Category Archives: Patchwork Quilt

How To Make A Patchwork Quilt – The Essential Tools

I read in Margaret Rowe’s book, “The Maria Challenge Quilt”, a story of how female convicts shipped out to Australia in the early 19th century were given a small hessian bag by Elizabeth Fry. The bags contained just enough materials to make a patchwork quilt during their long voyage, so that upon their arrival they [...]

Patchwork Quilt Essentials: Rulers and Cutting Mats

With any trade, craft or hobby there are usually sets of tools and equipment that are specific to it. In this article I’d like to explore a few that are integral to making a patchwork quilt, namely, rulers and cutting mats. Cutting Mats As a general rule the larger mats are good for cutting large [...]

Patchwork Quilt Scissors And Rotary Cutters

In this article I’d like to cover a few essentials about quilting, most specifically about the cutting tools you’ll need to get started with your patchwork quilt. Scissors Scissors are the “meat and 3 veg” for just about any craft, so you’ll need to have a good pair since you’ll be using them over and [...]

Rulers For Making Patchwork Quilts

Patchwork and Quilting Rulers You’ll use acrylic, see-through rulers to align the fabric and hold it firmly against the mat. Choose quilting rulers that are marked with very thin lines. It’s much easier to align the edge of your fabric accurately under a narrow line than it is to guess where it’s at under a [...]

Choosing A Cutting Mat For Making Quilts

Along with using a rotary cutter to cut fabric you will also need to use a special cutting mat for making quilts. These mats have a slightly textured surface to help your fabric grip and are made of material that protects the cutter blade from becoming blunt to quickly. Many cutting mats are called “self-healing”, [...]

5 Killer Tips For Making Patchwork Quilts

1. Cutting When making patchwork quilts always cut a fresh straight edge to measure from when you start cutting strips of fabric, and make sure your ruler is lined up straight with the folded edge of the fabric, so that you don’t get a “V” at the fold. Check after cutting a few strips that [...]

Simple Tips For Buying Cutters For Quilt Pieces

One of the most important tools in quilting is a rotary cutter. I remember how I used to draw lines on fabric, then cut out my pieces with scissors. I just cringe at even the thought of that now. So where do you start when buying your first rotary cutter? Well there are many styles [...]