Craft guide
From your first cushion cover to a full patchwork quilt: the machine, cutting kit and fabric that make sewing a pleasure rather than a battle.
Plenty of people have been tempted back to the sewing machine by TV sewing competitions, and it's a hugely rewarding hobby. You can make bags, cushions, children's clothes, alterations and, eventually, quilts that last for decades.
Dressmaking and quilting share the basics (a reliable machine, sharp scissors, good thread) but quilters rely heavily on rotary cutters, rulers and mats to cut accurate pieces fast.
For a first machine, look for straight stitch, zigzag, a simple buttonhole function, adjustable stitch length and an easy threading system. Good local support and available spare feet matter more than dozens of decorative stitches.
Shop nowPre-cut pieces of quilting cotton that let you mix lots of prints. Perfect for patchwork, bunting and small projects.
Shop nowA rotary cutter slices through several layers of fabric at once. Always pair it with a self-healing mat, and get into the habit of closing the blade guard.
Shop nowClear acrylic rulers with printed grid lines. Many quilters work in inches, so check whether a ruler is metric or imperial to match your patterns.
Shop nowA good all-purpose polyester thread suits most dressmaking. Many quilters prefer cotton thread for cotton quilts. Cheap thread tends to snap and fluff up your machine.
Shop nowLong-bladed scissors kept strictly for fabric. Paper blunts them quickly, so label them and hide them from the rest of the household.
Shop nowFabric is sold by the metre in the UK, and patterns usually give metres for different fabric widths (often 112cm or 150cm). A UK fat quarter is typically a half-metre cut in two, roughly 50 × 55cm, which is a little different from an American fat quarter (18 × 22 inches), so check the dimensions if a quilt pattern relies on them.
Many quilting patterns, even British ones, are written in inches because rulers and blocks are traditionally imperial. It's fine to work in either system, as long as you don't mix them within one project.
Just starting out? Read the beginners' guide or pick a weekend project.
