Are you new to quilting?  Always wanted to quilt but just haven’t taken the plunge yet?  Not sure what you need to get started?    Here’s a start on the tools of the trade.  While you don’t HAVE to have these items, they sure make the job easier.  Rather like a carpenter who can do the job with a hand saw, a screw driver and a hammer.  But he will have a much easier time of it if he has access to a power saw, power drill, and power nail driver.  The right tools make any job easier.

The only “power” tools you’ll need are the sewing machine and an iron.  Beyond that, three additional items will really help.

First, you need to cut, so you need a Rotary Cutter.  There are a few different styles available.  This one is comfortable if  you do a lot of cutting.  It can be locked in the safety position, but the safety position is the default.  Squeeze the handle and the blade is out and ready to cut; let go of the handle and the blade retracts. 

 Next, you need a ruler to guide your rotary cutter.  The Creative Grids 6.5″ x 24.5″ is an excellent all purpose ruler.  It has grippers on the bottom to help prevent sliding, and has plenty of clear markings for inch, half-inch and more (or should I say less   ).  It even has angle markings that you can use until you start collecting specialty rulers.

 Third, you need something to cut on, so you need a mat.  Mats come in a few different sizes.  If you plan to make more than one quilt (and who wouldn’t?! – you’ll catch the bug!), the large 24″ x 36″ mat is well worth the investment.  It’s so much easier to cut your fabric if you can cut it the same way it comes off the bolt, instead of folding more to fit your mat.

That’s it.  These three important tools will prove to be invaluable to you in your quilting endeavors.  So start here.  You’ll discover many more tools that will help along the way, but you will always use these.

Happy quilting!

The Creative Grids 60° Triangle Ruler makes short work of lots of interesting blocks.  This 16″ table topper went together quickly and easily.  And I want to make more!

You’ll need just 4″ each of background fabric and two fun fabrics. Let’s call the fun fabrics FF1 and FF2.

Background:  Cut 2 strips 1.5″ x WOF;  1 strip 1″ x WOF
Fun fabrics:  Cut 2 strips each 2″ x WOF

Sew all the strips together in the following order:
FF1
Wide background
FF2
Skinny background
FF1
Wide background
FF2         

(cutting instructions revised 07/11/12 8:25)

Press all seams in one direction so they will nest when you sew your triangles together.  They will; you’ll see.

Line up the bottom of the 60° Triangle Ruler with the bottom of your strip set, and make your first cut. 

 Turn your strip set the other way and lay the ruler the way it was, the ruler is now lined up with the top and the left side of the ruler is lined up with the first cut you made.  Cut the last side of your first triangle.

Rotate your ruler. Cut.

Rotate. Cut.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

You’ll need six triangles.  There will be three with FF1 at the base, and three with FF2 at the base.

Arrange your triangles in a circle (okay, a hexagon), alternating the colors.

Sew together.  If you make sure the seams nest everything will line up nicely.  Be careful not to pull too much or manhandle the edges as they are cut on the bias.  Press the seams all one way around the “circle” so when you sew the last seam everything will nest nicely.

Finished! All ready to sandwich and quilt.
Fast. Easy. Addictive.
Happy sewing!

Oh! And don’t forget to enter our Pinterest Contest!

Do you “like” us on Facebook?   If not, head over to our QuiltersWarehouse Facebook page and “like” us now.  

This month’s Facebook First Friday deal gives you 10% off anything in our rulers and tools department.   If you’ve been wanting a tool and just hadn’t gotten around to getting it, now’s the time. 

Choose from any of the Creative Grid Rulers.  

They have square up rulers in sizes from 4.5″ to 20.5″.     The smaller ones are handy for taking along to sewing retreats or sewing days with your guild….and invaluable for squaring Half Square Triangles.  The larger ones are great for those large log cabin blocks or Baltimore Album blocks.   The large ones are also helpful if you need to cut a long strip of very wide fabric….. use your long 6.5″ ruler for the cutting edge and add how ever many inches you need from the square up ruler, and line that up with the edge of your fabric.  With a 16.5″ square and a 6.5″ ruler, if your fabric is folded you can easily cut your fabric 40″ wide for backing.  You’ll find that it’s much more square than trying to cut evenly from the selvedges.

Their rectangle rulers range from 1″ x 6″ that’s just right for miniature quilts to 6.5″ x 24.5″ that you’ll use everyday.  And, of couse, there are several triangle and specialty rulers. 

All of Creative Grid rulers have Gripper Dots.
These are the secret to cutting fabric with ease and accuracy – opaque dots that run along the edges of the rulers are part of a patented design that works to prevent slipping and sliding as you’re cutting.

Have you tried any of Kaye Wood’s “View & Do” shapes?  They come in circles, hexagons, and 60 degree diamonds.

Elisa’s Backporch has several curved templates available.  If you’ve never done curved piecing, don’t be afraid – it’s not as hard as you think!  And you’ll get some really fun looks to your quilts.

You can also save on Dahlia (large, and not so large!) templates, Dresden plate templates, a tool to help with pin basting, and lots more!

So head over to our QuiltersWarehouse Facebook page for the Discount Code.  The offer is good all weekend… now through the end of the day Sunday (CST).

Flying Geese blocks are such a basic block and can be found in so many quilts.  If you make yours by cutting the rectangle part and then sewing little squares to each end, you know that you wind up with lots and lots of triangles that are usually wasted material.   Then, of course, there is the math.  Ugh!

Well, no more!  The Flying Geese (times 4!) No Math Ruler by Lazy Girl Designs allows you to make Flying Geese in just a few easy steps.  I tried it the other day . . .

I wanted to make Flying Geese that were 2.5″ x 5″ finished size – on the ruler that’s “H”.  The first step was to cut one square of the geese fabric using the solid H lines as a guide.

Next, I needed to cut four squares of the background fabric (the corner color) using the dash lines marked with the “H”.   No math; just use the lines and cut! 

Sew two little squares in opposite corners of the large square, 1/4″ from the center on each side. 

Cut apart right down the center.

Press open.  You get these funky heart shape pieces.

Sew the remaining small squares to the bottom of the “heart”, then cut. (In the picture my “hearts” are upside down.)

And just like that, right-quick, lickety-split, four perfect Flying Geese!  No need to trim to size.  Just knock off those dog ears and the old geese are ready for a block.

I made a star. 

I make a lot of stars so this ruler will really come in handy!

Before I knew it, I had a quilt . . .

The Flying Geese X 4 ruler was really easy to use.   A shorthand version of the instructions is printed right on the ruler.  Also included is a printout with detailed instructions for making Flying Geese, Half Square Triangles and Quarter Square Triangles. . . . all with NO MATH.  All you need to know is the finished size you want.  SO much easier on the brain!  Leave your brain free for the creative tasks.

What would we do without our rulers?!  Aside from the sewing machine, a rotary cutter and ruler are probably a quilter’s most used tools.   Even applique quilters use a rotary cutter and ruler to cut background pieces and binding. 

Most of us start with the old standby, a 6.5″ x 24.5″ ruler.  This one by Creative Grid has embedded gripper dots to help hold the fabric and keep the ruler from slipping.   The ruler is marked so you can measure by half inchies on one side.  Flip it around and the bold markings are whole inches.  Angles of 30, 45, 60 and 90 degrees are marked in white.

Another popular 6.5 x 24.5 ruler has pink around the 1.2″ edges. This helps to remind you that you have ruler facing the 1/2″ side as opposed to the whole inch side. It saves on fabric wasted due to incorrect measuring.

If you travel to sew-in’s or retreats, the Creative Grid 4.5″ x 12.5″ ruler is a must. So much easier that toting your big ruler.  It’s marked the same as the larger ruler, including all the angles.

A square ruler is another handy one to have.  Creative Grid’s square rulers have a 90 degree angle printed in black.  It’s great for trimming half square triangles.  I keep adding to my square ruler collection.  It’s so handy to have several sizes. . . . 6.5″, 9.5″, 12.5″, 16.5″, 20.5″ . . .  it’s and addiction!

We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of quilter’s rulers.  There are so many specialty rulers.  Do you have a favorite?

This month’s Facebook First Friday deal is 10% off our already discounted prices on rulers and tools…. ALL OF THEM!

Here’s your chance to stock up on all the tools you need to make your quilting easier.  All the bacis rulers can be found, plus lots of specialty ones.  Here’s a sampling.

Wonky flying geese (not to be confused with honking flying geese) make piecing hard!  The Quilt-in-a-day Large Flying Geese ruler will making trimming perfect flying geese a breeze. Two finished sizes: 2″ x 4″ and 4″ x 8″.

Tri-Recs Tools are THE tools for cutting triangles.  They take the mind-numbing hassle out of figuring the angles and sizes… it’s all right there on the rulers.  An instruction booklet is included.

If you do a lot of fusible applique, the Craft & Applique Sheet is handy to use.  Lay the transparent sheet over the layout design, add your pieces and press.  You’ll get perfect placement.  Fusible web is easily removed.

Have you always wanted to make a Giant Dahlia quilt but didn’t want to mess with cardboard templates and all that hand cutting.   No worries… The Giant Dahlia Template Set includes the nine pieces – all acrylic templates made for rotary cutting! – you’ll need to make to make a queen/double quilt.  All instructions included to make a 54″ Dahlia center in an 84.5″ x 101.5″ quilt.

So if you are a fan of QuiltersWarehouse on Facebook (and if you aren’t, why aren’t you?! – become one!), head on over to Facebook and get the coupon code.  Then check out the rest of the tools and stock up now!  And, as always, the Facebook First Friday deal is good until then end of the day on Sunday.