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My Favorite Conventional and Unconventional Quilting Tools!

I have been quilting for over 30 years and have used many different tools. Some tools that were meant for quilting and some tools that were  made for other purposes. It’s fun to find tools in unconventional items. I bet you’ve done this too. Let’s talk about some of my favorites and then I’d like you to share yours.

Conventional Tools

Of course there’s the obvious tools for quilting such as the sewing machine, rotary cutter, scissors, etc. I definitely can not sew without those. But, I have some other tools made for quilters that I use that I would not want to quilt without, even if I can. So here they are.

Tool #1: We all have cutting mats and rotary cutters that we use when we’re quilting, but my favorite tool that goes with these when cutting fabric is this little item.

It’s a ruler safety shield that I bought years ago. It’s made of the same material as the ruler and sticks on. It basically protects your fingers in case you slip with the rotary cutter.

As you can see from the photo above, my fingers are behind the shield. I’ve searched and have not found this product sold anymore, but I found something similar called Guidelines4Quilting that is supposed to work with all ruler brands.

Tool #2: If I have to use a ruler that doesn’t have a shield, my next favorite tool is my “klutz” glove.

I recommend having a pair of these gloves on hand. They add an extra layer of safety and they make me feel a little more comfortable when cutting fabric. Especially when I’m using a specialty ruler, like the one below, that can’t be outfitted with a safety shield.

Tool #3: This is one of my absolute favorite specialty rulers. I use this one a lot because I make many quilts with half-square triangle (HSTs) squares. This tool is the Quilt in a Day Triangle Square Up Ruler.

This tool makes squaring up HSTs  easier by allowing you to trim the squares before you press them open. This way you only have to trim two sides instead of four. That may seem unimportant but when you have a pattern with hundreds of these HST squares, it’s a time saver! Here’s a photo of me using it:

As you can see from the photo above, there are lines marked with measurements: 1 1/2″, 2 1/2″, etc. (the other side has number 1″, 2″, etc). You line up the seam of your closed HST square with the unfinished size you want and trim the excess fabric.

Tool #4: My pressing stick.  If I am piecing a block with many small pieces and don’t want to keep jumping up and down to the ironing board to press every seam, this is a handy tool! Then when it is time to press the entire block, the individual seams for each unit of the block are already pressed enough to make the pressing of the whole block easier.

My stick shown above is an old version since I’ve had it a long time. But the newer versions work just as well.

Tool #5: Finally, my wool pressing mat. This is a newer tool to quilters that’s become popular in recent years. When I go to the iron to press an entire block, I love using this mat because it works to press block seams beautifully flat. And everyone knows that flat seams mean your blocks will measure more accurately. Here’s the mat:

And here’s the difference in using just a regular ironing board versus the pressing mat:

The block on the left was not pressed on the wool mat so it doesn’t lay flat on the bottom and the top. You can see the red strip is creased a bit over the seam. The photo on the right shows the seam pressed using the wool mat. That red strip is now flat with no fabric creased. Now this block will measure correctly.

The heat from your iron penetrates these 100% wool mats. Because of that, it works to press your unit on both sides at the same time! No flipping of your piece is needed.  It also helps to reduce stretching or distorting of seams because of the cushioning provided by the mat. Because of this you can press down harder with your iron when pressing your blocks or units on this mat, as opposed to a regular ironing board, without crushing your piece.

Unconventional Tools

Now here are some things that were not created for quilters, but I find them handy in the sewing room. I’m curious to see if you have used these as well. I’d also like to see some of the unusual items you use.

Tool #1: My favorite! Blue painter’s tape.

I use it to mark the cutting line on my ruler if I need to use the same measurement over and over for several strips. It makes that line on the ruler easier to see.

I also use the tape to extend my 1/4″ seam allowance line onto my sewing table extension so I have the guide as large as I want.

Tool #2: My phone. Specifically, the camera.

I use my camera to photo an array of fabric I’m planning to use in a quilt. Sometimes looking at a photo helps you remove fabrics that don’t belong in a group. I also use it to photo quilt block layouts to make sure I don’t mix up blocks as I am piecing a quilt top. With a scrap quilt, I can also use that photo to decide if I have too much on one color clumped together on one side of a quilt. If you don’t have a cell phone, a digital camera will work.

Tool #3: Storage for quilting tools has always been a challenge. I like to find unusual ways to store mine but still have them handy when I need them.

On the left, above, is a soap dish that I affixed to my sewing table with a command strip to store the tools I use often while stitching. In there is my scissors, my small ruler for measuring seams and small units and my pressing stick.

In the middle is a coffee mug holder repurposed to hold scissors and rotary cutters by my cutting mat. And the last photo is an old sewing machine drawer that acts as a catch all for items like marking pencils, pens, my making tape for labeling cut pieces and my klutz glove.

There are many other conventional and unconventional tools I use daily, but these are my favorites. Share your comments below with some of your favorite tools and I will enter you in a drawing for my pattern, Tree Farm.

If you win this now, you’ll have plenty of time to get it done by next Christmas! The drawing will be on Monday, December 29th. ***We have a winner! Congrats, Diane Dunham!***

Happy Quilting,
Deanne

Useful Tips for Every Quilter & Stitcher

This week I decided to cover some useful tips that I think are beneficial to every quilter. These are things that I do every day when I am quilting, so I thought I’d share them. You may be familiar with some of these or they may be new to you. Whether it’s a review or new information, I hope you enjoy this week’s installment. Let’s go!

These first few tips are for my appliqué friends.

Tip#1: I like to save time when appliquéing a project by having all my tools close by in a container. I have a magnet affixed to the inside cover and keep a stash of needles threaded with the colors I am using in the project. Once I pick up a needle with a particular color, I will re-thread another with that color so it’s ready to go when I need it.

Other items in my container are my needle threader, threads, a small scissors and a small Roxanne’s glue. This storage box helps to make my appliqué projects portable as well. I like to stay busy stitching in cars, waiting rooms and while sitting watching TV, to name a few places. By having my supplies all together like this, I can just grab this container with my project and I’m all set.

Tip #2: For my wool appliqué friends, a tip I like to share it to layout the complete motif and fuse/glue everything in place before stitching. Like my block below:

By laying everything out, I can get the motif positioned within the area designated and be assured that no part of the design ends up in the seam allowance. If you look at the edges of the block, you can see a line I have drawn that indicates the boundary for my design.

And like for the fabric appliqué, you can have all your wool stitchery supplies in a small container to make these projects portable too.

Tip #3: To store the whole project for travel, including the small box with the stitching supplies, you can make use of those zipper bags that new sheet sets arrive it. If you have read my blog for a while, you know that I like to upcycle and this is a one of those opportunities.

Another alternative to package your project for travel is this handy container called an Art Bin:

Now onto some of my favorite tips for quilters.

Tip #1: I have spoken before about measuring your units and blocks as you go to make sure they measure according to the pattern instructions. This is so your quilt goes together smoothly in the end. Part of achieving that is proper pressing.

Whether you press your seams to one side or press them open, flat seams are important for your stitched units and blocks to measure accurately. I like to press my seams open, I find it gives me more accurate measurements. Either way you choose to press your seams, make sure no fabric is bunched up anywhere and the seam lays flat on both sides of your piece.

The seam on the left was not pressed so it lays flat on the bottom and the top. You can see the red strip is creased a bit over the seam. The photo on the right shows the seam pressed correctly. That red strip is now flat with no fabric creased. Now this block will measure correctly.

Tip #2: This ties into tip #1. To get seams pressed flat, use a wool pressing mat. I pThe seam on the left was not pressed so it lays flat on the bottom and the top. You can see the red strip is creased a bit over the seam. The photo on the right shows the seam pressed correctly. That red strip is now flat with no fabric creased. Now this block will measure correctly.urchased one when they came on the market and said “where has this been my whole quilting life!”. Here’s mine:

The heat from your iron penetrates these 100% wool mats. Because of that, it works to press your unit on both sides at the same time! No flipping of your piece is needed.  It also helps to reduce stretching or distorting of seams because of the cushioning provided by the mat. Because of this you can press down harder with your iron when pressing your blocks or units on this mat, as opposed to a regular ironing board, without crushing your piece.

Tip #3: This also helps with piecing accuracy and units measuring correctly. Use a stiletto or other item to keep the units you are stitching together straight as you feed them under the presser foot.

Whether you use a stiletto or not, as you are guiding your fabric through make sure you are not pulling it towards you or holding it too tight because that can cause the top layer of fabric to move slower than the bottom layer is moving across the feed dogs making your seams uneven. 

Pulling or pushing your piece (photo on the right) will also result in seams that don’t measure the exact 1/4″ that you need for your unit or block to measure correctly.

Tip #4: This is a time saving tip… at least for me. I like to get projects done, so I look for time saving tips all the time. The ultimate time saver? Chain piecing! If you have to piece together a lot of the same units for blocks you are making, chain piecing is the way to go… as long as you don’t run out of bobbin thread in the middle of it!

To get your pieces ready for chain stitching, stack them as I show in the photo on the left. You can also stack up block units this way (photo on the right) to chain piece blocks.

Well, that’s it for this week. These tips are in no way all the tips and tricks I use to make my sewing experience more fun and relaxing, but they are ones that I use the most. Let me know in the comments some of your favorite tips.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne