Nifty Notions: new product
A handy new product from Clover has a multitude of uses whether in the sewing room or the pantry. Judy Hall reviews Clover’s Wonder Clips for Into Craft.
Once in a while a brilliant new product emerges and such is the case with Clover’s Wonder Clips. Designed for quilters but these are just as handy for dressmaking and other crafts. Wonder Clips are a heavy duty plastic clip that replaces pins or binding clips with a fantastic, great holding capacity for so many crafts. To: Wonder Clips are a heavy duty plastic clip that replace pins or binding clips with a fantastic holding capacity for so many crafts.
What are they? Wonder Clips are a heavy duty plastic clip that replaces pins or binding clips with a fantastic, great holding capacity for so many crafts. They are streets ahead of all other notions performing similar uses. The more you use Wonder Clips, the more ideas you will have for using them. I have found them handy in the kitchen to seal opened packets to retain freshness or to prevent spilling. At the last show I ran out of devices to hold displays in place – Wonder Clips to the rescue! In the office I have found them useful in lieu of bulldog clips because they’re smaller, have a strong hold and open so wide. They are excellent for holding your scarf in place or place a small magnet behind one then use it on your message board. The mind boggles! They are most definitely a must-have item. However, they are designed for quilters to hold binding in place, so let’s concentrate on that. How many times have you pricked your finger with a pin or safety pin resulting in blood on your precious quilt? How many times have you damaged your fabric from using pins, safety pins or binding clips? Use these clips to prevent having holes left in fabrics. And there’ll be no more impressions left on fabric from other products! Clip and Hold! Clip and Sew! Exactly where you need help. Why? A remarkable feature of the Wonder Clips is that they have a flat bottom, allowing the easy flow of your fabric whilst sewing so as your fabric glides smoothly and freely through your sewing machine. They certainly open very wide enabling the thickest loft to be easily accommodated and the heavy duty hinge holds the quilt superbly. One excellent feature is the markings on the underside of the Wonder Clip. You may clip them on at ½”, 3/16”, ¼” or 3/8” distance onto your binding, marking precisely the desired seam allowance needed. Simply remove the clip as you sew, but if you forget, the sewing foot gently nudges them out of the way. The bottom of the Wonder Clip is clear so as you can see clearly for perfect linage. Wonder Clips are a great alternative to pins, especially when working with pile fabrics, vinyls, leather, laminated fabric, cardboard, heavyweight fabrics, knits and particularly good for slippery fabrics and they don’t leave any imprint on the fabric.
- Use them whilst hand-sewing too, either for applying binding, piping, trims, lace, bag handles or just to hold layers of fabric together.
- They are a “god-send” when English paper-piecing to clip the template onto the fabric preventing shifting, particularly when sewing the corners.
- They keep pattern pieces together keeping you organised and you may hold quilt block pieces together in order of sewing so as no mishaps occur!
- Use them for holding a pattern into place when transferring a design or for tracing.
- Because they hold fabric layers flat, they are ideal for some types of appliqué and to hold embellishments in place.
- Let’s not forget our overlockers – Wonder Clips are the perfect to hold fabrics together, far safer than pins that are so easily “lost” and then crunch, you’ve sewn over a pin. Drastic news for an overlocker! Never happens with Wonder Clips because they are so visible and easy to remove as you approach them.
Joan Hawley from Lazy Girl Designs, (www.lazygirldesigns.com) kindly gave permission to share some images from her blog when she used them for one of her brilliant patterns.
Place the Wonder Clips on your quilt binding with the red piece on top since it is curved to accommodate the bulk of the binding. The clear underneath side is flat against the bed of your sewing machine as you sew. Stitch in the ditch by machine or hand sew in place, simply removing the clips as you sew. Note that the Wonder Clips go just to the edge of the binding to ensure the same amount of binding is turned under. Can you guess that I’m in LOVE with this fabulous new product added to the Clover Range? You will be too if you have not already discovered how wonderful they are. If you have used them for binding, I hope I’ve also given you some more inspirational uses for Clover’s Wonder Clips. Clover’s Wonder Clips will be an essential part of your sewing equipment from now on! They are available in packs of 10 per packet or 50 per packet. Available from good haberdashery retail outlets or from Punch with Judy, a regular exhibitor at the Craft & Quilt Fairs. Or visit www.punchwithjudy.com.au