# Does anyone know what these plastic sewing notions are used for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 6, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-these-plastic-sewing-notions-are-used-for/817357 "2018-07-06T02:56:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-these-plastic-sewing-notions-are-used-for/817357/1 "2018-07-06T02:56:24Z")
A friend posted how she is going through her mother’s old sewing basket, and came across some [rectangular pieces of hard plastic](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10217162907450699&set=pcb.10217162907770707&type=3&theater). I seem to remember seeing something similar in my grandmother’s sewing basket, but I never knew what they were for. Does anyone know what they would be used for? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-these-plastic-sewing-notions-are-used-for/817357/2 "2018-07-06T03:03:14Z")
Some sort of stay? A template for quilt blocks? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-these-plastic-sewing-notions-are-used-for/817357/3 "2018-07-06T03:07:24Z")
They look like dividers for the white plastic tray in the first photo. See the grooves in the tray? Those slide in to divide it up into custom sized compartments. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-these-plastic-sewing-notions-are-used-for/817357/4 "2018-07-06T03:11:11Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > They look like dividers for the white plastic tray in the first photo. See the grooves in the tray? Those slide in to divide it up into custom sized compartments. Nice catch! I’m going to ask her about that. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-these-plastic-sewing-notions-are-used-for/817357/5 "2018-07-06T03:59:16Z")
Yep, dividers. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-these-plastic-sewing-notions-are-used-for/817357/6 "2018-07-06T04:33:29Z")
Thank you! They are indeed dividers. I appreciate everyone’s help. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-these-plastic-sewing-notions-are-used-for/817357/7 "2018-07-06T08:30:05Z")
The irony here is that below the hand holding the unused dividers you can see a one such divider actually being used as intended.