Starting again, Need tools recommendations
 

Starting from scratch, again! I work best with the right tools. Any recommendations on a good rotary cutter and measuring squares, rulers etc. I would appreciate your suggestions and any tips. Thanks, Madgie

Depends on your budget.....and what you want to do...start with the basics, naturally, then work on up - gathering as you go......you state "again" so you must have a history, that should help you make shopping, choosing, decisions.

Go to JoAnn's with coupons and you can get a lot of the basics at a reduced cost. I started with the combo kit of fiscars rotary cutter, 6" x 24" ruler and (maybe 18" x 24") matt! I've worked my way up to a much larger cutting matt that fits my whole table. Welcome back to the wonderful world of quilting!

I agree with Orangeroom. Joann's with a coupon will give you some good tools and at a very reduced price. Then you can add as you go.

Whichever rulers you decide to get, I highly recommend that you get all the same manufacturer. They *play* better together. Seriously.

While at the stores, take two of the squares to some fabric and lay it out and use the tools to pretend to cut. Do the tools make sense to you? Can you easily see the hash marks and the intersects? Try them on a few different fabrics.

My personal preference is Creative Grids. When I started quilting I started with a 6X24, a 6.5 square and a 12.5" square of two different manufacturers. At some point I needed a different size and I bought a Creative Grids. I have since collected every size they make. They are well marked, can be used to the left or the right, easy to see, have 1/4 and 1/5 edges that are frosted, have non-slip dots on the back, marked angles with good intersecting hash marks. All around - great rulers.

Don't forget to get a seam ripper! :o

olfa rotary cutter with safety button. if button not pushed to keep the blade out, it will close itself when you put it down. lovely option! Fiscars scissors and i love omni grid rulers. but as said, stay with one maker of rulers.

Oh my - thought this was me talking! I'm definitely a believer in having all your rulers be of the same brand. And tae what initially appeals to you to both some light and dark fabrics and see which brand you prefer on BOTH fabrics. I'm not so wedded to the frosted edges - I never remember why they are there or which measurement I'm using at the time, lol.

But yes, start with the basics - you know what they are. Go to JoAnns armed with coupons. Since you've been down this road previously, you probably already have some brand preferences. Go with your gut. You can take your time.

Remember, all you really need is fabric, needle, thread and some scissors. Anything other than that is just there to make your life easier. It definitely takes time to amass all of our goodies - most of which we can live without for a while.

I like olfa for cutters and creative grid rulers are the best IMHO

Thank you all for the advice and suggestions; all of the above is very useful information that I will put to good use. I did not know if tools had evolved since my last quilt many years ago. Joann's coupons work for me too! Thank you, Madgie

Creative Grids for me, too! And it may be imagination, but I really think the titanium-edged rotary blades last longer. They are by Fiskars, I think.

A good "how to" book or two might also help you. I re-started with the Quilters Academy series but then found it was too doctrinaire for me. Perhaps others on this board can suggest other helpful books?

I welcome you back to the quilting world and wish you all the best!

I like the Ergonomic cutter by Olfa. It retracts the blade when you let go of the handle. The other ones leave the blade exposed and you have to remember to push it back. Easy to get yourself cut.

My favorite rulers are the Olfa rulers with the yellow and black lines. I have the square set from Joanne. Bought it with a 50% coupon. I also like some rectangular rulers as well.

Recently I bought a magnetic pin cushion with a cover. That way I can put the cover on and take it with me to classes. The pins I like the most are the long, thin, glass-head ones.

For my machine, I got a bendable light to attach to the side. That really helps with visibility at the needle.

While I don't necessarily believe in one-trick pony rulers, I do use the Easy Angle and Companion Angle ruler a lot and I got the Tri-rec ruler too.

Another fan of Creative Grids. I started with a 6 x 24, easy to cut lengths of fabric, a 12 1/2 square, and a 6 x 12 1/2. I wouldn't buy a specialty ruler, until I had a need for it to make a specific pattern. Amazon also sells Creative Grids, if you can't find in your LQS.
I wish I had not bought so much stuff and never used it......that I had bought only when I was ready to use. sigh!!! would have so much more free space in sewing room.

Find a LQS that sells Floriana Quilters Select rulers...........They absolutely DO NOT SLIP!! (watch the YouTube video featuring Alex Anderson and the Quilters Select rulers, mats and rotary cutter).

Welcome, Maggie! I agree with one type of ruler and the JoAnn coupons. If you happen to be an educator, you can also get a discount at JoAnns.

You might also check Walmart for sewing tools. Also their online "catalog" - some of their prices for things like rotary cutters are less at their regular prices than atJAF with a coupon.

I agree with" orangeroom", but I would add a 6"by 12" ruler also.

Another vote for Creative Grids here! I'm slowly replacing most of my other rulers with CG, for me they are the easiest to read and I love that they don't slide. They're more pricey than a lot of my prior ruler purchases, but it's worth it to me to have tools that work best for me.

My favorite rotary cutter is my 60mm Olfa with the quick-change for the blade. I also have the 45mm style where it closes the blade when you let go, but I hate changing blades on that one because the little springy washer thing always tries to escape, and then I have trouble remembering which direction it goes!

The following are must haves IMO....

www.quiltersslidelock.com MPO(my personal opinion) I think this is the best quilting cutter tool!!! I purchased their package of three….and absolutely no regrets! pricey but in the long run I would have saved money had I not purchased the 4 or 5 other rulers I no longer use but keep as...who knows when I will find them handy again.

I have a rotating mat…don’t a l w a y s use it but it comes in handy for me.

EZ Snip Curved Embroidery Scissors (spring action scissors)…I personally feel these are a must and much better than the regular common snips; they are very light and very sharp.

45 and 60 mm rotary cutters but there are others that are ergonomic that interest me and if I didn’t have about 7 or 8 different rotary cutters as it is I would have given those a try; and an 18mm if you sew clothes – they cut apart the pattern pieces very easily.
These are just my fav's.

Good luck in finding the right tools for you!

Besides the basic rulers, the one I use the most is Quilt In A Days triangle square up ruler. Since I like to make them 8 at a time with large squares, it is easy to use with just one cut to square them up.

I just need to say welcome back to the quilting world.

Today there is a JAS coupon for the notions wall (seam ripper, pins, needles, marking chalk) and a 40% off regular item that could be used for a rotary cutter. If you need everything, you could use it for a set (mat, cutter and ruler). If you can wait until the notions wall is on sale, then you could also use a 20% (or 30%) coupon on total purchase of sale and regular items coupon. We run them fairly regularly. Just a heads up, the notions wall does not include the quilting notions area or the cutting tools. Just make another trip. Everyday you have coupons on your phone under Joanns.com. At the minimum, there will be a regular item coupon and a fabric coupon - daily. I print them out and then go in when I have 2 or 3. They are usually good for the week and if they have different code numbers so you can use all of them.

Tucker trimmer from Studio 180 is a must for me for squaring up. Also a 1/4 marking ruler. Studio 180 calls it a wand, but I like the one that's 12 inches long and let's you mark the sewing lines on either side and cutting line down the middle. I'm a gadget girl so I have a ton of rulers. Those 2 are my go to rulers for each and every project.

I'll second/third/forth the Olfa Ergonomic rotary cutter. Someone else mentioned titanium blades lasting longer, and I haven't tried those, but I have found the Olfa blades last much longer than other brands I've tried. They're more expensive per blade, but much less expensive per use.

For rulers, I like the Creative Grid and the Olfa Frosted. They're the only brands I've found that don't slide all over the place. The Olfa has better markings, but it tends to not slide even when I'm trying to reposition it. The Creative Grids is easy to reposition, but the markings are often in the way because they're so big and the logo is huge. I'm still on the fence as to which is less annoying.

My favorite cutting mat is the Fiskars eco - no smell!!!

If you need a pin cushion I highly recommend the magnetic ones. Just don't put them on your computerized sewing machine or any other computer/phone/tablet.

Quick note: the magnetic pin cushions do not mess up the computerized sewing/embroidery machines.

Good to know. I've wondered about that for sometime.

I agree. Olfas are good and reasonable priced, especially when JoAnns has a sale. Creative Grid Rulers are the best. I prefer the Fons & Porters seam rippers (also at JoAnns - but not always on sale). Olfa cutting mats are also some of the best, unless you can afford a Martelli (they also have great sales) or Alvin mat.