QUILTING SUPPLIES
This is the first of a ten part series designed to teach you the basics of quilting from choosing fabric to displaying the finished product and everything in between. It is meant to help make that special quilt even more fantastic.
Before you can begin to quilt, you are going to need some basic quilting supplies. In Part One, we will discuss some of the essential tools required to start quilting.
Some time ago, I released a post about the Top Ten Things You Need to Start Sewing. This post goes one step further with some suggestions for quilters. In addition to the basic sewing supplies, there are items that will make your quilting much easier.
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When you walk into a quilting store, you can become overwhelmed with the wide array of quilting supplies offered. You don’t need everything they sell to begin with. This list will address the basic tools you need to start and help you decide which are important to begin quilting.
Cutting Tools
Goodbye scissors – Hello rotary cutters. When cutting all those lovely squares, rectangles and triangles, the razor-sharp blade on rotary cutters used together with large rulers and cutting mats help to make cutting those shapes accurately and quickly.
Rotary cutters – Rotary cutters come in a variety of styles. Try to find one that feels comfortable in your hand. And don’t forget the blades! You will need to keep the blades sharp to slice through multiple thicknesses of fabric.
Rulers – Quilting rulers come in all shapes and sizes but the most important rulers for beginners are the non-slip grid rulers. These rulers are see-through acrylic that are marked with measuring grids to help you make accurate cuts. Nana recommends that you have at least two rulers – a long rectangle ruler (6″ x 24″) and a square ruler (12-1/2″).
We will learn more about how to use the rulers and cut those shapes in Part 5 (Cutting)
Cutting mat – Cutting mats not only protect the surface you cut on they also help keep your cutter blades sharp. Nana recommends getting the largest mat that your sewing table will allow.
Sewing the Top
Sewing your quilt top is exactly that – sewing! You are going to use your basic sewing supplies, there is no need to invest in special tools. There are, however, two basic tools, I find are especially helpful in ensuring my quilting is accurate.
Iron!!
I know this was included in the sewing supply post but I want to stress how very important it is to press as you go. You will be “ironing” your fabric before cutting. Ironing involves moving the iron back and forth. When quilting, however, you will be “pressing” the seams, NOT “ironing” the fabric. Pressing involves lifting the iron up and down.
The iron and ironing board that you are using now will be sufficient. If you do not yet have an iron, we recommend you invest in a good quality iron that is heavy enough to “press” your seams and one that uses steam.
This is the one I use!! I love my iron because it has a nice tip to press those seams open and it is cordless which enables me to press every which way without getting tangled. And it is reasonably priced.
Walking foot
Also called a quilting foot, a walking foot is an accessory that evenly feeds the quilt top, backing and batting through your sewing machine. A walking foot is big and bulky because it has built-in feed dogs to guide two or more layers of fabric through the machine. This also helps keep the stitching from puckering and rippling when sewing long seams.
Since a walking foot provides an even feed and has great 1/4″ seam guides, I use my walking foot for regular piecing, binding and quilting. Why not use it all the time?
Although you can get a generic walking foot, it is recommended that you purchase one from the maker of your machine as it will be of higher quality and compatible with your sewing machine.
Quilting Supplies
Once you have sewn the top of your quilt, the fun begins! Quilting your quilt. You will need to choose if you are going to hand quilt or machine quilt your project. If you are looking at machine quilting your masterpiece, you will also need to choose if you are going to have it quilted on a long-arm machine or your regular machine.
I will not discuss long-arm quilting in this post because the investment in long-arm quilting is costly and until you become a serious quilter, if you choose to have your quilting done with a long-arm machine, you will likely send it to an outside party. We will discuss different quilting methods later in this series, however, if you decide to quilt your masterpiece yourself, either by hand or machine, you should invest in some extra quilting supplies.
Needles
It is very important that you choose your needle to fit the job. When quilting, your needle will be going through three layers -the top, batting, and backing.
For hand stitching, needles are chosen depending on the type of stitches you are making. Traditional quilting uses small stitches and a specially designed needle called “betweens”. Betweens are short and narrow with a small, rounded eye and come in a variety of sizes depending on the size of stitch desired. Buy a packet of mixed sizes and practice until you find the size you need.
The newest trend in hand quilting is big stitch quilting which uses embroidery floss and embroidery stitches, therefore you would use embroidery or crewel needles.
To machine quilt it is also recommended to use a Size 90/14 special quilting needle. These needles have a tapered shape designed to stitch through multiple layers and crossed seams.
When buying needles, it is important to note that the larger the size number, the smaller the needle. Not sure why but it just is!
Quilting/basting pins
For beginner quilters, Nana recommends bin pasting your quilt sandwich together. Curved basting pins makes it easier to bring the pin back up through the three layers of the sandwich. NANA’S TIP – Buy lots!! The closer your pins are together, the easier to quilt!
Freezer paper
Say what?? Yes, quilters have been using freezer paper for many uses. Because one side is paper and the other side has a light coating of plastic that melts when you iron it, freezer paper sticks to your fabric without damaging it.
Freezer paper can be used for applique, paper piecing, printing on fabric and best of all – templates. Use good quality paper such as Reynolds. I quilted for a number of years before finding this stuff and love it! Only wish I had found it sooner.
These items are simply the basics. As you become a more experienced quilter you will find many more specialty items that will make creating easier. Some of these we will discuss in future posts. For now, stay simple!
What are some of the quilting supplies, you can’t live without? Let me know in the comments! And if you loved this post, don’t forget to share!
