If you are in interested in beginning quilting, you have come to the right place. Here are five essential tools to get you started on your way to designing and making your own beautiful quilts.
1.A Good Beginner Quilting Book
The first thing that you need is a good beginner quilting book which can act as your guide. The book should have a list of supplies, plenty of pictures and encourage you to design your own quilt.
You will refer to this book again and again. In fact, this book is what you will be taking into your local quilt shop when you go to buy the fabric for your first quilt. It will also be well-loved. My first beginner quilting book has water stains and is about to fall apart.
2.Rotary Mat, Ruler and Cutter
These three items are a must in today's quilting world. Gone are the days of templates and cutting two-inch blocks by hand. You can zip through the cutting fabric process using these three tools. If you go to a fabric shop, they may even have a kit for them.
My suggestion is to get the largest ruler and mat that you can find. I started off with 5-inch by 14- inch mat. I could not finish one quilt with it. I currently use a six-inch by 24-inch ruler and a 17-inch by 23-inch mat. I'm in heaven!
3.Seam Ripper
The seam ripper is your friend. First, it is handy for taking care of mistakes. Second, it is an essential tool for some strip piecing techniques like the around-the-world quilt where you sew strips together, then in a tube and then use the seam ripper to give a stair-step effect.
4.Marking Pencil
When I first started quilting, I thought I could just eyeball my quilting lines. Maybe with a mini, but when it comes to a lap-size quilt, I have to mark my quilt to see where I'm going. It just makes things so much easier.
5.Walking Foot
A walking foot is essential if you want to quilt on a sewing machine at home. It keeps the quilt sandwich from bunching. It may be an extra expense, but it is a whole lot cheaper than sending your quilt out to be professionally quilted.
So, there you have it. These five tools will get you started on your quilting adventure.
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