Looking for ways to step up your machine quilting in the new year? Quilting accessories can give you that extra boost you need to achieve precise creative results right at home! Here are 5 of my personal favorites to increase my speed accuracy and enjoyment while quilting at home.
Gloves
Do yourself a favor and invest in a new pair of quilting gloves with rubber fingertips! If I ever forget to put on my quilting gloves before diving into a project I always notice extra tension afterward in my shoulders and neck from working harder to push my quilts through the machine. If you don’t have quilting gloves a clean pair of gardening gloves will work in a pinch.
QUILT BINDING FOOT
Have you ever used a specialty quilt binding foot? It’s quite amazing for adding precise topstitching on your quilting bindings! This bi-level foot is designed to accurately sew around quilt binding which is thicker than the quilt itself. The magic is in the underside of the foot!
NEEDLES
I don’t know that I’ve ever regretted changing over to a new needle before beginning a quilt! Schmetz Microtex needles have very sharp points and come in various sizes and these are great for quilting through multiple layers. Klasse Needles also has a great variety of needles for various sewing projects. As a general rule you should clean your sewing machine and insert a new needle before starting on your machine quilting project.
EXTENSION TABLE
You’ve probably noticed that the weight of the large quilt can work against you during quilting. Gravity causes a heavy quilt to sag when it moves away from the needle plate but a sewing machine extension table can help! This wider sewing and quilting surface snaps onto your sewing machine replacing the standard components and creating a wider more suitable flat surface for quilting.
GRID GLIDER
Okay this is a fun one! The Grid Glider is a sewing machine overlay that clings that your sewing machine bed to provide a slick slippery surface. This can help you easily move your fabric around during free-motion quilting. Once you get a feel for it the Grid Glider will become your FMQ bestie!
Did you see anything you’d like to try? I hope these machine quilting accessories will help you get your sew-jo back and try some new quilting projects this year!
Check out more sewing tips and tricks from Lindsay Sews here.
