Materials & Tools
Beginner’s Guide to Quilting 15It’s a good idea to keep other
haberdashery odds and ends to
hand, as you never know what you
might need – or want – when it comes
to adding the finishing touches to a
particular project.
Buttons can be decorative, but of
course are also essential for certain
items (cushion covers, cases, purses
and the like). Thick ribbon can be
used to make a decorative border
for a baby’s quilt, or simply sewn on
as an embellishment. Ric-rac adds
plenty of interest however you use it –
it’s great with appliqué. Fancy edgings
such as pom-pom trim are lots of fun- see page 140 for a great crib quilt
with a bobbly border!
Wadding
As with fabric and threads, your
choice of wadding can be broadly
divided into cotton or polyester. Think
about how thick you want your quilt to
be, as you can choose between a low
(thin) or high (thick) loft. For most
projects, low loft is fine – high-loft
wadding can be harder to quilt.
Cotton wadding stays cool in summer
but warm in winter, so is ideal for
bedding. It’s generally low loft but this
doesn’t affect its ability to keep you
warm. Polyester wadding is lighter
than cotton and can withstand regular
washing, but you might find you
overheat under a quilt made with
100% polyester wadding. Polycotton
blend wadding is a great way to get
the natural properties of cotton with
the durability of polyester. It’s also easy
to work with, so you may find it
becomes your default choice!
Aside from these popular options,
other speciality waddings are
available. Heat-proof wadding is
great if you want to make ovengloves
or a case for hair straighteners.
Bamboo/cotton blend wadding is
eco-friendly and naturally
anti-bacterial. Silk wadding is very soft- perfect for a quilt top made from silk
or any other delicate fabric. Wool
wadding has similar properties to
cotton, although you might find it is
a little more expensive.
Whichever material you choose for
your wadding, there are a few terms
you might come across when you’re
shopping. Bonded wadding has had
a very thin layer of adhesive applied
to the surface to help it keep its shape
and stop the fibres poking through
your material (or ‘bearding’). Another
method of stabilising wadding is
needle-punching, which can
compact the fibres. A cotton wadding
might have a polyester ‘scrim’
attached – this is a very fine mesh
that adds strength and structure.
A bit like double-sided sticky tape for
quilters, fusible web makes appliqué
really simple. You simply draw your
shape onto the papery side of the
web, cut it out and iron it onto the
wrong side of your fabric. You can
then accurately cut out your fabric
around the web then fuse the shape to
your backing fabric by pressing it in
place with an iron before sewing your
appliqué stitches around the edge.
As with interfacing, fusible web is
available in different weights, so
choose the one that most closely
matches the thickness of the fabric
you’re working with.Fusible web
Ribbons and trimmings