Tips and Techniques

— for quilters and fabric lovers

What's in a basic sewing kit?

When signing up for classes or workshops, quilters are often told, "Bring your basic sewing kit."

Our Carryall Bag makes a great sewing kit. Here are some ideas of basics to include in your kit:

• Scissors — both for fabric and for paper
• Rotary cutter and extra blades
• Pincushion
• Pins and needles — both hand and sewing machine
• Needle threader
• Thimble
• Thread — white, cream, black, and a medium gray are good neutrals to keep on hand
• Mechanical pencil and eraser
• Washable marking pencil(s)
• Quilter's marking pencils
• Pencil sharpener — the double-barreled kind made for sharpening eyeliner pencils works great
• Fine-tip permanent marker
• Template plastic
• Tape measure
• Washable glue stick
• Masking tape

Other good things to include:

• Proportional wheel — purchased at an office supply store, this tool makes easy work of changing the size of blocks, quilts, and patterns
• Color wheel
• Red and green plexiglass — for viewing the value of fabric to determine lights, mediums and darks
• Finger cots — purchased at the drugstore (by the bandages) and used to protect fingers and add gripping power when pulling needles through fabric
• Graph paper
• Bias tape makers

And, of course, don't forget these items:

• Scrapbag and chatelaine
• Rotary cutting mat and rulers
• Iron and mat

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