Five Tools Every Quilter Needs

I love a good tool that makes your quilt come together faster, more accurately, or just plain easier. I have a lot of tools, but these are my favorites.

1. Rotary Cutter 

I use the bigger rotary cutter, 65mm, because I like to do everything fast, and this cutter allows me to cut more layers of fabric at once. I learned how to rotary cut from Nancy Johnson Srebro over 20 years ago and got some great pointers from our recently published Sarah Ashford's Rotary Cutting Basics. Rotary cutters are scissors as the sewing machine is to hand sewing. It is a GAME CHANGER! You can cut more fabric accurately, which means MORE QUILTS! If you need help using your rotary cutter check out Sarah’s book.

2. Seam Ripper/Stiletto Combination 

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE this tool! Alex Anderson’s 4-in1 Essential Sewing Tool. This tool has a Bernina seam ripper, a wicked sharp stiletto, a wood seam presser, and a wood stiletto for getting into corners for sharp points in your fabric. For all the times spent “unsewing,” it is great to have this sturdy wood tool to hold onto, and because of the flat sides, it doesn’t roll off the table or slip out of your hand. Here is a video with Alex showing you how to use this tool.

3. Make it Simpler Fusible Interfacing

This interfacing is a must-have. It is a roll of one-sided fusible that is 1 ½” wide. Use it to piece batting together, so you don’t have any wasted batting. Use it to stabilize blocks so they don’t stretch. Here is a great video to show you how to use this product. Use it to emergency hem pants or a skirt because why not?

4. 5. A ¼” ruler and Sewing Edge for a scant ¼” seam every time

Having tried the ¼” foot on my machine, I always go back to using this little Buddy Bonus ruler and a piece of Sewing Edge to mark my ¼” seam so when I feed the fabric into the machine, it is truly accurate. 

I also love the Sewing Edge to mark the spot on my ruler to line up the fabric for cutting. When cutting a bunch of one size, having the ruler marked keeps me from making mistakes. Here is a great video showing how to use the Sewing Edge.

Are you looking for even more inspiration? Here is a helpful video featuring some of our color tools on YouTube.

This blog is written by C&T Publisher Amy Barrett-Daffin.

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