A Quilter’s Tool Box
There are some basic tools that every quilter should have starting out. There are lots of tools out there, and all serve a purpose, but you do not need them to get started.
- Rotary Cutter – this tool is like a pizza cutter for fabric. The blades are very sharp and cut fabric quickly and accurately. There are many different sizes. The medium-sized cutter is used most often and recommended for any beginners.
- A Self-healing Cutting Mat – allows you to use the rotary cutter for cutting fabric. A printed ruler-grid can also help with measuring fabric pieces. Mats come in many different sizes, but an 18″ x 24″ mat is a good size to start with.
- Scissors – sharp sewing scissors are helpful however, most quilt projects are cut mostly with a rotary cutter so fancy, expensive scissors aren’t necessary. Do try to keep a pair of scissors purely for cutting fabric/thread so they won’t dull as quickly cutting paper.
- Seam Ripper – Even the best of quilters/seamstresses stand by their seam ripper.
- Fabric - 100% Cotton is best. Be sure to prewash it!
- Thread – again, use 100% Cotton thread for quilting. Some thread is better than others. Cheaper thread will break easier and could create a lint farm in your machine
- Pins – The longer straight pins with plastic heads are much easier to grab while working and to find when dropped into the carpet. Safety pins (not pictured) also come in handy in the finishing stages later on.
- Rulers – These are an important part of the quilting process. They help cut pieces quickly and accurately. We suggest starting with a longer ruler 5″ or 6″ x 24″. This allows you to cut efficiently across the width of the fabric. I also recommend a smaller ruler (5″ or 6″ x 12″) to make it easier to cut smaller pieces.
- Marking Tools - There are many products available for marking sewing lines on fabric pieces or quilting designs on a quilt top. Marks made with special fabric markers are easier to remove after sewing and quilting. With any marking tool, work with a sharp point to get a fine, yet visible line. We consider the Hera Marker a must have for your “tool box”. It marks by making a crease instead of an actual “mark of colour” on your project. There is no residue left on fabrics. Markings can be seen on light and dark fabric as well as both the front and back of the fabric. It is available in two different styles, each one fitting comfortably in the palm of the hand. One style has a pointed end for use when doing appliqué or as an awl to guide fabric toward the pressure foot. The other style is curved at one end to make marking quilt seam lines easier.
- Hand needles – For hand appliqué, most quilters like fine quilting needles. For hand quilting, use a “between” or quilting needle, which is a short needle with a small eye. Common sizes are 8, 9, and 10; size 8 is best for beginners.
- Pincushion – Pincushions are available in numerous styles, from the standard tomato shape so many of us are familiar with, to wrist, magnetic tabletop, and even decorative pincushions. Select a style that’s easy for you to use.
There are some other tools of the trade that we recommend and which can be accumulated over time.
Machingers
These soft, form-fitting, seamless gloves with flexible fingertip grip, giving you full control with less resistance and drag on fabric. The breathable fabric helps retain skin’s natural moisture while the enhanced hand and wrist support reduces fatigue and tension in hands, arms, shoulders, and neck. They come in two sizes: Small/Medium and Medium/Large.
Glow-Line Tape:
This is transparent fluorescent tape is used for highlighting lines and shapes on rulers. It is low tack, so it will not leave a residue on your ruler. It can be moved from ruler to ruler if necessary and comes with three colours in the package: pink, orange & yellow. Each roll is 1/4″ x 21 yards. This tape makes “previewing” or “auditioning” a snap.
All About Batting
Let us take the mystery out of quilt batts. The following lists the main features and uses for quilt batt products that are available in our store.
Warm & Natural
100 % cotton fibres are punched by hundreds of needles through a strong thin base material to prevent tearing, shifting and migration. The evenly-layered fibres stay in place, even after a lifetime of washings. No resins or glue makes for ease of fine hand or machine quilting, and results in no beading. It is sold 90″ wide and shrinkage is about 3″ with the first washing only. It may be pre-washed following the recommended instructions.
Hobbs Heirloom Cotton
Hobbs Heirloom Cotton is made of 80 % long staple cotton fibres and 20 % polyester. This combination creates a strong, longwearing batt and is easy to hand or machine quilt. Light needle punctures and a soft resin provide stability and prevent polyester fibres from bearding. This batt is slightly thinner than Warm & NaturalTM. It is available sized from double to king and from the roll that is 96″ wide.
Hobbs Poly Down
Slick hollow fibres create the down-like softness of this machine washable non-allergenic batting. Sized from crib to king, it is excellent for hand quilting and fair for machine quilting. Quilting lines can be spaced up to 4 inches apart with no shrinkage experienced. Available in white and charcoal.
Quilters Dream Cotton
Quilters Dream Cotton is 100 % pure cotton batting without scrim glue or binders. Hand and machine needles glide smoothly through this fine consistent and even batt. Finished quilts may be gently washed and dried. Sizes range from craft to super queen while thickness is from ‘Thinnest Request’ to ‘Comforter Loft Supreme.’ Colours are white and beige.
Quilters Dream Wool
Quilters Dream Wool is made with a Scoured and Super Washed Domestic & Fine Merino Wool that has been blended, carded, crosslapped & thermally bonded. The wool is scoured and super-washed for superior cleanliness and to eliminate shrinkage. Quilters Dream’s unique processing creates wool batting with exceptionally soft drape, uniformity and strength. Dream Wool is a beautifully consistent batting that is truly a ‘cut above’. It may be machine washed and dried without shrinkage. You can confidently stitch up to 8 inches apart. There are no scrim or resins to resist your needles. Resistant to creases and and naturally resilient, Dream Wool springs back to its original loft.
Experience has Taught Us
Use Medium Gray Thread
Use a medium gray thread if possible for your machine piecing even for black fabric. It blends with almost any colour tone. Using a single colour eliminates the need to buy many different colours, as well as eliminating the need to rethread your sewing machine as often.
Threading the Needle
When threading a needle, cut end of thread from spool at an angle, try moistening it slightly, bring needle to thread, and insert thread. It is also easier to see the eye of the needle if you hold it up against a WHITE background. This works with hand needles and machine needles.
Rotary Cutter Blades
You can tell your Rotary Cutter Blade is dull if- it does not cut through all layers of your fabric (approx. 4 layers). This can affect the accuracy of your strips.
If you are leaving little fuzzies on your cutting mat, this also indicates that your blade is dull. It should be changed immediately, or sharpened with the special rotary blade sharpener.
The Seam Allowance
An accurate seam allowance is very important in achieving a well made quilt top. When you mark a line for your seam allowance on your machine, make sure that it includes the actual width of your stitching line. If it doesn’t include the stitching line, you may, inadvertently, substantially change the intended dimensions of your quilt.
Sparkle Up Your Quilts
If you want to use gold, silver, etc. lame to sparkle up your work, but you find this fabric too difficult to work with – press iron-on WOVEN interfacing to the back of the lame and this will make the lame behave as if it were cotton and much easier to work with.
What to do with Broken Needles
Keep an old small throwaway container (Flavour Coffee cans are good) in your Sewing Room to dispose of any broken/used needles, pins, rotary blades, etc. so no harm comes to anyone or any animals.