|
Now You Can Figure Out How Much Fabric You Need for Any Quilt!
Using this convenient little tool, you will never again need to be some kind of math whiz or guess how much fabric to buy, how many strips to cut, how wide to cut your strips or how much your fabric will cost.
|
Beginning quilters can always benefit from a rotary cutter and mat. When you choose a cutter, consider how it will fit in your hand. Also, the larger wheels (cutters) seem to work better than the small ones for cutting straight edges. I like the 45mm size - the 60mm seems too large for me, and the cutters smaller do great for curves, but don't seem to be as satisfactory for straight edge cutting.
When you buy the mat, make sure it is a “self-healing” mat. That means that every time you cut into the mat while cutting your fabric, the mat will not become full of little indentations and creases that would make your next cutting project on it a nightmare!
In addition to the cutter and the mat, invest in a couple of rotary cutting rulers. A flat 18 inch ruler is a handy and practical tool as is a 12 inch square tool for rotary cutting.
Just because you have the rotary cutter doesn’t mean you don’t need a good pair of scissors. A good pair of sharp scissors is also important to quilting. You don’t have to invest in an expensive pair, but do keep them sharpened. Some hobby supply stores offer free scissor sharpening on a regular basis.
Many quilters have gone to cutting their quilt pieces with a rotary cutter because of the time it saves and the fact that you use your fingers and wrists less with rotary cutting. Years of repetitive cutting with scissors causes pain for many quilters. Rotary cutting is a way to avoid that.
A sewing machine is also a helpful tool. Decide whether you will quilt your projects by hand or by machine. If you are using a regular sewing machine to quilt your projects, there are a few tricks to help you roll and quilt small areas at a time to prevent fabric bunching and slipping. By lowering the feed dogs on your sewing machine, you will also be able to do some freestyle quilting. Remember, when you lower the feed dogs, your machine will sew as fast as you feed the fabric through. Your fabric feed will also determine the size of your stitches.
Sewing machines also make quilt top piecing go very quickly. When piecing quilts on a sewing machine, be sure to keep your seam allowances even. Sometimes the machine can work faster than we can and a seam allowance can get away from you.
If you will be quilting your projects by hand, you will need a quilt frame. These frames help keep your fabric sandwich tight and prevent puckering while quilting. They also serve other purposes. Quilt frames are an easy way to save your place. If you have to leave your quilting project to do something else, the frame will show exactly where you left off. You won’t have to rummage, unroll, and possibly shift the fabrics in your layers.
There are many quilt frames to choose from and beginners do not have to start with the most elaborate or most expensive. Some frames are floor stands. Some are small. Others are very large. Some quilt frames can fit in your lap for easy, comfortable hand quilting that doesn’t require leaning over a huge frame.
Good quilting threads and needles are also important necessities to beginning quilters. Give some thought into the thread you buy.
Make sure to buy from a store that moves quite a lot of thread. Otherwise, you might end up with a spool several years old that is less than sturdy. A good package of needles is still inexpensive and when they seem like they are no longer sharp, discard them for newer ones.
Just a few necessities and attention to details is all the beginning quilter needs!
 |
 |
Quilt In A Day Rulers 6x24 |
Quilt In A Day Rulers 12.5 Square Up |
 |
 |
| Olfa Deluxe Rotary Cutter 45mm |
Olfa Gridded Cutting Mat 24''x36'' |
Happy Quilting!
Penny Halgren
Master Quilter
