Keri Weichert, Author at Quiltdom

8 Best Irons for Quilting in 2027

If you love quilting and want a quality result, you need quality tools. You want a quilt that is beautiful, practical and useful for generations. A quilt can be an heirloom, and it deserves the right equipment in your sewing room.

An iron is one of the tools you will use the most, so it is worth some research before you buy. We’ll cover the key things to look for, and then we’ll show you eight irons that quilters like.

The Modern Quality Quilting Iron

This is the age of stealth-looking irons. Some folks call them “George Jetson” irons because they have that space-age, do-anything look. Not every one of them lives up to it.

You did all the hard work. You sewed your blocks, basted your top and quilted your creation. Then you pull it out of the dryer, warm and wrinkled, and the feeling of accomplishment sets in. Now it’s time for the finishing touches, so you reach for your iron.

The right iron features will make your quilts look like show-quality pieces. The wrong ones will leave you with a scorched block and a bad mood.

7 Best Quilting Ironing Boards

by Keri Weichert

If you’re a quilter, you’re going to need a good quilting ironing board. And no, that skinny, wobbly board you’ve had for twenty years won’t do the trick.

You’ll need something that works for a large swath of fabric and a heavy finished quilt, something that doesn’t tip over or make you trip over yards of material as you’re trying to iron.

Fortunately, there are ironing boards made just for your quilting projects, so don’t skimp on this important piece of equipment.

If you want a quality, beautiful finished product (and we know you do), invest in an ironing board that makes the job easier and safer.

Why do you need a quilting iron and ironing board for your quilting projects? Because you’ll need to:

Press seam allowances to get the most from your blocks of fabric.
Press quilt blocks so they fit together exactly as they should when you assemble the quilt.
Press all of the assembled blocks before you add batting and complete the quilt (for a smooth finished product).
Press a completed quilt after washing or extended use.

You might wonder what makes for a quality quilting ironing board. Here’s what you need to look for:

cat laying on ironing board best ironing board covers

8 Of The Best Ironing Board Covers For Quilters

by Keri Weichert

You don’t want to scorch your quilt blocks when you iron them. Ironing covers and pads might not seem important, but their characteristics matter quite a bit for quilters.

You want a surface that lets you shift fabric easily and keep it smooth and flat. The best ironing board cover and pad will work with your iron to deliver a quick press that doesn’t leave a grated impression from the metal board underneath. A good cover also prevents scorches and water stains on your lovingly crafted quilt.

What Should You Look For In An Ironing Board Cover?

A cover fabric treatment that resists scorching and disperses moisture will limit problems and improve results. Some manufacturers apply a silicone coating that works well when you press quilt blocks. A good scorch-resistant treatment speeds up pressing and reduces the work needed to get perfectly flat seams.

The best cover fabric treatments:

Resist scorching.
Can be washed.
Reflect heat to improve iron performance.
Prevent fabric from bunching.

The padding plays an essential role in quilting success. It provides a porous layer where steam can disperse instead of being soaked up by your quilt. A thick pad also reduces strain on your hand and wrist while you iron, so make thick padding a priority when you buy.

How To Make An Adorable Quilted Bowl Cozy

by Keri Weichert

Have you ever gone to grab a bowl out of the microwave after heating some food and jumped back with an “Ouch!” when your fingers touched the hot bowl?

No fun, right?

Quilters and crafters for years have been making the perfect remedy for this issue. It’s called the bowl cozy.

In this post, I will show you a super simple walkthrough of how to make a bowl cozy and offer several other microwave bowl cozy pattern options that are perfect for that hot bowl of soup.

Your Simple Guide To Quilt Sizes

by Keri Weichert

Quilters learn one important fact about the art of quilting when they create their first quilt — when it comes to quilts there is no right size.

Quilts come in all shapes and sizes, so when it comes to determining the size, the main questions to answer are, what or who are you making the quilt for?

And how are you going to make it work for that project?

Even though quilts come in standard sizes, other factors can influence the size of your quilt.

Mattress size is always a factor in the final size, so the final size of your quilt can be 4″ to 8″ different than the standard size.

You usually have to add length to your quilt so it hangs over the edge of the mattress properly.

The other factors that impact the size of your quilt are the backing and the batting.

The size of the backing and the batting depends on how you want your quilt to look, so those factors may not be on a quilt size chart.

stack of fabric, fat quarter quilt pattern

19 Free Fat Quarter Quilt Patterns You’ll Love

by Keri Weichert

Quilters like fat quarters, but they love free patterns even more.

How do we know that fat quarters are still popular with quilters?

Quilt shops typically have a section just for fat quarters, and will often offer to cut fat quarters from their bolts of fabrics.

Although other precuts such as jelly rolls and charm packs have increased in popularity, the fat quarter remains the base for many quilts.

It is quite typical for a traveling quilter to buy fat quarters, instead of yardage, as a token of their visit to a new place.

Are they concerned about finding a pattern for their new fat quarters?

Of course not.