Quilting Tools We Absolutely Would Buy Again, and Again, and Again…

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog about quilting tools and notions I would never buy again. This week I’d like to talk about the topic of quilting tools and notions quilters love and couldn’t imagine living without.  Just like with the other blog, I surveyed three different quilt groups to get their input.  The results were a long and varied list of supplies – some of which I had never used but may very well put on my Christmas list this year.  Because the list was so diverse, I divided the items into categories:  Cutting Tools, Rulers, Pins and Needles, Marking Tools, Technology, and Miscellaneous.

Cutting Tools

1.  A Good Pair of Scissors.  Kai was the name brand bandied about the most on the survey.  The length of the blades varied, but the primary issue was they needed to cut to the end of the point. I have three pairs of the small Kai scissors (blade length 2-inches) and several pairs of the larger Perfect Scissors from Karen Kay Buckley.  While I don’t think you have to spend a fortune for a good pair of scissors, you do want them to hold up to the abuse we put them through.  Electric scissors can cost over $700 and regular thread snips hit the market around $3.00.  On average, a decent pair of fabric scissors should hit your wallet for about $25.
2. Cutting Machine – Under this category, we’re looking at tools such as the Brother Scan-and-Cut, Accuquilt Cutters, etc., — anything that does the cutting for you.  I’m a bit divided on this one.  I have a Brother Scan-and-Cut and have tried to use it for applique, but always found it took a long time to cut out what I needed.  You had to program what you wanted, treat your fabric, and then send it through the cutter.  By the time I prepped the machine, treated the fabric and let it dry, and then actually cut my applique pieces out, I could have performed the same task without the cutter in less time (which is the reason why I am in the process of putting my Scan-and-Cut on Facebook Marketplace).  I guess if you’re not in a huge hurry to start an applique project, this gadget may be just what you need – you can cut out dozens of circles, Sunbonnet Sues, flowers, leaves, etc., with the push of a button. 

However, I have an Accuquilt and I do love it.  It is one of the electric ones, so it spits out quilt pieces like nobody’s business.  I realize you need certain dies for certain shapes, but if you need to produce 120 two-and-a-half inch squares, the Accuquilt can certainly do that for you in a fraction of the time that a ruler and a mat could take.  Bonus, all those 2 ½-inch squares will be perfectly 2 ½-inches.  There is no sweating if your cutting is accurate or not, because the Accuquilt makes sure it is.

•  Quilting Ruler with Cutter Combo – I do not own one of these, but according to several of my quilting friends who have one, they are the bees’ knees.  If you have arthritis in your fingers and hands, this gadget takes the stress off and keeps your cutting accurate. 

•  A Good, Ergonomic Seam Ripper – If I remember correctly, this also made the list of Quilting Tools I’ll Never Buy Again.  This is one of those tools we definitely have a love/hate relationship with.  We hate to use them, but if you have the right one, it does make picking those stitches out just a little easier.  We’re human, and we’re gonna make some quilting mistakes – it’s a fact you have to face.  If you have to “unsew” some stitches, make sure you have a sharp seam ripper that fits comfortably in your hand.  And remember, if you have the same seam ripper for several years, it dulls just like a needle or a pair of scissors.  Splurge on a new one.

• Thread Cutter with a Base/Blade Saver – Honestly, this is a gadget I had never considered until my BFF Janet gave me one for Christmas.  This is such a stellar notion to have if you’ve chained pieced a lot of units and need to cut them apart.  There is something oh-so satisfying about cutting those units apart with one of those.  If chain piecing is your jam, you may want to get one of these.  They’re not expensive and they are wonderful quilting tools.

The Blade Saver is a great notion to get the very last vestiges of sharp-iness from your rotary blade.  When you change the blade in your rotary cutter, you can take the used blade and insert it in the Blade Saver.  Then you can use it just like a thread cutter with base. 

Rulers

1.  Clear Rulers with Accurate Grids and Built-in Grippers – For those quilters surveyed, no matter what their preferred length and width of ruler, they all wanted a clear, not opaque ruler, with clearly marked inch increments and built-in non-slip grippers.  I completely agree.  This is why Creative Grids rulers have been my favorite brand of rulers for over twenty years. 

•  Folding Rulers – This gadget never crossed my mind.  I have seen them advertised on quilting websites and in magazines, but I never thought a great deal about them.  However, Cindi, a good quilting buddy of mine, told me they are great to take on retreats.  They fold up, taking up less space and making them easier to pack.  Once they are unfolded, they do retain their straight shape.  I trust Cindi’s word on this, since she attends numerous quilt retreats through the year.  I think this one will be on my Christmas list.

Pins and Needles

1.  Glass Head Pins – Known for their sharp points and the fact the heads will not melt under the heat of an iron, these pins are favorites of quilters and other sewists.  These are not expensive, so treat yourself to a box or two (because no matter what anyone says, quilters do need to pin) and enjoy the process.
2. Fork Pins – These little jewels look like this:

And are known for their ability to keep fabric securely in place.  The double-prongs keep seam allowances firmly lined up with no wiggle room and can easily handle the bulk and weight of borders as they’re pinned to a quilt center.

•  Wonder Clips – These now come in a variety of sizes and some even have ¼, ½, and ¾-inch marks.  While first introduced as a way to keep your binding in place when it’s folded over to the back of your quilt as you sew it on, quilters soon discovered Wonder Clip were great pin substitutes.  Personally, I think they’re great to use with young sewers who may be just a tad immature to deal with pins.  And I think they work better at keeping block units grouped together than any pin.
•  Good Hand Sewing Needles – If you think all hand sewing needles are created equal, go here: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2020/10/28/hand-sewing-needles-more-than-meets-the-eye/.  Overall, in the great concept of quilting, even the most expensive hand sewing needles are relatively inexpensive.  However, the variances between a good hand sewing needle and a bad hand sewing needle can make a huge difference in your stitching experience.  Cheap needles are notorious for cutting thread, being difficult to thread, and breaking.  My favorite hand sewing needles are John James (the kind made in England, not China), Tulip, and Roxanne. 
• Magnetic Pin Cushions for Wrist and Tabletop – The particular brand which received the most recommendations is Riley Blake.  These do make handy-dandy places to drop your pins and needles without having to stop and jab them into a cloth pin cushion.

•  A Good Thimble – These can take a little getting used to but will actually speed up the hand sewing process.  However, they must fit correctly and be comfortable to use.  For more information, go here: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2020/11/18/thimbles/

Marking Tools

While this entry didn’t surprise me, the fact that there were no specific marking tools mentioned, does.  It seems like every quilter has their favorites – from the water soluble blue markers to Frixions to pencils.  Currently my favorite is a Hera Marker.

This leaves no ink or pencil residue behind, since it marks by creasing the fabric. 

Regardless of your marking tool of choice, it’s important to have a few in your quilting space.

Technology Tools

This was another category I wasn’t surprised at, but was a little taken back on how few entries were in it, when you consider we have quilting calculators, laser levels we can use to help trim and square up quilts, and sewing machines which can do nearly everything except cut the quilt out (but with an Accuquilt, you even have that option).  Long arm machines are now computerized to the point you can plan out the quilting, hit a button, and let it go.  Oh how far we have come in the last 100+ years…

The iPad was a frequently mentioned favorite tool.  Besides checking your email and shopping on-line at your favorite quilt shop, an iPad can be used to download patterns and watch instructional videos at your sewing machine while taking classes or making a project.  iPads are small enough to slip in your sewing bags, but offer almost the same amenities as a laptop.

Electric Quilt 8 (EQ8) was also listed as a preferred techno tool.  And I agree.  While, yes, you can certainly sketch  your quilt and math it out via calculator, EQ makes it much easier and faster, with so many additional options. 

Miscellaneous

•  Quarter Inch Quilting Foot – While this particular entry comes from a friend of mine who just recently discovered quilting, I think all quilters can attest of the joy and accuracy this foot brings to piecing.  If you don’t have one, you may want to get one.
• Good Lighting – Lots of quilters listed this.  They have paid good money for good lighting and will do so again in the future.  If you’re laying out cold, hard cash for lighting, skip all the advertising schpells and go straight for the lighting which is the closest to direct sunlight available.  Not only does this lighting make it easier to see, but it also makes a big difference when choosing fabrics.  Hues, shades, and tints look their best under natural sunlight.
• Good Iron – I wrote two extensive blogs about irons a few weeks ago.  The most interesting information I discovered is that all irons – expensive or inexpensive – have about the same life span unless you’re really hard on your irons and drop them or knock them off the ironing board like me .This means just because you may spend more for an iron doesn’t mean it will last you years and years.  The average life span of an iron is three years and for a decent iron with good steam capabilities, a long cord, and solid soleplate, plan to spend about $45 on average.

• Bent Tip, Pointy Tweezers – These are great to use as a stiletto, hold and place tiny pieces of applique, and I also use these to pull up my bobbin thread to the front of the quilt when I am quilting on my domestic machine. 

• Wool Pressing Mat – These things make pressing a breeze.  The wool holds heat so you’re able to literally press the front and the back of a block or fabric or quilt center with one pressing go-round.  These come in super-small sizes (great for freezer paper applique) to the size which fits your entire ironing board.  Word of warning, the super inexpensive ones may not be comprised of 100% wool and do not work as well as the 100% wool ones. Plus the fake ones smell even worse than the wool ones for the first several uses. 

• Design Wall – No matter if this is the flannel back of a table cloth pinned to a wall in your studio, or one made from foam board and flannel, or the smaller ones you can sit directly next to your sewing machine, or the portable kind you can purchase and take with you on quilt retreats, design walls are a crucial tool to have if you’re piecing complicated blocks or arranging quilt blocks for a quilt top.  They allow you to lay things out and make sure everything is in the right place before picking up the blocks or block units and sewing them together.

• Organization Mat That Has Room for Tools – This mat sit beneath your sewing machine and has pockets for your seam ripper, scissors, stiletto, and all the other sewing tools you use when you’re quilting.  It’s a great way to keep them together.  And if you’re keen to make your own, there are a lot of patterns available.

• Bias Tape Makers – These come in sizes ¼-inch through 2-inches.  Many applique quilters love these, as they allow you to make yards of stems without a lot of time, fuss or effort.   Bonus, they are relatively inexpensive and can be found at both quilt stores and big box establishments (as well as Amazon).  Some come in nifty kits, but they also can be purchased individually. 

• Roxanne Glue – This one is my personal favorite glue.  Roxanne has cornered the market on glue and the ways you can apply it.  Roxanne has a glue you can dab, a glue you can pour, and a glue with a needle-nose you can use to lay down a line of small, glue dots.  And I think their glue stick is the best on the market.  Roxanne Glue is also ph-balanced, so there is no need to worry about long term damage to your fabric.

• Pop Socket – These great, little inventions were made primarily for cell phones.T hey allow you to hold onto your phone or prop it up to watch videos or talk.  However, once quilters saw them, they realized pop sockets worked great for quilting rulers.  It allows a firm hold on a ruler while the hopping foot does its work along the ruler’s side. 
• Light Box – Whether you make your own or purchase one, if you applique, it’s hard to live without a light box.  They help you accurately trace patterns, lay your applique out, or trace a pattern directly onto your fabric.  I have a Cuttapillar and love it…however, I really would like to have a light box as big as my dining room table to make appliqueing borders just a bit easier.

• Yazzii Bag – I have lots of bags I tuck my sewing into, but I don’t have one of these.  Since this quilting notion was mentioned on several surveys, I decided to do a little research on it and find out what made it so wonderful.  According to the description, a Yazzii Bag is a  “Crafters Dream! Get organized with this ultimate craft storage bag. There are 20 see-through zippered pockets of various sizes to hold all your craft accessories. This bag has a large area on the bottom to provide additional space for unfinished projects, quilting fabric, and more. It also has a slot for a 12×18 cutting mat — an asset to any crafter.”

It is certainly impressive and there are Yazzii bags of all sizes.  They even have a 100-spool thread organizer that I am seriously in love with.  I can see how this bag would make organizing and packing for a quilt retreat or class super easy.  I don’t have one of these yet…but it’s going on my Christmas list.

And there you have it.  All the quilting tools we would buy again.  I know we may have missed a few, and if yours isn’t on this list, please leave your favorite tools in the comments.  Again, I would like to thank the Network Needlers Chapter of TAS, my Tuesday Night Sit and Sew Stitching Sisters, and the High Point Quilt Guild.  All of your input was invaluable to this blog.

Until Next Week, From My Studio to Yours,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix