As ya'll know, I took a quilting class back in October. Let me go back a couple of months though. In August, for my Anniversary, I told my husband I wanted a rotary cutter and mat.
This is the rotary cutter I bought. I really liked the handle. It would be great if I had a tall cutting table which is recommended to keep from getting back aches. I do not have one though, instead I use my dining room table as I am sure many people do. With this cutter, the blade only comes out on one side. Next time we have some extra money I am going to get one with a straight handle so that when I am leaning over I can cut from the top of the blade, which I cannot do with this one. Next time I will buy one with a straight handle like this one:
Of course everyone will have their own opinion on what to get. For your first one, I would recommend a 45 mm blade. They have smaller and larger ones, but this is the most common size. It is what I have. I use it for cutting out patterns and quilt blocks. It is so quick and you don't have to worry about your material shifting around.
You need a self-healing cutting mat to use with your rotary cutter. If you get a hard kind it will dull your blade. But if you don't buy a mat it will ruin your table. I have 2 mats. The 18 x 24 is a great size to carry to sewing circle and classes. As you can see in the above picture I also bought the biggest mat I could afford to keep at home. The bigger mat gives you plenty of room to cut your material without having to worry about accidentally cutting off the mat.
If you are quilting, I highly recommend that you buy a quilting ruler. The rest of the post are things my quilting teacher recommended to me.
You need a ruler that is at least 6 inches by 24 inches. The cheapest place I found these is at Wal-Mart or at Michaels with a coupon. They were very expensive at Joanns and Hobby Lobby. This ruler will help you cut strips, blocks and everything else. If you aren't able to buy anything else, these are the first three things I recommend. The mat, rotary cutter and big ruler.
I also have the tiny ruler to help me get that quarter inch seam on my quilting projects.
The other ruler is a Bias ruler. It is 2 1/2 inches wide which is perfect for apron ties, ruffles, and strips for quilts.
When I went looking for a fabric marker, I was not sure what to get. I found this disappearing ink marker pen, and I love it! The ink disappears after a while so you don't have to wash your item again to get the marks off. I recommend that every seamstress gets one. I hate the chalk because it is always breaking.
Did you know you can use a washable glue stick to baste your items on without pinning? Cool huh?
If you are quilting, you NEED quilting needles so that you don't have big holes in your project.
My little scissors are great to keep by machine for snipping threads and stuff.
I also recommend these curved safety pins for quilting. My husband saw them and asked my why all my safety pins were broken - LOL. The curves make it easier to baste your quilts. You will need several packages to start with.
This is just a short list of things to get you started. You can most of it at Wal-Mart or your local fabric/craft supply store. Don't forget coupons! Of course you need several different colors of thread, black, white, brown, blue, red to name a few. I keep thread in stock at all times, there is nothing worse than a great outfit that has been sewn with the wrong color of thread. After all it is the little things that count!
Have fun sewing, I know I will!
Missy
1 comment:
I only discovered rotary cutters last year. Wouldn't be without one now.
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