Best of Madam Sew: Binder & Press Edition (Red)

The Binder & Press Edition keeps your sewing organized and your work pressed crisp. You get a red Carry-All Binder Bag and a red project bag, the 17 by 24 inch wool pressing mat, heat erasable marking pens, strawberry mini snips, long flower pins, clips, a seam guide ruler, an XL bias tape maker for quilt binding, and non-slip ruler rings. It is a well rounded start for beginners and a handy upgrade for seasoned quilters.

File patterns in the binder and keep your current project in the see-through bag. Mark, pin, and sew straight seams, snip threads right at the machine, and make your own 1 inch binding with the bias tape maker and the wool mat.

Organize it. Press it. Bind it.

Why You'll Love It

• Everything in Its Place: The red Carry-All Binder Bag has a built in 1 inch, 3-ring binder for patterns and seven clear zip pockets for tools, and the red project bag holds your current project.
• Press Crisp From Both Sides: The 17 by 24 inch wool mat sends your iron's heat back through the fabric so seams lie flat, and it is big enough for borders and long binding strips.
• Make Your Own Binding: The XL bias tape maker folds both edges of a fabric strip to the centre as you press, so you can make 1 inch binding that matches your quilt exactly.
• Rulers That Stay Put: Stick the non-slip rings on any ruler. It still slides while you line it up, then stays put with a little pressure while you cut.
• Quick Snips by Your Machine: The 2.6 inch strawberry mini snips clip thread tails and small details, and the cover keeps the tips safe and easy to spot.

1. Extra Large Wool Pressing Mat, 17 by 24 inches

• Size: 17 by 24 inches and half an inch thick, about 10.5 inches longer than the original mat
• Material: 100% felted New Zealand wool, naturally fire resistant
• How it helps: The dense wool absorbs your iron's heat and gives it back through the fabric, so seams and hems come out crisp and flat, with no puckering or stretching
• Weight: 34.5 oz (980 g), light enough to take to class
• Includes: A clear vinyl storage bag that closes with 2 snaps
• Good to know: Steam and moisture can seep through the mat, so protect wood or other sensitive surfaces underneath

2. Carry-All Binder Bag, Red

• Colour: Red
• Size: 13.25 by 4.5 by 11 inches, with 10 inch handles
• Material: Durable polyester, polyurethane, and stainless steel
• Binder: A built in 1 inch, 3-ring binder for patterns, instructions, and any hole punched pages
• Pockets: 7 built in clear zip pockets for tools and notions
• Good to know: Easy to carry, stack, or hang. The extra binder pockets for the ring binder are not included

3. Project Bag, Madam Sew Red

• Colour: Madam Sew Red
• Size: Two pockets, a large back pocket of 16 by 16 inches and a small front pocket of 10 by 16 inches
• Material: Durable, tear resistant, waterproof mesh PVC, with nylon handles and binding and a nylon and metal zipper
• Features: See-through mesh so you can spot your project at a glance, and a front slot with a two sided project card for labelling
• How you use it: Holds cut pieces, quilt blocks, patterns, threads, and notions. Carry it by the handles or hang it from a hook, hanger, or door knob
• Care: Dust out the inside, wipe the plastic with a damp or soapy cloth, and dry it fully before using it again

4. Heat Erasable Fabric Marking Pens with Refills

• Contents: 4 pens (white, black, red, and blue) plus 4 refills, one for each colour
• Tip: A fine 0.7mm point that draws a thin 0.35mm line
• How they erase: The marks stay as long as you need, then vanish with the heat of your iron
• Works on: Nearly all fabrics. Use the white pen on dark fabric; white ink can take a few seconds to show up
• Good to know: Test on a scrap of every fabric first, as faint ghost marks can appear on some. Marks can come back in very cold conditions, so skip them on the top of a show quilt. Store capped and tip down, and use within 5 months

5. Mini Sewing Scissors with Strawberry Cover

• Size: 2.6 inches, small enough to keep right by your machine or in a travel kit
• Blades: Sharp stainless steel for thread tails, loose threads, clipping curves, and small detail work
• Cover: A removable, reusable silicone strawberry cap on light teal scissors
• Good to know: The cover keeps the tips safe and makes your snips easy to spot in a bag or basket

6. Long Flower Pins, 200 pieces

• Count: 200 pins in 7 bright colours (white, yellow, blue, green, red, orange, and purple), in a clear plastic box
• Size: A 1 3/4 inch stainless steel shaft that will not rust, with a flat flower head 3/8 inch across
• Flat heads: They lie flat, so your ruler or tape measure sits right over them, and the big head will not slip through loose weaves or lace
• Good for: Several layers of fabric and batting, medium to heavy fabrics, and loosely woven fabric, lace, and eyelet
• Good to know: You can iron and sew over the steel shaft, but keep the iron off the plastic flower

7. Sewing Clips, 50 pieces

• Count: 50 clips per box, in bright mixed colours
• Size: 1 inch long by three-eighths inch wide, opens to half an inch
• Made of: Plastic with a thick steel spring (contains nickel)
• Features: Raised teeth for a firm grip, flat backs that keep edges flat, and seam markings at 3/16, one-quarter, and three-eighths inch
• Good for: Holding layers, binding, and hems without pins, and fabrics where you do not want pin holes, like vinyl, leather, or silk

8. Seam Guide Ruler with Magnetic Seam Guide

• Ruler size: 5.5 by 2.5 inches, in sturdy, see-through fluorescent yellow green plastic
• Needle holes: 16 holes for seam allowances from one-eighth inch to 2 inches. Lower your needle into the hole you want to set your seam
• Extra markings: One-eighth, one-quarter, and 1 inch markings, a 45 degree line, quarter and half inch lines, and a quarter inch pivot cross for marking corners
• Magnetic seam guide: Steel with a strong magnet, about half an inch by 2 inches. It sits on most needle plates or metal machines to guide your fabric
• Good to know: For quarter inch seams, place the magnetic guide in front of the presser foot or move your needle to the right. For seams narrower than a quarter inch, use washi tape instead

9. XL Bias Tape Maker, 1 inch

• What it makes: 1 inch double fold bias tape, or 2 inch single fold, ideal for quilt binding (the strip that wraps around the edge of a quilt) and bedding
• How it works: Feed a fabric strip through and it folds both edges to the centre, so you just press as you pull
• Strips: Cut your fabric into 3.5 to 4 inch wide strips on the bias (diagonally across the fabric)
• Size and material: 4.5 by 2 inches, in stainless steel and plastic
• Good to know: Have your iron, a few pins, and an awl handy to get the strip started

10. Non-Slip Adhesive Rings for Rulers and Templates, 40 pieces

• Contents: 40 clear rings, 20 large (25mm) and 20 small (17mm)
• What they do: Stick them on the back of any ruler or template. The ruler still slides while you line it up, then stays put with a little pressure while you cut
• Good to know: Clear, so they do not hide your ruler markings. Add more rings for more grip

• File your patterns in the binder and store small tools in its clear zip pockets.
• Stick a few non-slip rings on the back of your rulers so they grip the fabric.
• Mark your lines with the heat erasable pens, testing on a scrap first.
• Pin with the flower pins or hold layers with clips, and set your seam with the seam guide ruler and its magnetic guide.
• Snip thread tails with the strawberry mini snips as you sew.
• Cut 3.5 to 4 inch strips on the bias, feed them through the bias tape maker, and press as you pull on the wool mat.
• Keep your current project in the red project bag, labelled on its card.