We’ve organized our favorite tools and products that are not carried on our website into categories to make them easy for you to find. As always, if you are able to find the supplies you need at a local or independent quilt shop, please shop there. If you are unable to find the supplies you need locally, Amazon is a good option. In addition to adding links to purchase the products, we’ve also included an explanation as to why each particular product is our favorite. Keep an eye on this page for updates as we list new products.
None of the links are sponsored links, which means that no one is paying us to recommend one product over another; we’re just recommending them because we honestly like the products
Prewashing & Drying
We prewash and dry ALL quilting fabric including precuts. Please watch our YouTube video that explains why we feel that prewashing is advisable as well as when to use Retayne or Synthrapol.
- Ivory Liquid Soap (amazon) – This dishwashing soap was recommended in the seminal book From Fiber to Fabric (see link below) by textile engineers as a way to prevent fading in quilt fabrics and finished quilts. We add about approximately ½ tsp of Ivory in the detergent dispenser to cold water in a front-loading HE washing machine for approximately 6 yds of fabric.
- Retayne (amazon) – Retayne is a color fixative that is useful for stabilizing dyes.
- Shout Color Catchers (amazon) – Shout Color Catchers are sheets that absorb fugitive dyes in a wash cycle. They can be used both in prewashing fabric as well as washing finished quilts.
- Synthrapol (amazon) – Synthrapol suspends loose dye during washing, preventing the loose dye from staining other fabrics and removes excess dye.
- Wool Dryer balls (amazon) – These wool dryer balls are useful in speeding up the drying process and reducing wrinkling in both fabric and finished quilts. We use them in every load we dry whether it’s quilting fabric or ordinary laundry.
Cutting and Trimming Tools
- AccuQuilt Go! (amazon) – The AccuQuilt cutting system is precise and reliable. We’ve used ours in workshops with kids since it’s safe and easy to use. We appreciate that it makes cutting easier for quilters for whom cutting is challenging due to arthritis or other mobility issues (their electric version makes is even easier.) Bill has designed two cutting dies for the Go! system: Local Color (amazon) and Folk Art Fowl (accuquilt.) The built-in registration points of the Local Color die make piecing a breeze. The hen, rooster and eggs of Folk Art fowl were inspired by the chickens of Bill’s sister’s farm in France and are ideally suited to being die cut.
- Kai 7000 series scissors (amazon) – Our favorite all-purpose scissors for sewing and quilting. This is the 8″ model — 9″ and 10″ ones are also available.
- Japanese Snippers (amazon) – We keep multiple pairs on hand for trimming threads at the sewing machine, ironing board and longarm. Made of a single piece of carbon steel in Japan, they should last a lifetime. If you’ve never used these note that the cutting action is slightly different from Western scissors; they require a gentle squeezing together of the blades as you cut. Be careful though, the points are incredibly sharp.
- Olfa classic rotary cutter (amazon) – There are many, many variations of rotary cutters, but this classic 45mm size and design is the one we prefer.
- Olfa 45mm replacement blades (amazon) – It’s safer and easier to cut with sharp blades. Replace your blades often. These are what we use.
- Olfa Cutting Mat (amazon) – Notice the placement of the numbers on part of the mat outside the grid, which makes them easier to see when fabric is on the mat and covering the grid.
- Drywall T-Square (amazon) – Although you’d never find one of these in a quilt shop, it’s one of our favorite tools. We use to trim down every quilt we make. The metal edge is a full 48″ long, making long, continuous cuts smoother and the fixed T at the end makes squaring up quilts more precise.
- Ohto Retractable Ceramic Cutter (amazon) – It looks like a mechanical pencil, but it features a tiny ceramic blade that makes cutting articles or photos out of magazines a pleasure. It’s unlike any cutting knife we’d ever used so it took a few tries to get the hang of, but when we did we were sold. You “draw” around the article you want to cut out and it cuts through just that one page leaving the page below unharmed! The one drawback is it doesn’t work well with a ruler, you need to use it more freehand but it tends to cut in a straight line. Japan is known for its unique and precise cutting tools and this is no exception.
Quilting
- Quilter’s Dream Batting – We only use Quilters Dream batting and most frequently use the Dream Cotton natural unbleached 100% cotton batting in their thinnest loft called “request”. It is available in four sizes Crib (amazon), Twin (amazon), Queen (amazon) and King (amazon.) We also like their heavier lofts of cotton and their Dream Wool batting as well.
- Quilter’s Dream Puff queen batting (amazon) – We use 100% cotton batting in the majority of the quilts we make. However, when we need extra warmth, Quilters Dream Puff batting is ideal. Billed as 1 1/2 times as warm as down, it’s fairly low loft and easy to quilt.
- Odif 505 Basting Spray (amazon)– If you’re using our French pillowcase binding technique demonstrated in our Hello Baby YouTube tutorial or are looking for an odorless, high-quality basting spray that won’t gum up your needle, this is the product we recommend.
Sewing Room
- Sewing machine light (amazon) – this additional light makes sewing so much easier.
- Replacement LED machine bulb (ebay) – If you have an older machine with a standard incandescent/halogen bulb, consider replacing it with an LED one. We bought this LED bulb for our 15-year old Bernina and WOW what a difference it makes. The original bulb was mediocre at best. Make sure you search for your specific machine as these are not universally interchangeable. The bulb shipped from overseas and took a couple weeks to arrive.
- Aeron office chair (refurbished size B) (amazon) – We spend much of the day sitting and need highly adjustable ergonomic chairs that will keep us comfortable and supported. Aeron chairs are expensive so we opted for factory-approved refurbished ones with a 90-day guarantee from the Amazon Renewed site of used items. This link is to the medium Size B chair designed for users 130-230 lbs and 5’3” – 6’5”. If you’re a petite or thin person, search for the Size A chair which is slightly more narrow with a more shallow depth and is designed for users under 130 lbs and under 5’3”. Also available is Size C is for users over 6’5” or over 230 lbs looking for a deeper and wider seat.
- Anti Fatigue Mats (amazon) – Available in different lengths, these mats provide much-needed relief when we’re quilting on our longarm. They’re also useful when cutting or pressing for extended periods of time.
- Large Magnetic Pincushion (amazon) – Much larger than standard desktop magnetic pincushions, this one is ideal for longarm quilting. The magnetized steel bowl keeps a strong grip on corsage pins (amazon) for attaching quilts to the canvas leader.
Pressing
- Rowenta Focus Iron (amazon) — The narrow “beak” of these irons makes pressing seams open easier and the abundant steam vents in the sole plate are unbeatable. Rowenta irons use tap water and the steam function should remain off until the iron is hot. Follow the instructions and don’t leave water in the iron when not in use.
- Rowenta Steamer (amazon) – Years ago we were given a Rowenta Steamer and it’s unparalleled when it comes to getting stubborn wrinkles out of quilts that have been folded and stored. You can set the heat of the soleplate separately from the level of steam. It’s not something we use daily or even weekly, but it is really great for preparing quilts for hanging. It would be a good investment for any guild that holds their own quilt show. Plus it does a great job on garments!
Books, Calendars, etc.
- The Modern Quilt Workshop (amazon) — Our book that helped launch the Modern Quilt Movement in 2005. This book features 15 iconic patterns, each in multiple sizes.
- Quilts Made Modern (amazon) — Includes ten great patterns and discussion on design principles and quilting techniques.
- From Fiber to Fabric (amazon) — Harriett Hargrave’s essential book on understanding the production, care and conservation of textiles.