Quilt Dots as Needle Minders Product Review

I read about these magnetic circles from Zappy Dots that have quilts or fabrics on them and was intrigued by the possibilities. They are marketed as interchangeable jewelry. On the site not only can you buy sets of dots, you can buy items such as pendants, bracelets, or bag tags that let you mount one of the dots.

I bought two sets of quilt dots and a bag tag. The items arrived late last week and I have been testing them.

What are Zappy Dots?

Zappy Dots are 1″ round buttons that come in a wide range of designs. On the back of each button is a strong ceramic magnet, like those blue stitcher’s magnets, that is glued into place. The magnets are slightly smaller than the dot’s opening, so they fit securely. The magnets are slightly thicker than the button so they will easily attach to the accessories.

Each of the accessories has a 1″ round metal plate on it. The Zappy Dot fits nicely on it and stays attached through the strong magnet. I wouldn’t use this for my keychain, but for light wear, they work beautifully, that’s why they make great jewelry. The designs are also available as pins (I didn’t try these.)

There are two lines from the company. Zappy Dots have drawings, letters, or sayings. They are grouped by subject matter. These designs appeal to a broad range of tastes. Quilt Dots use either quilts or fabrics for the designs. You can find in this section quilts by many popular designers as well as many collections of fabric.

The magnets come in sets, usually of six designs. They came nicely packaged in 2″ square metal tins with a clear top. Because they are magnets, they will stick together.

The lids fit tightly, so I found the tins hard to open, but they do make for stylish storage.

How Can I Use Them?

I bought two sets, not knowing how they would be made, so I was pleasantly surprised. All I needed to do to make them into needleminders was to grab a ceramic magnet and place it behind the magnet on the back. You could also do this with Rare Earth Magnets if those magnets were smaller in diameter.

I found the magnets on the Quilt Dots to be strong enough to hold my needles securely while I worked. The magnets didn’t move around and I didn’t lose the back magnet when trying to attach it. These problems often happen with weaker magnets I’ve tried.

They were also easy to remove, something that can be a problem with larger Rare Earth magnets.

One thing I really loved about them is that they sit so flat on the canvas. Because the magnet protrudes so little from the button back, the dot sits almost flush with the canvas. I like that because it means my magnet isn’t going to slip onto the magnet side, making it harder to remove.

In order to make the dots into needleminders, you will need to have either blue stitcher’s magnets or ceramic magnets 3/4″ in diameter. You can use the tins the dot came in for storage and later as portable ORT containers.

How Do I Buy Them?

Although they invite wholesale inquiries, today you can buy from their website (http://www.zappydots.com). While I usually don’t talk about how to buy [product, the site can be a bit confusing.

If you are buying dots to be needleminders, look at the three pictures to the left on the top picture. Ignore the top link (on choosing jewelry). Click on either the Zappy Dots (bottom picture) or the Quilt Dots(middle picture) to see the selection of pattern sets available.

Zappy Dots only has the sets, while Quilt Dots also has bookmarks mixed in the selection. You will not find either detailed pictures or prices on the summary pages.

To find this you will nee to click on the box to see details. On that page you will find an enlarged picture and the basic price. This is not the price for the magnets. Below the picture you will find a list of products with radio buttons. For many of the products there is an additional price. To find the price of your item add this amount to the basic price. For most sets of six magnets this works out to be $18 or $3 per magnet.

The site has a shopping cart and accepts PayPal.

Go buy these magnets and tell them you want to see them packaged as needleminders!