What is your "must have" quilting tool?
 

I've always used just the basics; scissors, needle, thread, seem ripper, etc. I make my templates out of poster board most of the time. I did receive a 60 degree ruler from a friend as a gift and I've used it several times. I have a cutting mat and rotary cutter. But, I'm not real happy with it. I'm wanting to branch out a little bit and pick up a few quilting tools. So, what would you suggest I get and what kind?

If all you have is a mat and the cutter, no wonder you are not happy with it. Get a latex ruler, maybe 3 x 18 or 6 x 24 inches, and use that on the mat with your cutter. There are many online videos that demonstrate how to use a rotary cutter and ruler. It's so much faster and more accurate than scissors!

I have a pair of scissors. I trim threads with it. Fabric is always cut on a mat with a 6x24 ruler and a large angled rotary cutter. Saves on the wrist. i have no idea how you would cut straight lines without this set up.

As far as 'must have', groovy boards for my long arm. I now make them myself in my shop. I guess I have turned into a sophisticated quilter. tim in san jose

I think you are seriously hindering yourself by not buying a "few" templates and expanding your horizons......check MSQC the techniques along with the templates might interest you .....or Eleanor burns/quilt in a day........nothing extreme and "use only once" rulers, but things you will reach for regularly.....

I love my rotary cutter and cutting mat...and I love the creative grid rulers. It did take a while to get till I felt confident in my cutting, but now I don't dread cutting at all. I do prefer Olfa rotary cutters, though I have heard others like other styles but will use the olfa blades in them. I use the big rotary cutter at least 75% of the time. The big blades cost more but they last a lot longer. I have had two different white mats that I do not like...love the green mats by Olfa.

And I love good, thin straight pins.

I LOVE my Juki 98Q for piecing and freemotion quilting...but I think you are meaning the smaller accessories.

I love the june tailor shape cut plus for strips. I also like my 5x18 ruler. Creative grids is a good brand similar to the brand I use that has been discontinued. Those are the 2 rulers I use the most and then I have squares of several sizes for squaring up blocks. My fave rotary cutters are olfa. I have the 45mm splash and the 60mm quick change. Also have the 45mm gingher which I also love better than my ergonomic 45mm olfa. I still use june tailor mat but want to invest in a martelli because there mats are the nicest IMHO. Deb tucker makes nice specialty rulers but they are pricey. It really depends on what type of quilts you make. I also like the slidelock, got one for valentines, can't wait for it to come in, been wanting it for so long.

I think the gloves I wear when machine quilting really help me grip and move the fabric under the needle. I would recommend them.

http://www.amazon.com/Fons-Porter-Ma.../dp/B000J3TWSY

What is the slidelock and what does it do?

Clover extra thin piecing pins! Thin. You can sew and iron over them if you wanted (I don't), but they've improved my accuracy and I would be unable to start a project without them.

Tucker Trimmer 2- it's a ruler by Deb Tucker for squaring up blocks. I use it also to do hourglass blocks and half square triangles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw7qi3uHUZg

I find that the Fiskars titanium rotary blades last much longer than either the regular Fiskars or Olfa blades.

Other than the usual supplies, (i.e., scissors, etc.) my go to ruler is my June Tailor Shape Cut ruler, I do have a couple of regular quilting rulers, but it's the one I usually use. I would say, get the largest cutting mat that you can afford. I prefer the "ergonomically" correct 45mm Olfa cutter.

I think I saw those, but had totally forgot about it. I wondered at the time if they would be better...I know everyone swears by the titanium needles and I haven't tried those either.

My recommendations would be a minimum of a 6.5 x 24" ruler with 45 and 60 degree markings in colors that work for you. I personally would like an 8" x 24" ruler but have not found one that I'm willing to part with the $$ for yet. A self-healing mat if that is not what you have. In the largest size you can afford. If you have a coupon, a 12" (minimum) rotating cutting mat if you do many HST's. Otherwise no particular need for that.

I'm not a fan of specialty tools for the most part. I do have a tiny little metal 'ruler' that has little 'legs' on it for 1/4"; 5/8"; 1/2" and I forget the 4th measurement. I think I paid about $2.50 for it. Nice little tool to double check measurements. I do have a couple of specialty triangle rulers but that's about it. I've not had a need for other specialty tools other than the above that I've not been able to manage with my normal rulers/tools.

My only other recommendation - buy all the same brand rulers of varying sizes as you go along. The measurements will then be consistent among them if you decide to change ruler sizes during the various stages of block/quilt construction. Otherwise, use the same ruler throughout your quilt construction to make sure your measurements are consistent throughout your quilt.

By far my favorite tool of all is my June Tailor Shape Cut...period

I love the small T pins to use to pin things flat with NO bulging head to pull material out of alignment. They are NOT easy to find...I ordered some that were so large they would hold pictures on the wall so buy wisely. I just got the cutting board with ironing pad on other side and I'm loving it! Most quilt pieces are small and it speeds up my running to ironing board so I can iron and stitch.

A tweezers to pull thread through the needle on my sewing machine and a needle nose to pull up the thread when I am tying a quilt. And, of course, a glass with a rather wide foot that will hold a nice glass of wine on the sewing table so I won't knock it over. Got 'em all! Edie

For me, it would be a toss up between my FMQ gloves or my bent-handled scissors. The scissors are very sharp and when I've pieced and added the leader/ender, it is so easy to cut the two apart behind the needle w/these scissors.

Rotary Cutter, mat and creative grid rulers are my must haves in addition to the basics.

I have some extra thin "silk" pins that I use to match up points & seams. They don't break the needle if you just have to keep them in place. Also, could not do without my large safety pins for putting the quilt sandwich together.

My go to tools are my rotary cutter (am now using the small 28mm due to arthritis), my Omnigrid mat (prefer it over the thin Olfa mat) and all my acrylic rulers and squares in most sizes. My great aunt taught me to cut out templates from cardboard, but I switched to rotary cutter as soon as they became available. Yes, there were the days when the rotary cutters, mats and acrylic rulers did not exist. I seldom pick up my scissor anymore except to clip the thread ends on my piecing.

You've all given me several things to consider. Shopping is going to be fun. I checked out the June Tailor tools and watched a few of her videos. Its fun to watch and see the different ways that people do things. Thanks for all of your suggestions so far.

I have a 5"x18" ruler that is my go to ruler. If prices are a little steep, my go to place to buy is garage sales and estate sales. You can purchase them for a couple dollars.

I have a nice variety of tools but the thing I need most is space (and someone to clean my house wkile I quilt).

Slidelock - holds the fabric down all across the WOF, no need to scoot your fingers/hand up and down the ruler!! http://quiltersslidelock.com/

If it is in your budget, I highly recommend an accuquilt cutter. They have a range of cutters. The dies are amazing. I have finished 2 quilts since getting mine and have not had to square them. They come out beautiful. My other 2 favorite tools are Tailor Shape Cut ruler & a long tweezers (from my serger to help guide curved pieces). Go to accuquilt .com and check out their sales and I have had good luck picking up some dies at amazon. It really is my favorite quilting investment. I should go to work for them as I am always singing their praises since getting mine for Christmas.

I have recently "upgraded" to the Martelli rotary cutter and the Martelli cutting mat and would highly recommend both. They are pricey so register at their site and wait for their sales to purchase. I also would not be without the SlideLocks now that I've learned to use them properly. Deb Tucker's tools are also pricey but worth it. All of these items have increased my accuracy and decreased "oops" moments, frustration, and "do overs". I believe they have paid for themselves when I consider ever-increasing prices for fabric and patterns and the time I've wasted over the years fiddling with stuff to "make do".

A very useful tool for me is a pair of tiny embroidery scissors. I put a sm adhesive hook on the side of my sewing machine to keep them close. I make a point of always returning them to hook after use. I keep another pair in front of me on my work table. So much easier than frequent picking up larger scissors.

I'm with JudyKay >>the thing I need most is space (and someone to clean my house wkile I quilt).<<
I have the rotary cutter and mat with a ruler and Kaye Wood's Starmaker 5, 6 and 8. I'm fascinated by 5 pointed stars, and I'll probably get the 9 or 10 degree ruler to make the spiral quilt.

I agree, but it will be a plastic, not latex, ruler(I am guessIng that this is what she meant though). I had only the 24x6.5 ruler to use with my rotary cutter for years and made lots of quilts with just the one. I have over time acquired several others as I made quilts that they would make easier. Don't just go buy a bunch, wait until a certain one is needed. That is much more efficient use of resources. The second one I bought was a 12.5 square ruler to check blocks for square. These are still the two I use most. I have recently discovered "Glo tape" for making temporary lines on my rulers for cutting certain sizes repeatedly, makes cutting much faster since I don't have to squint to see the lines as I cut.

My smallest seam ripper. It has a sharp point instead of a rounded point so it is easy to get under a stitch to cut it.

Mat, ruler, rotary cutter and seam rippers. Those are the ones I use for pretty much every project. I have a martelli mat but had fiskars before and was happy with those too. Fiskars or martelli rotary cutters and omni grid cutting rulers. I like the seam ripper with the rubbery ends for pulling out the cut threads.

Square up acrylic squares (12.5 and 6.5 inch) and my scissors, even though I mostly rotary cut, I love the fiskars brand spring loaded scissors.

I'm not one for buying 'gadgets', but I splurged during a sale and bought a rotating mat. I don't know how I worked without it. Another extra I bought was a bobbin winder. Seems silly (and lazy) but I like not having to rethread the machine - it's also very fast to wind several bobbins before a project.

I agree with sewbizgirl. And when you get your ruler also get Dritz Omnigrid Invisi-Grip. It comes on a roll and I have it on all my rulers to keep them from sliding on the fabric. My 6 x 24 inch ruler with the grip on the back is my favorite tool to use with my mat and rotary cutter.

What is a latex ruler? I think all of mine are acrylic plastic.

I mostly use the June Tailor Shape Cut, the 6.5 x 12 Omni grid ruler, the 6.5 x 24 Omnigrid ruler, rotary cutter & mat. I also like the Blok Loc squares for squaring up, and the Quilt in a Day triangle trimmer for trimming half square triangle blocks. I keep a pair of tweezers and thread snips by machine along with a wooden skewer for guiding the fabric, and last but not least, a good seam ripper. I want some of the Deb Tucker rulers because I've heard good things about them. I have a lot of specialty rulers that I have bought, but use them seldom.

My chalk pounce and stencils for quilting designs. Beeswax for the quilting thread. Rulers, big and small for cutting and design. Design board for auditioning pieced blocks. My very most favorite item, Vonda's Quilt Frames.

Thanks for this suggestion - went to check it out and had to buy it.

I love my June Tailor's Shape cut ruler and Deb tucker's rulers and the clover Chaco liner pen style markers. I use most all my tools but these are my favorite. I would like to have the Two slide lock rulers but they are kind of pricey.