

Top 10 Notions For Beginner Quilters
- Rotary Cutter
- Ergonomic Seam Ripper
- Diagonal Seam Tape
- Fabric Heat Erase Pen
- 2.5″ X 10″ Ruler
- 8.5″ X 24″ Ruler
- Foundation Paper
- All-In-One Quilters Reference Tool (Quick Start Guide)
- Omnigrid 4″ Scissors
- Wonder Clips & Extra Fine Pins
Things To Know
- When using a rotary cutter, make sure you have a shape blade. Some quilters have found that Olfa Endurance blades stay sharper longer. When cutting your fabrics try not to cut too many layers at once. This method could relate in the blade slipping and being cut or cause your fabrics to shift. This could possibly shift your fabrics and the cuts not being as accurate as possible.
- Your seam ripper will be your new bff, so get one that fits comfortably in your hand.
- Diagonal seam tape that is placed on your sewing machine allows for you to sew accurate lines on diagonal.
- Fabric heat erase pens allows you to draw lines to sew for accuracy but disappears immediately when ironed.
- Two rulers most frequently used are numbered 5 and 6 above due to their versatility and usage in most quilting rooms.
- Foundation paper, like Court House Steps, Log Cabin, Square-In-A-Square, Half Square Triangles (HST’s), Flying Geese, etc. Allows a quilter to make a quilt-top without a quilt pattern if one chooses by simply sewing the blocks together. Additionally, most foundation paper like Log Cabin and Court House Steps in pre-cut friendly. The foundation papers also allow you to relax a little by being able to sew on the lines. Foundation papers takes a lot of guessing work out of where to sew and where to cut, which can make for more accurate quilt blocks.
- A quick reference guide can answer most questions, as to how large do I make a quilt to fit on a queen size bed? How much bigger for a 10″ drop and Tuck? How do I sew a mitered border? How do I sew a “Y” seam? A quilting reference guide can be a wonderful tool to have on hand.
- Sharp “smallish” scissors are a great asset to have on hand to snip corners off HST’s and threads. Many quilters have these little gems as part of their arsenal.
- Wonder clips work great for things like holding down the binding to the quilt-top when sewing it on, and other tasks where pins are not needed. They also save for fingers from pin pricks, ouch! Pins are necessary for a lot of quilting as with using foundation paper, to hold the paper in place. Glue can be used to hold paper and fabrics in place too. All the options listed above really are all about personal preference!
- Whatever you are working on always remember you are not alone. Websites, blogs, videos and tutorials are always a click away. So, make it your own and have fun!
Conclusion
I hope this information was useful in some small way & has inspired you to try something new.
All the items listed in this blog I use myself and have them linked below.