Quilting could be a time consuming and time consuming hobby. Luckily over time there were many tools and accessories that've been invented to tackle specific issues that quilters used to face all of the time.
If you have been quilting for some time, there's a good chance you'll have most, or even all, of these tools. If you're new to quilting, you will soon work out which ones you 'must have'.
Rotary Cutter
This is my favorite and probably more frequently used tool. Rotary cutters come in numerous sizes but they basically all do the same job. If you have never seen one before, it's a lot like a pizza cutter - except much sharper.
It works by running the wheel in a line over your fabric and pressing down. It will make fast work of most fabrics and materials - usually requiring a single pass. I first used this on a green quilt design and by gum it saved me almost an hour of additional cutting.
You can purchase them separatley, however if you do not have one already, I would suggest purchasing them in a kit as this incorporates rulers and sometimes a cutting mat, dependent on the kit.
Also do not forget to have a mat underneath any material you may be cutting, it will not always stop when its cut through the fabric and you do not need to be cutting into your craft table!
Cutting Mats
The term 'cutting mat ' does not cover everything in this area. While you can get a cutting mat you may get a fold away table cover or a total custom cutting table. How much you want to spend is up to you.
The other fantastic part about these mats is that they feature a grid pre-ruled on there to help with any fast, straightforward cuts or measurements you might wish to make.
A mat should be bought around the same time as your rotary cutter so you can get straight to work. You'll also find that the mat that comes with your rotary cutting kit could be a bit too small, so I would suggest buying a bigger cutting mat when you buy a rotary cutter.
These are the tools I frequently work with the most when I'm busy quilting. In the next article, we will be having a look at some other necessary items for quilting.
If you have been quilting for some time, there's a good chance you'll have most, or even all, of these tools. If you're new to quilting, you will soon work out which ones you 'must have'.
Rotary Cutter
This is my favorite and probably more frequently used tool. Rotary cutters come in numerous sizes but they basically all do the same job. If you have never seen one before, it's a lot like a pizza cutter - except much sharper.
It works by running the wheel in a line over your fabric and pressing down. It will make fast work of most fabrics and materials - usually requiring a single pass. I first used this on a green quilt design and by gum it saved me almost an hour of additional cutting.
You can purchase them separatley, however if you do not have one already, I would suggest purchasing them in a kit as this incorporates rulers and sometimes a cutting mat, dependent on the kit.
Also do not forget to have a mat underneath any material you may be cutting, it will not always stop when its cut through the fabric and you do not need to be cutting into your craft table!
Cutting Mats
The term 'cutting mat ' does not cover everything in this area. While you can get a cutting mat you may get a fold away table cover or a total custom cutting table. How much you want to spend is up to you.
The other fantastic part about these mats is that they feature a grid pre-ruled on there to help with any fast, straightforward cuts or measurements you might wish to make.
A mat should be bought around the same time as your rotary cutter so you can get straight to work. You'll also find that the mat that comes with your rotary cutting kit could be a bit too small, so I would suggest buying a bigger cutting mat when you buy a rotary cutter.
These are the tools I frequently work with the most when I'm busy quilting. In the next article, we will be having a look at some other necessary items for quilting.
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Inquisitive about more green quilt design ideas? Then head on over to Jane Green's how to make a patchwork quilt site now!