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If you're new to quilting, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed and wondering what it is that you need to have in your sewing box to get started. I've compiled a list of Quilting Tools for Beginners. This list is only the most essential quilting tools. There are no unnecessary gadgets or frills here! While there are many items that do level up your quilting experience, as a first-time quilter, it's best to start simple. Beginning with the basics will allow you time to learn your own unique quilting style. From there, you can purchase products to suit your style of quilting. For example, if you discover that you love HSTs, there are a whole slew of products designed to make HSTs easier/more accurate. But you need to start quilting to know if any of those products are worth investing in!
Essential Quilting Tools for Beginners
Below is the list of quilting tools that I'd define as essential for precision quilting. While I've sort of prioritized these into a numbered list, you can't really do much without any of these. So basically, you need all of the tools on the list. You'll also need a sewing machine if you plan to do machine piecing.
01. 45mm Rotary Cutter and Spare Blade
The rotary cutter is one of the most essential tools for precision quilting. It is used with a rotary mat (to protect your workspace) and an acrylic ruler. Combining the 3 allows for a straight and precise cut that is nearly impossible to achieve with scissors and a paper template. That's the old-fashioned way of quilting, but that's a story for another day!
I'd recommend starting out with the 45mm rotary cutter as it's the most versatile size.
You can purchase rotary cutters here: Lindley General Store
I'll link to everything featured in this post again at the bottom of this post.
02. Rotary Cutting Mat
To accompany your rotary cutter and protect your workspace, you will need a Rotary Cutting Mat. We use this one from OLFA and it's great. Amazon.ca also has rotary mats by Creative Grids. Though I haven't used Creative Grids rotary mats, I know their rulers are top notch so I would assume that their mats are 👌 too.
Now when purchasing a mat, I would recommend you get an 18" x 24" mat. Anything smaller will be useless for more projects and anything bigger takes up a lot of space and is usually not necessary. Once you're into quilting and you want to spend the money and space on a bigger mat, you can always upgrade.
03. Acrylic Quilting Ruler
The third piece in the essential precision quilting trio: the acrylic ruler. This ruler is what gives you the ability to precision cut. Over at Lindley General Store, we sell what is arguably the best brand on the market. Creative Grids rulers are not only incredibly well made, they also feature a non-slip back which means once you've put your ruler in place and applied pressure, it won't slip and slide all over the place. Other brands that don't have this non-slip backing can slide or move when cutting.
For a beginner, I would recommend a 6½ x 24½ rectangle ruler. This is a staple ruler and you'll find that you use it over and over again. If you have room in your budget, I'd also recommend a medium square, like the 5½" square or the 6½" square.
One (important) note about buying rulers online. While I love Amazon and I know it's super convenient, I would never buy acrylic rulers from them. Acrylic rulers require special care when packaging for shipment. Improper packaging can mean your ruler arrives broken. Over at Lindley General Store, we've perfected the art of shipping acrylic rulers, so they arrive intact 99.9% of the time. Trust me, it pays to shop small with acrylic rulers!
04. Small Scissors or Snips
You'll need scissors of some sort. I find small scissors like these embroidery scissors by Mundial are very convenient. Their small size makes them ideal for keeping beside your sewing machine to snip threads with.
These quilting and utility scissors by OLF are also a great option.
05. Quilting Pins
Pins are a must in a quilter sewing box. Pins will help you to improve the accuracy of any seam, but you'll find when trying to match seams in blocks like a 4-patch that you won't be able to do without a good set of pins. I have these fine quilting pins by Clover and I love them! Because they are so fine, they hold fabric layers together without adding a ton of extra bulk. This just makes it so much easier to keep an accurate ¼" seam allowance.
06. Seam Ripper
I hate to break it to you, but seam rippers make it on the list of essential quilting tools! Anybody and I mean anybody who quilts or sews, will inevitably need a seam ripper sooner rather than later! This SeamFix seam ripper by Gypsy Quilter makes the dreaded task* a lot easier. The handle is ergonomic making it easy on your hands and the cap is fitted with a thread gripper designed to grab the loose bits of threads off of your project.
*I say dreaded task, but I actually don't mind unpicking seams. I'm not sure what that says about me as a person.🤔
07. Fabric Marking Pens
You'll need a fabric marker of some sort. Actually, unless you are very committed to only using one fabric colour for the rest of your quilting carrier, you'll probably need 2 fabric markers or pens.
One of these Frixxion pens in black for light-coloured fabrics and one of these water-soluble fabric pencils in white for dark-coloured fabrics will get you started. There's also this purple fabric marker, which is my all-time favourite marking tool, ever. This one works on light to medium fabrics. Unfortunately, it's not very good on dark fabrics, but that's ok, it's still a hard worker!
08. Quilter's Tape Measure
You'll need a tape measure sooner rather than later!
You can get by with the 60" tape measures that are available in most craft/fabric stores, however, if you can get your hands on one of these 120" Quilter's Tape Measures, I'd recommend you do it! We use this tape measure for all kinds of things, not just quilting. But when you come to attach borders or you need to measure a bed, you'll be glad of the extra length!
09. Iron (and Ironing Board)
You'll need an iron and ironing board for ironing fabric, pressing seams, and pressing quilt tops. You'll basically need an iron for every stage of quilting!
If you don't have an iron already, I would recommend looking for something a little more expensive as the cheaper irons just don't get hot enough to actually get creases or wrinkles out of cotton. Beyond that, I don't currently have any specific recommendations as I'm not a huge fan of the iron I have. I've heard great things about the Oliso, but I haven't used one myself and they are rather expensive so might not be the best choice for a beginner.
Handy To Have
One item that I find extremely handy, which is by no means essential, is a lint brush or lint roller. Not only do they help keep your clothes free of threads and fluff, but they are also very effective in keeping your cutting mat and surrounding area clean.
Full-size fabric scissors: While you can start without these, especially if you have a rotary cutter and some small scissors, you'll find it very convenient to have a pair of fabric shears on hand.
As promised, here are the links for the products mentioned in this article.
Rotary Cutting Mats (available on Amazon.ca):
Everything Else:
Rotary Cutter
Acrylic Ruler
Small Scissors
Quilting Pins
Seam Ripper
Fabric Marking Pens
Tape Measure
These products are all available at Lindley General Store. Click here to shop now.
Did you find this article on Quilting Tools for Beginners to be helpful? I'm working on another article detailing all the notions you'll need to start piecing your first quilt. Keep an eye out for that!
If you are still feeling overwhelmed or would like more help getting started, send us an email at hello@meafordpatternpress.ca. We'd love to help you learn the beautiful art of quilting!
About the Author
Hello there, I'm Abigail!
I've been quilting on and off since the age of 8! I have always loved quilts and quilting. I also love teaching about quilting and helping others to get started in this wonderful craft! My non-quilting hobbies include sewing, baking, and hand embroidery. You can find me on IG @abigaildkelly where I share snippets of work and life!
