describing the skills fundamental to patchwork, appliqué and quilting, such as preparing and using templates, drawing and cutting basic shapes and using technology to make designing and sewing easier.
Tools
This section looks at some of the tools and materials you might need for patchwork, appliqué and quilting, describing their uses and showing illustrations where relevant. The tools are grouped according to their function, and include design tools, marking tools, measuring and cutting tools, sewing tools, pressing tools and miscellaneous gizmos and gadgets.
Basic Tool Kit
If you are a complete beginner, the sheer volume of tools and gadgets available can be overwhelming but you really only need the basics in the Tool Kit listed here to get going. After you discover which areas of patchwork, appliqué and quilting interest you most you can add to your supplies.
Rotary cutter and mat
Quilter’s ruler
Tape measure
Fabric, embroidery and paper scissors
Selection of hand sewing needles
Fine dressmaker’s pins and safety pins
Thimble
Sewing machine
Selection of machine sewing needles
Selection of hand and machine threads
Erasable markers
Fusible web
Freezer paper
Graph paper and isometric paper
Standard ruler
Pens, pencils and eraser
Steam iron and ironing board
Thin card
Template plastic
Design Tools
There are various items that are useful for drafting and designing in many areas of patchwork, appliqué and quilting. See Drawing and Cutting Shapes for more on drawing shapes.
• Geometry tools (1) – A compass is needed for drawing circles and semi-circles, a protractor for measuring angles and drafting triangles and a standard ruler with 1⁄8in (3mm) and 1⁄16in (1.5mm) markings for drawing shapes.
• Colour wheel (2) – This will help with making colour choices when designing blocks and quilt settings, showing which colours are complementary and which are analogous – see Using Colour for more advice on colour.
• Multi-image lens (3) – This allows you to see multiplied images and thus imagine how grouped blocks might look.
• Value finder (4) – Red and green lenses can be used to show relative dark and light tones in fabrics.
• Pens and pencils – These will be needed for various tasks, including sketching design ideas, drafting shapes and blocks and creating templates. Coloured pens and pencils are useful for planning colour schemes.
• Papers – Various types of paper are useful, including plain paper for drawing ideas and sketches, graph paper for planning blocks and quilt layouts, isometric paper for drafting triangles, hexagons and diamonds, and tracing paper for copying designs and templates.
• Card – Sheets of card can be used for making templates and thin card is handy for English paper piecing.
• Calculator – When designing and working out fabric requirements, a calculator makes the maths much easier.
• Design board – Having somewhere to display work in progress is vital so you can judge how a design is working. This might be a piece of fabric fixed to a wall where work can be pinned, or a board that folds away when not in use. A closed curtain can be a temporary display area.
• Lighting equipment – It is important to have good lighting as you design or sew, to see the work properly and avoid straining your eyes. An overhead lamp with a head that can be angled is most useful and many are available with a magnifying attachment. Using a ‘daylight’ type bulb will help to produce real light conditions and make choosing thread colours easier.
Marking Tools
There is a wealth of tools available for marking, and new ones being devised all the time. The basics are described here. See Marking Fabrics for further information.
• Chalk (1) – Chalk is available in various forms and colours, including chalk pencils, blocks and in powder form distributed through a wheel.
• Hera (2) – This is a useful tool for creasing lines on fabric.
• Flexicurve (3) – This flexible rubber tool can be bent into curved shapes and is useful for marking semi-circles or S-shapes.
• Templates and stencils (4) – These are really useful for marking. They can be made in any shape and many basic shapes are available commercially. See Template Materials.
• Template plastic (5) – Available in sheets of plastic for making templates, in clear or marked patterns, such as grids or triangles.
• Pencils – Use a hard pencil for marking a fine clean line around templates and a soft pencil for marking quilting patterns.
• Pens – There are many types of removable markers, including water-soluble, air-fading and iron-off. The sort you choose depends on your project and personal preference. A fine permanent fabric pen is useful for writing labels for quilts. See Marking Fabrics for more on using marking pens.
• Dressmaker’s carbon paper – This can be used for tracing with templates and stencils. The marks are usually
