What’s New? – Winter 2021
Hello! Faith here! It’s been a little while but I’m back on the Clover blog to share some fun information with you!
Today I’ll be telling you about four new products from Clover and the uses I’ve found for them so far!
Sweet ‘n Sharp Macarons
First up, are the adorable and equally useful Sweet ‘n Sharp Macarons in Raspberry and Pistachio colors. These little magnetic needle minders not only hold onto your needles and pins as you work but they double as a needle sharpener as well! The center of each Macaron has a blend of cotton/nylon with an abrasive grain that sharpens your dull needles. Simply hold the end of your needle and insert into the Macaron center repeatedly until your needle is, well, sharp as a needle.
The milliner needles I use for my English Paper Piecing sewing tend to get dull quickly, no matter how much my EPP technique improves, I still manage to catch the paper pieces frequently while sewing the tiny shapes together which leaves my needles dull and makes hand sewing more of an effort than it needs to be.
I have already popped the Raspberry Macaron in my EPP sewing bag and have sharpened my needle and it feels like I’m working with a new needle again. It’s nice to know as I work and feel it becoming harder to sew with, I can simply sharpen it again and be good to go in no time. I’ll be adding the Pistachio one to my hand quilting kit to keep those needles sharp too!
Fork Pins
Next up are the new Clover Fork Pins! Just like Clover pins, they are sharp and glide into fabric smoothly. The curved end is easy to grip and maneuver even through several layers of fabric.
I found when sewing my corner fabric pieces together that the two pins on each fork gives more stability than just using one pin which kept my edges lined up nicely as I worked. When piecing my blocks, the Fork Pins came in handy for holding nested seams together as I sewed.
Since I like to play around with my new sewing tools and see what other uses I will find them handy for, I used the Fork Pins to pin pattern pieces to my fabrics to keep track of my quilt blocks. I can see reaching for these over standard straight pins for the added stability they give with their fork prongs.
Clover Fork Pins come in a handy reusable box of 70 pieces, perfect for having ready to use on all your sewing projects or great for tossing in your sewing on the go kit as well.
Stitch Dome
And finally, the fun Stitch Dome for small embroidery and appliqué projects. Think of this new little tool as a kind of modern embroidery hoop. Perfect for fitting in small spaces like a pocket or sleeve for adding decorative stitches.
This tool comes with a small metal bowl and a yellow silicone band. Place your fabric over the dome shaped bowl and place the silicone band around the edges to hold fabric in place. I wasn’t too sure how I would like using it for a simple embroidery project with keeping the needle on the front of the fabric but I found it really easy to work with and my stitches came out smooth.
Next time, I will remember to place my needle and thread through the fabric before setting the Stitch Dome but for now I will pop my knotted thread through to the back when I am finished with this dainty stitching outline.
Testing out these new products is so fun and also inspires me to think about what other projects I will use them for in the future, fun to plan and dream about sewing and great to know whatever my sewing needs are, Clover has the tools to make them happen.
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