This blog post is about the essential quilt supplies for beginners. When you first start learning to quilt, the amount of quilt supplies on the market can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. Just a few basic tools can get you started on your journey to learning how to quilt. This post will focus on the hardware and sewing notions needed to make a quilt.
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When purchasing through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you.
Sewing Machine
A sewing machine will make the sewing of your quilt much faster than hand sewing. There is a wide variety of sewing machines on the market, so some research will have to be done here on which machine best suits your needs. I chose to purchase a straight stitch machine for most of my sewing. It is the Juki TL 2020 Platinum Edition. The Juki TL 2010 is the exact same machine in white. I can’t recommend this machine enough. It is truly a workhorse.
Things to consider are:
- Speed of machine
- Some machines also have speed control to slow the machine down for more intricate stitching
- Variety of stitches
- for a majority of quilting, you will only need a straight stitch
- Throat space
- The space between the needle and the right side of the machine plays a roll in how big of a quilt you can maneuver through to do the finish quilting of the top if you chose to do it on your sewing machine.
Cutting Mat and Rotary Cutter
A self healing cutting mat is used to protect your work surface while using a rotary cutter to cut your fabric more precisely.
Cutting mats come in a variety of sizes, so chose one that fits your space. Take into consideration that if the mat is too small, it will affect the accuracy of your cutting. The smallest size I would recommend is an 18″ x 24″ cutting mat.
A rotary cutter has a circular blade that rolls along the side of a quilting ruler to give sharp, precise cuts of your fabric. Please use caution when using a rotary cutter as they are very sharp and move quickly and smoothly. Be sure to place your hand and fingers well out of the way of the rotary cutter.
Quilting Rulers
Quilting rulers also come in a variety of sizes. These are used to give a straight edge to cut your fabric to the correct size. My blog post on the 3 Essential Quilting Rulers will give you more detail on which rulers I recommend. The three sizes are:
Pins
Small sharp pins help hold fabric pieces together as you sew, helping the seams line up and your blocks to be more accurate.
Scissors
A small pair of scissors to snip threads is a very helpful addition to your quilting supplies. I have several small pairs in various places in my sewing room.
Iron and Pressing Surface
Pressing your fabric and seams of your quilt blocks as you sew plays a very important role in the accuracy of your blocks. You will need an iron that gets hot and is reliable. There are many options on the market in a wide range of pricing. A less expensive iron is completely fine to start. As you grow as a quilter, you may want to explore the features of the more expensive irons. I use an Oliso Pro Auto Lift Iron and love it so much. The lift feature comes in handing when pressing a lot of blocks
Many people use steam when pressing their blocks. I personally do not, but that’s a personal preference.
A basic ironing board works well as a pressing surface. I also made a larger pressing board that fits my space and gives me a wider area to press. You can find instructions to easily make your own DIY Ironing Board here.
Seam Ripper
It happens. We all make mistakes. And occasionally we need a seam ripper to pull those errant stitches out to try again. This little Clover Seam Ripper is my favorite. It’s sharp and small enough to cut through even the tightest of stitches.
I hope you find this list of must have quilt supplies for beginners to be easy to follow and not intimidating. Dive in! You just might find a life long hobby you love!
