Since a large part of my quiltmaking uses appliqué, I want to highlight some of the products I use for appliqué. The first product I want to talk about is needles. It is important to use the correct type of needle for appliqué. I’m not sure why, but when I don’t have the right kind of needle it is really hard to get the nice, tight stitches that don’t show up. The best needles are long, thin and springy.

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One of my favorite inexpensive tools is called the Angler 2. It is a really great little tool that fits onto any sewing machine, and you tape it in place.

This tool is used for making half-square triangles, or flying geese, or any block that usually requires you to mark a diagonal line on the back of your squares. Now you don’t need to draw or press the diagonal lines! The picture below shows how it looks in use.

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This week I am featuring a ruler I love for quilts that are set “on-point.” This means the main blocks are set on the diagonal. When you do this, you need triangles for the sides and corners of the quilt. This is where my handy-dandy ruler comes in.

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One of the most basic tools for quiltmaking is the rectangular cutting ruler. I like the Omnigrid rulers, because they have a bright green highlight around the black lines, so its easy to see on dark or light fabric. They have a non-slip surface on the back, so they stay put. [ MORE » ]

If you enjoy paper piecing you’ll love the Add a Quarter ruler from CM Designs. It makes a fast and simple way to get your seams the right size while paper piecing, and is very easy to use! You just line it up with the folded paper (or foundation) and cut. This tool is a definite “must” for anyone paper piecing!

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One of my favorite tools is the Flying Geese x 4 ruler by Lazy Girl Designs. This is (obviously) a tool for making flying geese!

The ruler is marked to cut one large square and 4 small squares for whatever finished size flying goose unit you want. (2″ x 4″ for example.) It is very easy to use and read, and doesn’t have any waste the way traditional flying geese piecing usually does. [ MORE » ]