These are a Few of My Favorite (Quilting) Things
A Whiptips reader asked about favorite notions one would use to assemble a sewing basket for a new sewer. Here’s a list of my favorite notions for quiltmaking:
Olfa Rotary Cutter – says on the package guaranteed forever. I’ve had mine since 1986 and no complaints. Use the 45mm for most projects, the smaller diameter blades for cutting circles. Get the pinking blade insert for clothing or other projects. Save old blades and use them for paper projects. Thou shalt not use the same blades or scissors for fabric as you do for paper. Paper dulls the blades much faster. Dedicate a separate pair of scissors for fabric. NOTE: Never, ever, ever, even for a second, put your rotary cutter down without closing the blade. One of our students lost the tip of her finger when she forgot to close the blade. Another sewer left a blade exposed on the cutting table in our studio when our daughter was a toddler and I still hypervenhilate when I think about it. ALWAYS CLOSE THE BLADE!
Olfa (or O’Lipfa) cutting mat and ruler – also critical for quilters.
Clover seam ripper – we have many seam rippers but this is the one we always look for first. It fits beautifully in the hand.
Clover Bias Tape Maker (25mm) – this brand is far superior to every other brand out there for making bindings for quilts (we describe the technique for using it in the Modern Quilt Workshop).
Schmetz sewing machine needles – universals are great for machine piecing and quilting but have the denim and leather one on hand for making bags or hemming jeans.
John James Millenium Collection needles – we hand sew only sleeves and labels but this collection is excellent for all sewing projects.
daisy head pins – I find these far more ergonomic that ceramic head pins, but you have to keep them away from the iron.
Signature thread – we piece and quilt with Signature thread we buy in cones. Mettler makes beautiful threads but we use so much thread we really have to buy 3,000 yd. cones.
magnetic pin cushion – it’s amazing how helpful this can be. You can sew so much faster when you can just toss your pins in the general direction of the pin cushion and they stick.
schoolboard chalk – great for numbering parts of a quilt once you’ve laid them out. Comes out in the wash easily. If you chalk heavily, presoak before you wash.
Nifty Notions Fine Line Disappearing marker – disappears without washing.
Double-sided tape – to prevent templates from slipping around while cutting.
Scissors – My all-time favorite pair of scissors was purchased in Japan in 1986. The brand is “1910″ (Silky) and in 20 years on quiltmaking they have never needed sharpening. I love the way they feel in my hand and I haven’t found any other brand that I like as much. We have several pair of Fiskars around the studio that are great for general cutting but they don’t cut through batting well. I have a new pair of really small Acme Titanium scissors which are great for snipping curves or loose threads.
A walking foot for your machine – we use this for some piecing and all machine quilting that is done (mostly straight-line stitching or small projects) on our Bernina machine.
Quilter’s Dream Batting – not a notion but everyone always asks me about batting. We only use Quilter’s Dream. They have several lofts of cotton, which is what we use. For occasional charity work we have used their poly/cotton batting and it works well too. It just doesn’t give the pucker that 100% cotton does when it comes out of the dryer. We think Quilter’s Dream cotton has the best drape and is very durable. We have just bought one of their new washable wool battings and can’t wait to give it a try.
T-Fal Iron and the Rowenta Expert Iron – we get a lot of questions about irons. Our T-Fal iron is a workhorse but when a quilt is being sent to a client, we get out the Rowenta Expert Iron, which is the greatest iron ever. Rowenta sent us this iron for us to try otherwise I couldn’t justify spending the equivalent of trans-Atlantic round-trip airfare on an iron. But if you have the money and you do a lot of sewing, there’s nothing better. Beware that our model does not have auto-shut-off and it is an electricity hog so be sure to turn it off the second you’re done with it.
Sakura Pigma Micron .02 pen – this is the pen we use to sign our quilts. We have used the thicker version for signing class quilts. It’s waterproof and fadeproof so won’t run or fade in the wash. It comes in a dozen or so colors and various line widths.
This is my general list. I’m sure readers would love to know your favorites so feel free to post your must-have notions.
October 15th, 2006 at 5:22 am
What a great list! I too love my clover seam picker :-) And I know I really do need to get me some good pins so thanks for the recommendation.
I use Matilda’s wool/poly battting for everything it is low loft and washable and available everywhere in Australia.
Cheers
Claire
October 15th, 2006 at 7:21 am
Re the Clover bias maker. It’s fantastic. I have bought other brands, but they are not made the same or as well. It’s the best.
October 15th, 2006 at 9:57 am
Pretty close to perfect selection there! I have had my rottary cutter since 1983 I think and it just lasts and lasts…lol.
One suggestion though is hand sewing needles…there are better ones out there than the James. Something has happened in recent years and their quality is not the same as it was. I tend to use Piecemakers and some other brands now. Those are made in Japan and seem very consistent in quality (I do replace hand needles.)
October 15th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Great post!
I can’t sew a binding down without my Clover coin thimble, and I always have my snips (easier to pick up and snip with than scissors, I find) and my thrifted lidless-ex-little-kitchen-canister bin for threads and bits somewhere near the machine.
I use Matilda’s Own cotton/poly batting – it ’sticks’ well, has a lovely drape and is easy to use. When so many of our quilting supplies come from overseas, it’s nice to be supporting local (Australian) farmers with each quilt (I’ve used their wool/poly and 100% cotton too, and they’re fine, but the cotton poly’s my favourite right now). Disclaimer: Matilda’s Own do supply me with some for magazine projects, but it’s my choice when I’m buying for ‘private’ quilts too).
October 15th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
I’ve been meaning to get round to buying a rotary cutter for ages- this post is just the push I need. Great list!
October 15th, 2006 at 8:01 pm
how wonderful! this is a perfect list! thank you…
October 15th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
Are those 1869 scissors by Mundial? I found them on Amazon but would like to know if they are the ones you use. That is all I could find with 1869 as a name.
October 18th, 2006 at 6:38 am
Thanks for the wish list! And it was cool to see FunQuilts in November’s Dwell magazine.
October 19th, 2006 at 2:38 am
magnetic pincusions are so great – although – and this may seem self explanitory – for those out there with more modern machines – like the huskavarnas – DONT use the magnetic pincusions anywhere near the machine – as the magnet effects the computer.
great list!
October 21st, 2006 at 12:44 am
Got here from the Craftzine/blog site. Great set of tools. I just wanted to comment, I prefer the Dritz pressure-sensitive rotary cutters because when they are unlocked, they still have a protective plastic part until you press on the blade to do the cutting. The larger size (60mm) rocks!
http://www.joanns.com/catalog.jhtml?CATID=169893&PRODID=11871
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