Quilting and Sewing Product Review

Rotary Cutter:
The best rotary cutter I have found is by Gingher (you can buy it at Joann's Fabric Store)- they have it for both right and left handed people!

Rotary Cutting Mats:
The brand that I have found to be the best is Olfa.  It is "self-healing", 1.5mm thick, has contrasting clearly marked yellow cutting lines with a green background.  I have tried other brands of cutting mats and this brand is the only one that has not snagged some of my silk fabrics from old cut lines with the rotary cutter.
Sizes available:
5.5"x7.5"
12"x18"
18"x24"
24"x36"

I have  one of each of the sizes, depending on what my current project is.  The 12"x18" is great for classes and the 24"x36" is great for large craft projects and garments.

Rotary Rulers:
I like the brand, Omnigrid the best for a ruler when using my rotary cutter because it is clear with bright yellow and black measuring lines to easily be seen on both light and dark fabrics.  The rulers allow for an extra 1/2" seam allowance and diagonal angle lines.
Sizes:
The four pack comes with squares of 4-1/2", 6-1/2", 9-1/2", 12-1/2". You can buy it at Joann's.
6-1/2"x24" is great for cutting strips and has both a left and right handed numbering system with diagonal lines.

To hold all of my rulers, I have a wooden ruler rack that works perfect to keep everything organize.

Quilt Batting:
The batting by Warm Company, specifically the Warm and Natural line works really well for quilts.  This batting is:
- 100% cotton, unbleached
- does not separate or bunch
- you can quilt up to 10" apart and it will still keep its shape
- the fabric clings to the batting, so once placed, it stays in place easier
- keeps its shape wash after wash
- does not give the "puffy" look to quilts
- comes in all different sizes including 34", 45", 90" and 124" by the yard and by the bolt
- soft and gentle for children and babies

Quilting Pins:
Curved safety pins- 1-1/2" length.  These are a good length for all thickness of a quilt.  The fork pins always seemed to poke me and the shorter curved safety pins were too hard to get all layers of a thicker quilt.