Basic Quilting Supplies

After you’ve stocked up on your ultimate list of sewing supplies, it’s time to deep dive into more specific sewing supplies related to quilting. Once you’ve stocked up on basic sewing supplies, there are a few quilting supplies that will be helpful to have on hand to get you stitching in the right direction.

Quilts can be made by hand, by machine, or by a combination of both. Sewists will often machine piece the quilt top together, machine or hand quilt the layers together, and finally hand or machine stitch the binding. No matter how you decide to make a quilt, you are going to need some basic supplies. Keep in mind you should start with the Ultimate List of Sewing Supplies.

1. Fabric

If you’re going to quilt, you will definitely need fabric. I recommend a high quality, 100% quilting weight cotton for your projects. If you’re just getting started, look for the best quality fabrics your budget will allow.

• Scraps – We are big fans of sewing with scraps. Fabric scraps are a great place to start especially if you have a fellow sewing friend looking to donate. Thrift store and garage sales may be good sources too.
• Pre-cuts – From charm squares to fat quarters, pre-cut fabric sets take some of the guesswork out of color coordinating and decrease the time spent at the cutting table.
• Yardage – Again quality cotton fabric will help create a beautiful finished product. Fabric sources include big box craft stores, local quilt shops and online fabric stores.

2. Batting

The batting in your quilt or in your quilted project serves several purposes. Quilt batting adds warmth, loft
and dimension to your quilt. Batting can be made up of different fibers such as cotton, wool, polyester, and a blend of these. It can also come in a variety of sizes from crib size to king size.

3. Basting

Basting in quilting is the process of attaching the three layers that make up a quilt (quilt top, batting, and backing) together to ensure they stay put for quilting by sewing machine or by hand. The three components make up the quilt sandwich. The basting process helps prevent puckering in the layers for a smooth finish.

• Safety Pins – I find curved safety pins to be easy to work through the layers of fabric.
• Basting Spray – Adhesive spray for quilting temporarily attaches the layers together long enough for quilting. 

4. Sewing Machine Feet

There are many different types of sewing feet that serve different purposes in sewing. Having the right tool for the job makes sewing a quilt that much easier.

• 1/4″ foot – A 1/4″ sewing foot helps keep your seams accurate and consistent throughout your project.
• Walking foot – A walking foot helps feed your fabric through the machine by working in tandem with the feed dogs. This is especially helpful when you have multiple layers as in the quilt sandwich.

5. Miscellaneous

Walking into a quilt store can feel intimidating because there are so many tool options for the trade. We’ve tried to narrow down the basic list for you, but there are still a couple more handy tools we’d like to mention.

• Quilting Gloves – This is another helpful tool if you plan to machine quilt your project. Quilting gloves help you grip your quilt and move it along as you free motion quilt.
• Quilting Rulers – We mentioned transparent rulers in the Ultimate List of Sewing Supplies, but we also want to draw attention to the wide variety of specialty quilting rulers. These clear rulers help in squaring up your corners. They also provide easy cutting guides for squares, triangles, and just about every rectangle. You don’t need every size to begin with, but it’s nice to know about the options available.