Today's quilters have many great tools at their fingertips. Over the years, the variety and quality of our tools has advanced the art of quilting considerably. For beginner quilters, this is great news. Here you will find 3 items that you absolutely have to have on hand as you begin your first quilting expedition. Don't underestimate the importance of purchasing these three seemingly simple tools correctly!

1. Thread

When it comes to quilting, particularly you as a beginner quilter, there is a plethora of thread choices out there, and you will want to choose the right thread for your project.

For instance, if you are piecing your blocks, you'll want to choose an all-purpose, mercerized thread, but if you've chosen to appliqué, then silk or cotton thread would be better.

On the other hand, when you appliqué with a quilting machine use buttonhole twist or nylon monofilament if you want invisible stitching. You could also use metallic thread to create special appliqué effects.

When you are actually doing the quilting, you should use an extra-strong hand-quilting thread with a polyester core. And when machine quilting you can use all-purpose thread for normal stitching or buttonhole twist for more visual contrast.

2. Scissors

Beginner quilters take heed: two pair of scissors is essential - one for fabrics only, the others for everything else. The reason for this is that cutting paper, cardboard, and other materials can dull the scissors considerably, and you want them super sharp for cutting the fabric. It's probably a good idea to mark these scissors so that you know which ones are for cutting fabric.

Scissors will eventually dull, and when they do, you can usually take them to your local fabric or craft store to get sharpened.

If you are doing appliqué, it's also nice to have some thread and fabric snippers on hand if you are able. Make sure that these also are only used for fabric and thread in your quilting.

3. Needles, Pins and Pincushions

It makes perfect sense that as a beginning quilter you will want to have a variety of needles handy. A household assortment pack found in fabric stores will do very nicely for you.

When choosing your needles, remember that the smaller the number, the larger the needle.

Sharps are narrow and fine with small round eyes. These work well for hand piecing and appliqué. Sharps in size 8 or 9 work well for beginners at the quilting craft, but be sure the needle works well with your hand and finger size.

Here is some great news - there are actually needles out there for beginner quilters that are made specially to be easy to thread. They are made with slotted eyes that are easier to see. There are also needle threaders that you can have on handy that make it easier, particularly if you have vision issues.

Hand quilting needles are called 'betweens', and are fine needles that are generally shorter. They are made to be used for quilting and detailed handwork.

A size 8 is a great size for you to start out with as a beginning quilter, and then when you've got a few quilts behind you, you may want to graduate to a size 12, which is very tiny and narrow, but allows better control with stitching.

These days there are so many cool tools. I love the magnetic pincushions. Beside your pins and needles being more visible, you can move it over dropped needles and pins and it will pick them up for you.

Straight pins are a necessity for the beginning quilter, and you will also want to have some safety pins on hand. For machine quilters, they are quite useful for holding your quilt sandwich together. Get large nickel-plated safety pins that won't rust.

There are also special basting safety pins that you can get from quilting supply stores. These ones have a slight curve to them which helps to navigate the layers of the quilt.

Be sure that as a beginning quilter you are starting out right by having these essentials, and happy quilting to all!

Important! There are actually 7 other essential tools you need to purchase correctly as you begin your quilting adventure... to check out all 10 tools, visit us at our website below and find the proper tools now!