Let us begin the quilting odyssey by gathering only the most essential of supplies in order to embark on our quilting journey. After all, before you invest hundreds or even thousands of dollars in supplies and tools, you will want to know that you actually enjoy quilting before you spend a lot of money.
First of all, you will need a sewing machine. If you do not already have one, acquiring one may seem like an intimidating task. Do not feel as if you must purchase a new, top-of-the-line sewing machine. Do not even feel as if you much purchase a new one. There are perfectly good used ones that are waiting for new owners. A friend of ours recently bought a 60s-era sewing machine for $5 at a yard sale; it works absolutely wonderfully. Generally speaking, sewing machines that have all metal working parts and gears are among the more reliable machines. Also, these types of machines can be fixed, should something go wrong. (The cheaper machines are not always fixable.) If purchased new, these types of machines, on the low end, typically start at $200-$300. I will not even begin to discuss with you the various brands, models, etc. That is a blog topic all its own.
Second, you will need various smaller tools. Make sure you have a good pair of scissors, a rotary cutter, a rotary cutting mat, and a rotary cutting ruler. Some sewing or quilting stores sell these items (minus the scissors) as a package. These items, once you acquire them, should only be used for sewing and quilting. (Hide them from your family; they will think that they can use them for cutting paper, hair, food, foam, etc.)
Miscellaneous tools that will help are straight pins and a curved hand needle.
Now you will need to select some fabric and bonded batting. For your first project, we will keep this VERY easy. Select two–yes, just two–100% cotton fabrics that you like. For example, we chose an embroidered denim and a pre-quilted fabric in a coordinating color.
You may even consider choosing a solid and a print that coordinate with your home decor. When you choose your fabric, make sure that you have coordinating thread and a coordinating embroidery floss as well. For this first quilt, you will only need 1.5 yards of each. For the batting, you will also need only 1.5 yards, and it must be bonded. You can either buy it by-the-yard, or there is packaged batting that is 45 inches x 60 inches. This size will work if you do not have two pieces of fabric wider than 45 inches. If even one of your pieces of fabric is the standard 44/45 inches, this prepackaged batting will work for you. I’d recommend 100% polyester, or a polyester/cotton blend. As you become more accomplished, you will develop a feel for what you prefer in batting.
Before you start, make sure you wash your fabric. You need to know before you begin to sew if your fabric will shrink or bleed. (Hint: If you cut the edges with pinking shears, your fabric will not fray in the wash. Don’t worry about the selvage edge; it will not fray.) Remove the fabric from the dryer as soon as possible and iron it. Lay your fabric flat, one piece at a time, and square up your fabric. There is a tutorial here http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art58830.asp which will give you some assistance with this procedure. Admittedly, it is not of the utmost importance for this project that you square up your fabric, but it is a process which you will definitely be using as you become a more accomplished quilter.
You are all set! The next post will get you started on your quilt!
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