Sharpened scissors and an accurate eye used to be the key to a good quilt top. In the late 1980s new tools became available that literally changed the quilting scene: the rotary cutter, the self-healing mat, and a selection of plastic rulers. Now the market is flooded with great gadgets to speed your quilting and enhance your accuracy.

What cutter do you need? Rotary cutters come in different sizes and different brands. These allow you to cut through several layers of fabric at once with accuracy; all your pieces will be the same size, ensuring a quilt top that fits together well. You want a cutter that fits your hand comfortably. Many cutters have spring-loaded blades that protect your wrists. Do you cut a lot of fabric? Do you cut a lot of small pieces? Look for a cutter that is larger and fits in your palm.

Try several different cutters. You want one that feels comfortable and doesn't cause sore muscles after a bout of cutting. Holding a rotary cutter too close to the mat puts stress on your wrist. Pushing or dragging the cutter also stresses arm muscles. Replace your blade once it starts skipping threads when cutting.

Take a class from your local quilt store and learn how to use your cutter efficiently and effectively to prevent soreness and injury. Rotary blades are sharp and can cause injury. Cut away from you; start cutting with the blade close to you and move the cutter up and away from the body. Always close the blade after each cut for your protection!

What mat do you need? You want a self-healing mat that repairs itself after each pass of the rotary blade. Don't buy a cheap mat; you end up using more rotary blades, and you get burrs on the surface of the mat that will tear finer fabrics. Get a mat large enough to cut a fat quarter, but not too large that it overhangs your work surface. Mats come in a variety of sizes; you might want a small one just for cutting squares and triangles. Smaller mats are also good to take to quilt classes because of their portability.

Be sure you can turn your mat; if you need to cut several layers of fabric, rotate your mat rather than your fabric to ensure accuracy. Look at the measurements on your mat; you want lines indicating 45-degree and 60-degree angles, measurements all around the mat, and half-inch and quarter-inch markings. Don't leave your mat in the car on a hot day! Your mat will curl itself up and be of no further use to you.

What rulers do you need? There are a wide variety of measuring tools to choose from. Clear plastic with strong, solid, easy-to-see measuring lines is a must. Rulers with lines in yellow are excellent for use on dark fabrics, and lines in black are ideal for lighter fabrics. Whatever ruler you start cutting with you will want to finish with; rulers can vary in thickness of cutting lines, and changing rulers in the midst of a project can affect the accuracy of your pieces.

You want a long ruler to cut larger pieces of fabric, as well as small rulers for smaller jobs. You want a good large square ruler to cut finished blocks to size (called "squaring up"), as well as a smaller square ruler for cutting tiny pieces, especially squares and triangles.

Your rulers can come with small pieces of felt to help keep the ruler from moving over the fabric as you are cutting. Specialty rulers exist for different uses: cutting wedges, kalaidescope pieces, and specific angles.

As you use your tools more, you will discover what specific rulers and blades you need. Let your needs guide what you choose to make your quilting easier, more ergonomic, and more accurate.

Related : More Quilting Equipment