To experienced quilters — what are the 10 most essential tools a beginner needs (besides sewing machine)?
1) Rotary Cutter
2) Olfa Mat (or any other self-healing mat) 18″ x 24″ is a good size
3) Ruler- (Omnigrid is great) a 6″ x 12″ ruler is good
4) A good pair of fabric scissors to use only for cutting fabric. I use Fiskars
5) A good iron (for pressing when you are piecing)
6) Pins. Choose long, thin, sharp (dressmaker’s) pins for piecing and appliqueing. They should also be rustproof.
7) Needles - sharps and betweens for quilting and applique
Quilt frame (for hand quilting)
9) Thread. Get the best you can find. For your stash, I recommend: white, tan, or medium gray cotton or cotton-covered polyester sewing thread. Polyester threads can cut cotton fibers.
Natural or off-white cotton or cotton-covered polyester quilting thread to use for hand quilting. Clear, transparent, nylon thread for machine quilting. The thread should be thin and soft, not stiff and wiry like fishing line.
10) A 1/4 foot for your sewing machine. This makes is so much easier to do 1/4 inch seems.
Books: Quilter’s Complete Guide my Marianne Fons and Liz Porter 1993 Oxmoor House, Inc.
Quick and Easy Quiltmaking: 26 projects featuring speedy cutting and piecing methods by Mary Hickey, et. al. That Patchwork Place c. 1992
The Quilter’s Ultimate Visual Guide from A to Z - Hundreds of Tips and Techniques fro Successful Quiltmaking by Ellen Pahl
Also- any books by Alex Anderson. She has a show on HGTV (or used ) called Simply Quilts. She has published books on hand quilting, piecing, etc. She is considered an expert in her field and her books are filled with easy to do projects and easy to understand instructions.
I highly recommend going to quilting classes at a local quilt shop or at a place like JoAnn’s. The teachers know what they are doing and will be happy to show you how to do it the right way. I stated off on my own and ran into problems and became very discouraged. I started taking classes and my skill levels increased and I have completed many nice quilt projects since then.