as you sew?

  7. I saw this on Lori’s blog and want one too! I’ve been marking all my HSTs but it is a PITA and takes too much time as you noted. Thanks for the review!

  8. I saw this on Lori’s blog and want one too! I’ve been marking all my HSTs but it is a PITA and takes too much time as you noted. Thanks for the review!

  9. I saw this on Lori’s blog and want one too! I’ve been marking all my HSTs but it is a PITA and takes too much time as you noted. Thanks for the review!

  13. When I saw the product come out, I went deep into my drawers and finally opened up my Angler 2 that I bought about 3 years ago. I tried it out and it has some merits, but I did have to mess with it some to change my bobbins. I find that with this tool, and likely Lori Holt’s tool, I would still want to keep my fabric a scant amount to the left or right of the line (as a personal preference). Lori’s tool is definitely as cute as her fabric and books.

  14. When I saw the product come out, I went deep into my drawers and finally opened up my Angler 2 that I bought about 3 years ago. I tried it out and it has some merits, but I did have to mess with it some to change my bobbins. I find that with this tool, and likely Lori Holt’s tool, I would still want to keep my fabric a scant amount to the left or right of the line (as a personal preference). Lori’s tool is definitely as cute as her fabric and books.

  15. When I saw the product come out, I went deep into my drawers and finally opened up my Angler 2 that I bought about 3 years ago. I tried it out and it has some merits, but I did have to mess with it some to change my bobbins. I find that with this tool, and likely Lori Holt’s tool, I would still want to keep my fabric a scant amount to the left or right of the line (as a personal preference). Lori’s tool is definitely as cute as her fabric and books.

  19. Isn’t everything Lori Holt touches just as cute as can be? I love her fabrics, quilts, her painted furniture, etc. (I’m working on Great Granny Squared with my favorite Riley Blake fabrics.)So glad designers are out there and we can “meet” them on the computer, order books, and try to keep up with them.

  20. Isn’t everything Lori Holt touches just as cute as can be? I love her fabrics, quilts, her painted furniture, etc. (I’m working on Great Granny Squared with my favorite Riley Blake fabrics.)So glad designers are out there and we can “meet” them on the computer, order books, and try to keep up with them.

  21. Isn’t everything Lori Holt touches just as cute as can be? I love her fabrics, quilts, her painted furniture, etc. (I’m working on Great Granny Squared with my favorite Riley Blake fabrics.)So glad designers are out there and we can “meet” them on the computer, order books, and try to keep up with them.

  25. Love your review, especially how you say you feel disloyal to the Angler 2 as I feel the same way. Funny how there are so many “new” things that are really just repackaged or “cutified”. Seems like those dots would be a big help, just wonder if you can get more for putting on other machines or taking off. Your comment at the end is priceless too! Leave it to you to find other uses for those sticky dots 🙂

  26. Love your review, especially how you say you feel disloyal to the Angler 2 as I feel the same way. Funny how there are so many “new” things that are really just repackaged or “cutified”. Seems like those dots would be a big help, just wonder if you can get more for putting on other machines or taking off. Your comment at the end is priceless too! Leave it to you to find other uses for those sticky dots 🙂

  27. Love your review, especially how you say you feel disloyal to the Angler 2 as I feel the same way. Funny how there are so many “new” things that are really just repackaged or “cutified”. Seems like those dots would be a big help, just wonder if you can get more for putting on other machines or taking off. Your comment at the end is priceless too! Leave it to you to find other uses for those sticky dots 🙂