Quilting Tools and Supplies for Beginners

As with any hobby, having great tools and supplies makes for a more fun, comfortable and satisfying experience. People often ask me how to get started. Well, I am happy to share some of my favorite quilting tools and supplies for beginners here to help you start building your toolkit!

Tools & Supplies List

• Fabric – 100% cotton is the best choice for quilting. I shop my local quilt stores and fabric shops. My favorite online shops are Fat Quarter Shop and Stitch Supply Company.
• Thread – I love Aurifil threads. A cone of 50 weight cotton thread is perfect for quilt piecing and lasts a really long time. I use neutral colors in gray, beige or white for all of my piecing. Aurifil is a quality thread that will make sewing easier with less breakage.
• Pins – Quilting pins need to be thin and sharp so that they easily slide through your fabric with no snags. Look for pins specifically made for quilting. Pins with colorful heads are easier to find if you lose them in your fabric or on the floor!
• Rulers – Cut fabric strips with accuracy using a 6 1/2″ x  24″ ruler.  A shorter 12″ ruler would be helpful for cutting smaller pieces.
• Seam Ripper – You WILL need a seam ripper, we all do! Clover is my favorite because it is very affordable, sharp and has a comfortable handle.
• Cutting Mat – Invest in a self-healing mat. I recommend at least a 24″ mat so you can fit your fabric yardage on it and cut it easily.
• Rotary Cutter – My favorite is this blue Splash rotary cutter by Olfa
• Scissors – When I’m not using my rotary cutter, I reach for my Fiskars. These are ergonomically designed and comfortable for doing a lot of cutting. These Gingher shears are beautiful, high quality scissors that cut like a dream. I use my Gingher shears for cutting out patterns and delicate fabrics. My favorite pair of small scissors are my colorful little micro tip Tula Pink scissors. These tiny scissors are great for trimming little threads and getting into hard to reach places.
• Seam Guide – The standard seam allowance in the quilting world is 1/4″. Use this little Perfect Piecing Seam Guide to check your 1/4″ seam even if you use a 1/4″ presser foot. You may be surprised! I love this tool and use it often. It has helped me improve my piecing accuracy.
• Starch Alternative – A spritz of lavender Best Press makes fabric easier to work by giving it a little more body. It smells so good! I absolutely love this stuff. If you love lavender then go ahead and treat yourself! Best Press is also available in other scents as well as unscented.
• Wool Pressing Mat – This mat really does hold the heat so you can get a really good press and you don’t have to flip your fabrics over to press on both sides. It creates a great surface for pressing your fabric pieces. I was skeptical at first and was afraid there would be an odor but it has no odor at all. I highly recommend it!

Sewing Machine & Needles

Finally, a sewing machine with a straight stitch is all you really need. If you’ve never changed the needle in your machine, now is the time! I have learned to change my needles often. New Project = New Needle is an easy rule for me to remember. For general quilt piecing, I almost always use Schmetz Mircrotex needles. I find that the final result of my project is better when I use this sharper needle. A Universal Needle will certainly work if that’s what you have on hand, but try the Microtex and see what you think!

Happy quilting and I hope this gets you started! To learn about even more tools and supplies read my Quilting Supplies Part Two Blog Post.  Have Fun!