Quilting Tools You Can’t Live Without

Whether you are new to quilting and wondering what quilting tools to buy, or you’ve been accumulating tools for years and are looking to scale back, Laura Roberts shows you which tools are her go-to favorites.

Cutting Fabric

Quilting can require several different tools for cutting fabric. Laura shares her favorite types of rotary cutters, ergonomic and large-blade cutters, and explains when and why she uses the different tools. She also shares her favorite snips and scissors, which are also ergonomic and spring loaded, making it easier on your hands if you have to do a lot of cutting.

Measuring Fabric

Another quilting tool must-have is a ruler. Laura shows her favorite ruler, a clear ruler with black lines, and explains why she finds it easier to read and easier to use. She also shows how it has small areas of texture on the wrong side of the ruler to help it from slipping on your fabric while cutting.

Pressing Fabric

Many times in quilting a large pressing surface isn’t needed when small blocks are being assembled. Laura shows her favorite quilting tools for pressing which include a small mat you can press on one side and cut on the other, as well as a small travel iron.

More Quilting Tools

Marking tools, pressing tools, rotary cutters and ruler are often the first tools people think of for quilting, but Laura has other favorite tools as well. A magnetic pincushion can actually save you time when quilting as it can quickly and easily pick up all your pins. Bobbin holders and bobbin winders can also help save time, allowing you to wind many bobbins at one time and not have to remove anything from your machine to do so. Laura also shows several tools she likes to use that aren’t necessarily thought of as quilting tools. She shares how she likes to use an awl to help guide her fabric under the presser foot and how she likes to hang fabric she has just pressed rather than drape or fold it.