Notions

Sewing supplies are the small things you reach for a hundred times in a project, and cheap ones slow you down. This is the shelf we keep stocked for our own sewing room: scissors and shears that stay sharp, seam rippers that grip the stitch, needles that thread without a fight, clips, pins, rulers, pressing tools and boxes to keep it all in order.

Cutting and trimming

Titanium-coated scissors and shears in the sizes quilters use: embroidery scissors for thread and applique, trimming scissors for the machine side, 9.5 inch shears for yardage, and duckbill scissors for trimming close to a seam without catching the layer underneath. More sizes are in Fabric Scissors.

Pressing, marking and measuring

A wool pressing mat, a seam roller and a clapper flatten seams so blocks lie flat. Add a seam guide ruler, a laser alignment tool and a square ruler and your quarter inch stops drifting halfway down a strip.

Pins, clips and storage

Quilting clips hold binding without pinholes, magnetic pins stay on the machine bed instead of the floor, and blade cases and storage bags keep sharp things safe between projects.

Sewing notions and quilting tools questions

What are sewing notions?

Sewing notions are the small tools and supplies you use besides fabric and the machine: needles, pins, clips, thread, scissors, seam rippers, and measuring and pressing tools. Quilting notions add rulers, rotary cutters and binding clips to that list.

What tools do quilters need?

For a first quilt: a rotary cutter, a quilting ruler, a cutting mat, fabric scissors, pins or quilting clips, a seam ripper and thread. Pressing tools such as a wool mat or a seam roller help blocks lie flat.

What is a good gift for someone who loves quilting?

Quilting accessories they will use every day: titanium-coated scissors, a wool pressing mat, a seam roller or a set of quilting clips.