I purchased this little iron – on a whim – and I think I like it. It is extremely small -- I’ve seen others that may be larger. This one cost $10.00, and is called a Craft Iron, from Ben Franklin. I press on a small ironing board, and the larger iron takes up so much room. Additionally, ALL my ‘regular’ irons seem to konk out in a year or so anyway, so I’m not devoted to a larger iron. This little one is dry only, and doesn’t get REALLY hot, but the current project is paper piecing, and it’s just right. The cord tends to get in the way, so I have to hold the iron in a certain way. Also, the weight of the cord sometimes wants to tilt it over on it’s side. It will be OK for classes also. There is no OFF - I control ON and OFF power, along with my sewing light, with a power cord. Sewing lights seem to konk out at the switch, so by using the power cord, the light fixture lasts longer.
The second item has been wonderful to help imprint machine quilting patterns in my brain. I was happy to read that Karen McTavish, a long-arm machine quilter, also suggests this type of toy. This one is called a Doodle Pro - great for kids in the car, but I have this next to my TV watching chair for practice during commercials. To erase, you slide the bar across. You can see my leaf/vine practice. About $15.00I am paper piecing - something I’ve not done for years - and am amazed at the efficiency with my newer machine using the auto-thread cutter and knee lifter. When I bought my machine, my only interest was increasing the bed space – nary a thought to those extra features prior to purchase. Just a suggestion if you have not been using these features, or don’t have them yet, give them serious consideration.
I’ll post my paper piecing soon - it’s pretty gorgeous!