When it comes to quilt making the tools and equipment you use are just as important as the fabric you choose. The proper tools can make creating your quilt easier and more enjoyable. They also play a vital part in the result, as using appropriate equipment can affect the precision and accuracy of your efforts. Your time is so valuable, it is essential you dont waste it by selecting inferior fabrics or products or by trying to take shortcuts. Choose well and wisely to achieve the ultimate results.

What are the best tools and equipment for machine quilting?

PFAFF Sewing Machine

The main plus for PFAFF is the built in walking foot (otherwise known as IDT Integrated Dual Technology). When machine quilting, it is essential that your machine is able to handle multiple layers, as you are stitching layers of fabric and batting together. With the PFAFF IDT, the fabric is walked through from the top and the bottom at the same time so there is no fabric slippage, making it ideal for quilting.

Clover Flower Head Pins

The Clover Flower Head pins have large heads that lay flat. If you have ever had your stitching bumped off course with other pins, you will appreciate that these flat heads allow you to leave the pins in while you machine quilt your quilt, without any worry. The flower shaped heads come in different colours making them easy to see and easy to grasp. These long sharp pins glide through material smoothly and will hold multiple layers of fabric.

Clover Blue Water Soluble Marker

The Clover Blue Water Soluble Marker is true to its label. It says it will wash out and it does. Be very careful when choosing a water soluble marker, as cheaper products can ruin a lot of hard work. Some do wash out, only to return as a brown stain anytime there is a bit of moisture in the air. Other inferior markers have been known to disappear along with some of the dye from your fabric. Water soluble markers are sometimes called a washout marker or a water erasable marker. You will need one with a fine tip and another with a thick tip.

Clover Chaco Liner

A chalk marker in a plastic tubular case can be used to draw the thinnest of lines. It is easy to use, refillable and leak proof. Chaco liners are available in white, yellow, pink and blue. You will need all the colours to deal with the multitude of fabric colours. An important tip when using a Chaco liner - Dont open or refill it in humid or rainy weather, as the chalk becomes damp and will not go through the dispenser.

Clover (Kuroha) Thread Clippers

Quality precision clipper has an excellent sharp cutting edge that goes right to the tip of the blade. These clippers are a must have for machine quilting. When you need to cut threads on the underside of your work, scissors are much too cumbersome. The thread clippers are much handier to pick up, reach underneath and snip!

Quilt and Tear Paper

A very thin, see-through, tissue type paper that is great for transferring quilting designs to your quilt. It is a breeze to tear away from stitching.

Freezer paper

This paper is rumoured to have been for wrapping meat, but has become an essential tool of the machine quilter. Freezer paper has a dull side great for marking designs on, and a shiny side that sticks to fabric when pressed with a hot iron. It will not harm the fabric nor leave a residue, and peels off easily. You can see through freezer paper making it perfect for tracing designs. It has the added bonus of being reusable, although the number of uses you get out of a sheet will depend on other factors, such as your fabric quality.

Pattern Packs

Keryn Emerson Designs are favourites for continuous line quilting designs. With about 30 patterns in every pack, they are great value! The design packs include Simple Blocks, Simple Borders, Feathers, Celtic Blocks and Celtic Borders. Not sure which to purchase first? Three packs will provide you with an endless supply of wonderful designs - Simple Blocks, Simple Borders and the Feathers.

WashAway Thread

This is a water soluble thread that will dissolve in water. Perfect for Trapunto and other times when you want a temporary thread.

Quality Stainless Steel Safety Pins

The ideal size is approximately 1 long pin. As the pin needs to go through three layers, any smaller will be too hard to close. A larger gauge pin will leave too big of a hole. Remember to use the good quality pins found at your quilt shop. If you use cheap pins you risk having rust ruin your quilt.

KwikKlip

A great tool that makes pin basting your quilt layers easier, safer and faster. Using KwikKlip the safety pins close with ease, preventing broken nails, pricked fingers and sore fingertips. The time it takes to pin baste is reduced dramatically.

Madeira Monofilament Thread

This "invisible" thread is a fine, soft and flexible monofilament that is ideal for machine quilting. It comes in clear and smoke colour. The clear is good on light fabrics while the smoke works well on darker colours.

Madeira Pre-wound Bobbins

Wonderfully compatible with PFAFF sewing machines these pre-wound bobbins hold about 30% more thread than those you wind yourself. That means more time quilting and less time filling bobbins! You will need both black and white.

Selection of Needles

Choosing the correct needle plays a big role in machine quilting. There are quilting needles, denim needles, topstitch needles, metallic needles, embroidery needles. All too often problems like thread breakage, skipped stitches, bad tension and such, are simply the result of selecting the incorrect needle for the quilting job at hand. Before making your needle choice you need to take into account what thread you will use (is it thick, thin, rough or smooth) and then what the needle will be pushing through (weight and type of fabric, appliqu).

Selection of Threads

You will need many different types of thread to play with choice is a good thing to have! Depending on the project, you want to quilt, the thread types available each have something special to offer.