Quilting Notions Every Quilter Needs
Walk into a quilting shop and it’s easy to wonder how many tools you actually need. There are rulers in seemingly every size, rotary cutters in different shapes and sizes, and specialty notions for just about every kind of project.
Some quilting tools will become part of your everyday routine, while others only come out for certain projects. We’ve rounded up both.
Rotary Cutter
A rotary cutter is one of the first tools I’d recommend to a new quilter. Once you start cutting fabric regularly, you’ll quickly appreciate having a reliable way to make straight, accurate cuts.
A 45mm rotary cutter is a versatile choice for everyday quilting and sewing projects. It’s a great size for cutting strips, squares, and other quilt pieces. If you take on projects that call for more detailed or heavier cutting, you may also find that a smaller or larger blade size is useful.
Sew Pretty Carries 45mm rotary cutters in red and blue. If you're putting together your quilting supplies for the first time, this is one tool I'd consider an essential.
Quilting Ruler
Your rotary cutter needs a good ruler to guide it. A quilting ruler helps you measure fabric accurately and gives you a straight edge for cutting. It’s also useful when you’re trimming quilt blocks and making sure your pieces are the right size.
A 12.5” square ruler is a useful place to start for a beginner quilting toolkit. It’s particularly handy for trimming quilt blocks with smaller pieces.
For cutting longer strips and working with yardage, a longer ruler can be more practical. Sew Pretty carries the 12.5” x 12.5”, 10.5" x 10x5", 3.5” x 24.5” and other sized Creative Grids Quilting Rulers.
As you take on different projects, you may find yourself adding specialty rulers to your collection. But you don’t need a whole drawer of rulers to make your first quilt.
Cutting Mat
A rotary cutter and ruler also need a good surface to work on.
Cutting mats protect your work surface and give you a stable foundation for rotary cutting. The best size depends on your sewing space and the projects you tend to make. If you regularly work with larger pieces of fabric, you may appreciate the room of a larger mat.
Sew Pretty carries the Sue Daley Rotating Cutting Mat.
Quilting Clips
Sometimes you need to hold your fabric together without adding pins. Quilting clips are an easy solution.
They’re particularly useful for piecing and binding, and they’re handy when you want to keep layers together without putting holes in your fabric. Sew Pretty carries Quilty Clips™ by Riley Blake Designs that come in a tin of 100.
If you’re just starting out, you don’t necessarily need both clips and pins. Try one and see what you prefer.
Good Fabric Scissors
Even the most devoted rotary cutter fan still needs a good pair of scissors.
Fabric scissors are useful for trimming threads and handling the little cutting jobs that come up throughout a project. It’s also a good idea to keep fabric scissors dedicated to fabric so they stay sharp.
For larger fabric cuts, a good pair of fabric shears is worth having on hand. Sew Pretty carries various sized Fiskars Premier Scissors as well as the Limited Edition Black & Gold Scissors from Tula Pink.
Storage for All Those Little Things
Once you’ve been quilting for a while, the question changes from “Which tools do I need?” to “Where am I supposed to put all of these things?”
Keeping your supplies organized makes it easier to find what you’re looking for and keeps smaller pieces associated with your projects together.
Sew Pretty carries storage options designed with quilting in mind, including Quilt Square Storage Boxes that can hold 6½" quilt squares as well as other small sewing supplies.
What Quilting Tools Does a Beginner Actually Need?
You definitely don’t need to buy every quilting gadget you see.
If you’re looking for quilting tools for beginners, start with the basics rather than trying to buy everything at once.
A good starting point is:
- Rotary cutter
- Quilting ruler
- Cutting mat
- Fabric scissors
- Quilting clips or pins
- Hand-sewing needles
That’s enough to give you a solid foundation without turning your first quilting shopping trip into an equipment expedition.
From there, add tools as your projects call for them. You may discover a technique that calls for something new, or simply find a particular tool that makes your favorite part of quilting easier.
That’s part of the fun of quilting.
Your toolkit gets built around the way you like to sew.
Building Your Quilting Toolkit One Project at a Time
The best quilting supplies aren’t necessarily the ones with the most bells and whistles. They’re the tools you reach for again and again because they make your projects easier, more accurate, or simply more enjoyable.
Start with the basics. Learn what you like. Add to your collection as you take on new projects.
You don’t need the perfect quilting toolkit before you make your first quilt. You just need enough to get started.
And chances are, somewhere along the way, you’ll discover a ruler, pair of scissors, rotary cutter, or other little quilting notion that makes you wonder how you’ve ever quilted without it.