Rotary-Cutting Tools

Rotary cutters have round blades that enable you to cut straight-edge shapes more quickly and accurately than scissors can. They come with various blade sizes. (A good size for a first blade is 45 mm.) Experiment with handle styles to see which you prefer as they come in various shapes and sizes.

For making perfectly straight cuts, choose a thick, clear acrylic ruler. A good size to start with is a 6×24″ rectangular ruler marked in 1/4″ increments.

Always use a rotary cutter with a cutting mat specifically designed for it. In addition to protecting your work surface, the mat helps keep the fabric from shifting while you cut. Start with a 17×23″ mat marked with a 1″ grid, hash marks at 1/8″ increments, and 45 and 60 degree angles.

I highly recommend this Olfa rotary cutter for making simple quilt patterns.

Fabric

The best fabric for simple quilt patterns is 100% cotton because it minimizes seam distortion, presses crisply, and is easy to quilt. Good simple quilt patterns specify quantities for 44/45″ wide fabric unless otherwise noted. You’ll need to allow for a little extra yardage to accommodate minor cutting errors and slight shrinkage.

There are conflicting opinions about the need to prewash fabric. The choice is yours, but if you have any doubts about colorfastness (whether or not the color will bleed or wash out), test the fabric before adding it to your quilt.

Threads

For piecing and most simple quilt patterns, match the thread fiber to the fabric. Since most quilters use 100% cotton fabric, 100% cotton thread is ideal. If you find your thread breaking, try a new spool; old thread can become brittle and lose elasticity.

Needles

The preferred needle type for woven cotton fabrics is called a “sharp.” Sizes 75/11 and 80/12 are good choices for piecing, quiltmaking, and binding most simple quilt patterns. Use a smaller needle (70/10) if you’re piecing tightly woven batiks and a larger needle (90/14) for flannels. Dull needles can cause skipping or uneven stitches, so it’s a good idea to insert a fresh needle at the start of every project.

Sewing Machine

Any machine with a straight stitch and well-adjusted tension (not too tight or too loose) will work for piecing simple quilt patterns. A machine that also can zigzag or blanket stitch makes machine applique possible. If your machine has bad stitch quality, before making any other adjustment, lift the machine’s presser foot and rethread the machine.

Once you have these tools of the trade you’ll be ready to start making simple quilt patterns to enjoy and share!

Quilting is a great way to spend time with friends who have the same love as you. You can make quits that can be sold for charity or that can be kept by one of the quilters. The bonding that takes place can not be found in many other crafting projects that are shared.

If your quilting circle is looking for some new and fresh ideas for quilting, you can go to many great websites or blogs online to help you find information such as Quilter Blogs online. This site offers many different quilting styles and designs. There are blogs where you and your circle can get some tips on how to be more productive while still having fun.

You can find out new patterns and ideas, tips for creating your favorite quilts, new ideas for quilts and much more. One of the reasons why quilting is so popular is because it’s such a great way for you to spend time with friends or family. It takes time to make a quilt and there’s something special about a group of friends sitting around together working on their quilts or even working on pieces to the same quilt.

This is exactly why quilting is a great way to spend time with friends. Then it feels extra special when you finally complete that quilt and you have all of the special memories that were made with it. You might even decide to hold quilting parties where you meet regularly to get together with friends and do quilting.

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The choices of thread for machine quilting can be overwhelming, especially for the beginner quilter. We often embrace the mistaken impression that 100 percent cotton or cotton-covered polyester sewing thread is the only thread to be used for our quilting masterpieces. Thread made with synthetic fibers, over time, may cut into cotton fabric, especially where blocks are joined. For this reason, cotton or cotton-covered polyester is often the choice of threads by quilters. However, there are OTHER choices of thread for machine quilting.

So many of our quilts are sewn for the experience of learning a new pattern, trying out our own designs or just for the fun of it. It’s usually our intention that these quilts will be used for our comfort or the comfort of our friends, children, grandchildren or our beloved pets. Our purpose is generally for our quilt to bring happiness to whoever the lucky person is that receives it. I don’t know about you, but I usually stipulate to the receiver to “use their new quilt and enjoy it”. Doesn’t it make you happy to walk into a home where one of your quilts live and see it on the couch, or on the floor in front of the TV instead of being hid away in a hope chest?

It won’t bother you to experiment and take a few risk with threads being used for quilting if you can have the attitude that it doesn’t matter if all of your quilts will not become heirlooms which must last through eternity. If you feel a bit timid about trying other threads for your quilts, I hope the following information will help you muster the courage to experiment and have fun with different choices of threads for machine quilting.

Threads are numbered according to size. The lightest weight thread has the highest number. The number on a spool that is 50/3 is telling you it is three-ply 50 weight thread. A 50/3 sewing thread is finer than a 40/3 quilting thread. In most cases, I prefer a heavier thread because it will show more on my quilt top but that is just a personal preference. When sewing with different threads, you’ll need to try a variety of needles to determine which one works best for your fabric and the thread you’ve chosen. At the end of this article, I’ll give you a Needle Size Chart that will guide you with the size of needle to use for different fabrics.

Your choices of thread for machine quilting also includes your bobbin thread. I have used cottons, rayons, Jean Stitch and acrylics with success. It goes without being said, your choice will depend on the look you want on the back. For instance, if you use the Jean Stitch, it will be more decorative than a cotton because it ’s much heavier. A beautiful way to use the Jean Stitch is to choose an “all over design” for your quilting pattern, such as meandering, turn your quilt “top side down” to quilt and let the bobbin thread show on top.

The monofilament, mylar and metallic thread are a little trickier to work with in the bobbin. Often you will see instructions to adjust that little screw on your bobbin case. BEWARE. These are preset at the factory and you run the risk of having trouble when you try to set them back to the original setting. A better idea is to purchase a second bobbin case and only play with the settings on one of them. I dabbed a spot of red nail polish on the one I play with so I wouldn’t confuse the two. When using the monofilament thread, I experienced trouble with it falling off the spool even though I did all the usual “fixes”. The answer for me was to set the spool in a small baby food jar instead of putting it on my spool holder. Monofilaments are nylon or polyester, available in clear or smoke color and seem to sew better with a 90/14 needle. YLI and Sulky are good brands. Monofilaments will give you an antique or hand-quilted look. If you sew on a dark fabric, the smoke color is best to use because the clear one will look shiny and be more visible.

A great 100% cotton thread to use is Mettler 50/3 wt and YLI 40/3 wt. These brands seem to have less breakage than others which as you know, is key to machine quilting. The Mettler thread is slightly stiffer than the YLI but the YLI has a more decorative look. A 80/12 sharp or 90/14 embroidery needle works well if you’re using a cotton or rayon thread in your bobbin.

Rayon threads are often favorites to use by quilters because of the brilliant colors available. The finished result is silky and decorative because the rayon catches the light and really show itself off. Generally, a 90/14 needle with a cotton bobbin thread works well. Sulky and Maderia are great
brands for rayon threads.

The metallic threads break quite easily. They also shred. The YLI is easier to use, but I think you will also like the Sulky and Madeira metallics. Your best needle size to use for the metallics will be a 90/14 embroidery or 80/12 Metallica. The mylar threads are not as likely to break as the metallics and you’ll probably like the wet and shiny look that the mylars give. The 50 wt cotton threads seem to do better in the bobbin if you use the metallics or mylar. Here again, to help avoid the breakage, put the spool in a baby food jar beside your sewing machine instead of on your machine if you experience a problem. If you sew with the metallics, be mindful not to drop the cuttings onto the floor because they create havoc for vacuum cleaners.

YLI is the only brand that I know of that has the “Jeans Stitch” 30/3 wt thread. As you might guess by the name, it gives a very heavy look. I would think twice before quilting a bed quilt with this because it’s so much heavier than the fabric and will probably cause the fabric to shred. However, it creates a beautiful decorative stitch for wall hangings. The jeans/denim needle is the one to use for the Jeans Stitch because it has a larger eye than the embroidery needle.

For the needle chart check the resource box below.

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Wherever ocean waves meet the shore, you’ll find lighthouses built to protect ships at sea from coming too close to land. New England’s long and complicated coastline requires many of these watchful beacons. Quilters of every skill level can create these picture-perfect vignettes of actual lighthouses along the coast of New England.

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