Quilt Along Part 1: Materials and Supplies

To make this quilt, you'll need the following fabric:

• 12 quarter yard or fat quarter cuts, divided into six pairs, or scraps totaling about three yards, divided into two groups (e.g. light and dark).

• 1.75 yards of a neutral solid for sashing

• 1.75 yards of a coordinating print or solid for back

• 1 yard of a second coordinating print or solid for back

• .5 yards of a coordinating print or solid for binding

My next post will go into more detail about choosing colors and prints, but I do want to say a couple of things about buying fabric in general.

When I was teaching myself to quilt, I made a number of quilts using cheaper cotton prints from chain stores.  Unfortunately, after several washings, many of them became stiff and faded.  The most heartbreaking were a couple of projects I made using Amy Butler's Temple Flowers with some coordinating prints I bought at JoAnn.  The Temple Flowers washed beautifully, but some of the cheaper prints looked terrible within just a couple of washes!  It takes a lot of time and effort to make a quilt, so I really encourage you to avoid cheap chain store fabrics that won't hold up over time. 

In addition to providing a better quality of fabric, independent quilt and fabric stores (both online and in person) tend to provide better service, a better selection of fabric, and more accurate cuts. 

 

You'll also need a 56" x 66' piece of low-loft batting.  I usually use Warm and White or Warm and Natural, both of which are available at JoAnn.  I prefer natural-fiber batting because it's warmer and drapier.  It's also more expensive than synthetic batting, so I try to buy it on sale whenever I can.  If you're looking for a lower-cost alternative, Warm Blend (by the same company that makes Warm and White) is a serviceable cotton/poly blend that doesn't have the same drapiness as cotton but quilts nicely. 

 

I recommend using 100% cotton or 100% polyester thread and avoiding cotton-wrapped poly.  For piecing and free-motion quilting a project this size, I recommend purchasing about 800 yards/meters thread.   

 

I think rotary cutting equipment is one of the greatest inventions ever!  For this project, you'll need a self-healing mat, a rotary cutter and a clear quilter's ruler.  Rulers are available in many shapes and sizes, but I think the most indispensable is a 6" x 24" with quarter inch marks.  I also get a lot of use out of my 12.5" x 12.5" ruler and my 4" x 14" ruler.  As with scissors, I recommend having a separate rotary cutter for cutting paper.

 

And of course you need a sewing machine.  As you can see, mine is pretty basic.  In order to do free-motion quilting, you'll need a machine whose feed dogs can be lowered or covered.

 

This is the foot I use for patchwork piecing. 

 

If you have a hard time regulating your seam allowance during patchwork piecing, you can use a quarter inch seam foot, like the one shown above.  This foot has a little guide on the right-hand-side to keep your fabric on track.

 

For free-motion quilting, you'll need a darning or free-motion quilting foot.  The foot for your machine may not look quite like mine (many are all metal).

 

For patchwork piecing, I usually use Universal 80/12 needles.  Free-motion quilting can be hard on your needles, so I use a slightly stronger 90/14 needle.  Needles designed for quilting can make your job a little easier, but you can save money by using the Universal 90/14 needles.

 

Instead of an ironing board, I use a Quilter's Square and Blocker board.  When placed on a tabletop, it's a little harder and sturdier than an ironing board. 

 

I find that longer pins like these with flat heads work well for patchwork piecing.

 

You'll also need a good pair of scissors.  Useful, but not absolutely necessary are thread clippers and pinking shears (the latter for preparing fabric for pre-washing).

 

I use blue painter's tape when making my quilt sandwiches . . .

 

. . . and safety pins to hold the quilt sandwich together during quilting.  Binding clips (not to be confused with hair clips -- they're not the same) can be useful when sewing binding, but they're not an absolute necessity.  Because free-motion quilting takes up so much thread, I like to wind lots of extra bobbins before I start.  If you're going to do a lot a quilting, a couple of extra packages of bobbin spools can be a good investment.  Not pictured, but also necessary is a hand sewing needle (for binding) and seven letter-sized pieces of heavy paper or cardstock for organizing blocks as you're sewing.

So that's the summary of materials and supplies!  Look for the Choosing Fabrics post this Friday afternoon.

Comments

[Jen Eskridge]

Great supplies run-down. I've never pre-washed batting. In fact, I didn't realize you could do that. Very neat tip.

[Jess]

This is going to be such fun!

[Amy]

That's quite a lot of work you've done - very generous. I look forward to watching the quilt progress. Thank you.

[Patricia Davis-Scott]

I just finished my Multitape quilt and (if I may say so mayself) it is pretty nice (a picture is posted on my blog). I look forward to this "sew along". Plan to purchase the other patterns as you make them available.

Patricia in TN (patricia-myquiltingadventure.blogspot.com)

[Casey]

thanks for all the tips on tools :) I can't wait to get started on this quilt

[Robyn]

Thanks for all the great tools ideas! This is going to be a lot of fun!

[Maranda]

I can't wait to start:)

[Southern Gal]

I am so glad to see your machine is a basic one. Most of the ones I've seen are really fancy expensive ones. Something I can't afford right now. I'm looking online to find a store near me that carries Amy Butler fabrics. I'm so excited!

[Sam]

I was just going to read along, but I'm feeling so inspired and confident thanks to your explicit instructions...maybe I'll join in too!!

[Queen of Procrastination]

What a beautiful quilt and such a great way to learn some quilting basics! I've made a few basic plain block quilts "learning as I go" (but such anguish!). This tutorial sounds fun! Can't wait to start. :)

[Terriaw]

Great summary of supplies needed for quilting! I took quilting classes about 10 years ago at a local quilting shop, and I learned about the importance of quality supplies and quality fabric and batting. Can't be stressed enough how worth the extra money buying quality will be.

[Melissa]

Just a quick tip - the feed dogs on my machine do not lower, but I can still free motion quilt by placing a piece of masking tape or painters tape across the top of the feed dogs so they don't pull the fabric through. Of course, they're still moving under there, but the fabric isn't affected by them. It works great!

[Amanda]

Yes, I agree you are very generous to do this. I live in the Portland area and I would pay to take this class from you!!

[Kelly Mellott]

This is such a great source of information for beginning quilters and advanced! You must be a great teacher. I'm an editor for FaveCrafts.com and I'd love to talk to your further about being a guest writer! If you're interested, please contact me via e-mail.

[Jill]

Thanks Melissa for the feed dogs tape trick! I'm learning a lot already!

[debbie]

Ok.....I'm ready! can't wait to get started.
Thank You so very much for all the great info

[becky]

that is a lot of info and help. thanks a bunch. i did want to mention one thing. at a class i took they told us that you really shoulnd't ever use a universal needle. it isn't what you want on a cotton fabric. you should use a sharp needle. this will cut little holes into the cotton(i know it sounds harsh) but then they don't snag. when you use them and they are sharp and new you will notice a difference. for stretchy fabric you should use the ball ends so it just moves the thread aside and doesn't cut a hole that will stretch and look yucky. hope i don't sound like a know it all, but just wanted to pass some info along. i am looking forward to joining and sewing along!

[becky]

oh, and another thing. gosh i am a know -it-all. sorry. my feeddogs don't drop either. I just put my stitch length to a 0 so they move a bit, but aren't really feeding any of the fabric. hope that helps, and i think that is it.

[Elizabeth]

Hmmm . . . I agree that Sharp needles are great, but I really have to disagree with the idea that one should “never” use universal needles on cotton. Your instructor apparently had a strong opinion about this, but I have to say that my experience does not support her assessment.

Now, using needles that aren't sharp in the sense that they're old and beat up is another story entirely. Stitching with an old/beat-up needle, regardless of what kind, can definitely cause problems with both the quality of your stitch and damage to the fabric.

[Martha]

OK, the painter's tape has my attention! I can't wait to see how it is used. My feed dogs don't lower either. A metal plate is placed over them. It will not stay in place with a quilt moving over it. I taped a piece of lightweight cardboard over the feed dogs with a hole punched out for the needle.

[nicole]

This is so awesome. Thanks for this.

[Larue]

Ooh - due to a recent injury, I would recommend changing blades frequently in a rotary cutter, and perhaps buying a Klutz Glove from Fons and Porter.

I am excited to be doing the Quilt-along!

[jenny]

Thanks for the challenge! Ordered my fabric today from etsy.com
Can't wait to get started!

Jenny~Tennessee

[Jon]

Fabric has been ordered--Moondance, baby. Totally rad!

Thanks for heading up this quilt-along, Elizabeth. The first post was super informative.

Teach a man a fish....

[Alyssa]

Oooh this looks like great fun! I have a question about the fabric sizes... Would something like a Moda Layer cake (40 10" squares) be enough or would that not work at all? I'm in love with a certain collection but am not finding much in the way of yardage of it.

Thanks!