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Must-Have Craft Gadgets, Part 2: The Peephole

Nikki · March 2, 2011 · 6 Comments


I’ve seen crafters get excited about many things, but never have I ever witnessed the kind of commotion that this little peephole caused last week.

In my “3 Craft Gadgets You Really Don’t Need, But You Can’t Live Without!” post, I invited all of you to share your must-have gadget.  This little comment set the craft world on fire:

I instantly started getting emails.

Craft Gossip featured the gadget post, and they started getting emails!

So, what did I do?

Went out and bought a peephole!

And let me tell you….I’m hooked!

So, here’s how the peephole works…

As all of you know, auditioning fabrics (and even yarns, according to Nancy…who, by the way has a cute little blog, Needles, Hooks, and Books) can sometimes be difficult.  Colors that appear to work well together, may look different when viewed from a distance.  And, getting that distance can be hard when you’re in a quilt shop, fabric store, or even your craft room.  Enter the peephole.  By looking at your fabrics through the peephole, they appear to be much, much farther away.  In fact, it almost feels like you are across the room, when really, you are just a few feet away.  It’s a great way to get a better perspective of your fabrics, and feel more confident that they will work well together in your quilt, or whatever you’re planning to make with them.

Specifics:

I purchased my peephole at my local large chain home improvement store.  There were two to choose from.  One provided a 120 degree view, and was about $6.  The other gave a view of 190 degrees, and was about $11.  Depending on how large of an object you are looking at, you may want to go with the more expensive one, but if you’re sticking to fabrics and yarns, I’m pretty sure the 120 degree view is sufficient.

An inside tip…

Someone also suggested that using the viewfinder of your camera will also give you this same effect.  However, as I’m typing this, I’m realizing that most digital cameras these days do not have viewfinders, and I am suddenly feeling very old!

So, give it a try!  Let all of us know how it goes!  And if you can think of any more “must-have” gadgets, please leave them in the comments below!

Enjoy,

Nikki, In Stitches

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Gadgets, Quilting

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heather says

    March 2, 2011 at 11:34 am

    I so need to try this! Sometimes when you place all the fabrics together they do look wonderful. Then, sadly, halfway through your project….. the luster fades and you realize that maybe a softer shade would have been better.

    Reply
  2. Caroll D says

    March 2, 2011 at 4:57 pm

    Let me tell you when I first started quilting and took a class from Beth Ann Williams, she sold me on getting a peephole. I have used it so many times. Best buy I ever made.

    Reply
    • Nikki, In Stitches says

      March 3, 2011 at 9:32 am

      Caroll,
      I agree! This peephole is the best….now I just hope I remember to bring it with me on my next fabric shopping spree!
      Nikki

      Reply
  3. Nancy says

    March 4, 2011 at 10:04 am

    Hey Nikki,
    Thanks for highlighting my peephole comment! I also learned about the peephole from a quilting class. I normally use it when my quilt squares have been made and I’m deciding on my final layout. You can see the pattern pop when you view it through the peep hole; it also will pop any mistakes or inconsistencies in the pattern.
    Good luck, everyone!
    Nancy
    http://needleshooksbooks.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  4. Lia says

    March 9, 2011 at 7:29 pm

    What an awesome little trick! So smart, and yet – so simple! Will definitely be putting this to use on the next big project I tackle!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Follow-up post for gadget peephole · Quilting | CraftGossip.com says:
    March 2, 2011 at 3:24 pm

    […] about it. So Nikki did some research on the peephole and is sharing it. Thank you Nikki! Go to Must-Have Craft Gadgets, Part 2: The Peephole. You may also […]

    Reply

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