I thought i would begin this series right from the beginning and start you off with a list of the most essential tools that one would need to begin making a quilt. We are in a big rush in our lives, children, house, hobbies, work and quilting, takes time, even when you use all the short cuts and modern tools, it takes time, but your first essential tool, is the ROTARY CUTTER.
The Rotary Cutter will make everything accurate and quick. You can cut both straight and curve lines with the rotary cutter. First in your collection should be the 45mm size cutter, it is the most versatile and the easiest to manipulate. At some time in the future when you want to tackle curved cutting a 18mm cutter will handle those curves like a brand new Chevrolet Corvette... There are a few different brands of cutters that are available on the store shelves. If you can, try out how the cutter feels in your hands before you buy, they work slightly different to extend the cutter and to slide it back so that it safe when not in use -- think about which you prefer --I bought my first cutter in 1986 and it is still in use, so it should easily last you many many years...
Now without a CUTTING MAT, the rotary cutter is very limited, because the mat usually comes with a measured grid printed right on it. The Cutting Mat is probably (other than your sewing machine) the most expensive tool you will purchase. You should buy the largest mat that you can afford. If you don't get a good sized mat, you will wonder later why you did't. Think about the fact that fabric comes in 44" wide bolts and even folded in half that is 22" wide, so a mat that is at least 22"wide is optimal because the more times you fold your fabric, the more likely that the layers will slip or slide and your cut can then be inaccurate. Look for those sale coupons to use when you go out to buy your cutting mat -- remember the mat will last for at least 5 years or perhaps more with good maintenance. Good maintanence means, always lay it flat, never leave it in a sunny or overly warm spot -- never leave it in the trunk of the car -- it will warp and become quite useless. Wipe it with a damp cloth every once in a while.
Lastly, you will need a good acrylic ruler -- the best ruler to start off with is the 6" x 24" or the 6 1/2 inch x 24 inch ruler. This ruler has its measurements marked in 1/4" increments and remember all your quilting seams are done as 1/4" seams so everything you cut will be needing that 1/4 or 1/2 inch measurement marker. Also on the 6 x 24 inch ruler are marked the 30 degree, 45 degree and the 60 degree angles that at times for cutting triangles you will find useful... The clear acrylic ruler allows you to see and measure accurately and because it is thicker than a metal 'workshop' ruler it allows you to "lean" your cutting blade next to it without skimming off the edge of the ruler and also stabilizes the cutting blade when making long cuts.
These three tools will make all your sewing more accurate and simpler. So never feel that they are too costly or that they are not needed for this hobby. The cutting mat and ruler have many other purposes too -- a place to cut paper (though do not use your fabric rotary cutter for paper, get and use a different one for paper), the ruler has been used in my house to measure anything from distance between pictures to width and depth of book shelves (though a better measuring tool would have been a proper tape measure).
