Sewing Tools
Fun things first! Time to shop, but do you know what you need in your sewing kit?
So there are levels to sewing and at each level there are different requirements. This concept should sound familiar. If you’re just starting out with sewing & just getting into the groove you wont need as many tools. The more skills you gain and the more experience you get the more tools you’ll need. Here are my Sewing Kit Lists for where ever you are in your sewing journey. Obviously these are just my suggestions & everyone has different lists. It's not the end all be all, just giving you somewhere to start. Trust me, you’ll go down your own rabbit holes & want to buy a ton of stuff. Here are some of the tools in my sewing arsenal.
Beginners: Must Have Sewing Tools
- Sewing Machine: yes, you can sew without a sewing machine and any hand sewing is hella cool and an art form in itself but it takes FOREVER. Make the investment.
- Bobbins: your machine will come with 1 or 2. Only buy more as you buy more thread. For every color thread you use, you’ll need a bobbin.
- Sewing Machine Needles: your machine will come with some, but make a note to get extra, needles do break. Fabrics need different needles depending on things like the thickness or if it’s a woven vs knit.
- Tweezers: your machine should also come with this, these help when you’r having issues threading your machine.
- Embroidery Scissors: Small scissors meant for cutting thread
- Thread: I have white, black & red by default. Get the thread that matches the fabric of your project.
- Hand needles: You’ll need these for buttons, small mends and anything your machine can’t do.
- Seam Ripper: You will mess up & need to rip out seams.
- Measuring Tape: If you’re on the thicker side get a longer measuring tape.
- Iron & Ironing board: You’ll need both, this takes your garments from looking DIY to “where did you get that”
- Pins & Pin Cushion: Pins to keep your fabric together while sewing and a pin cushion to keep all your pins.
- Fabric Shears: Made specifically for cutting fabric. DO NOT cut paper with these.
- Regular Scissors: For cutting out paper patterns.
- Tailors chalk/Fabric Marker: Something that can mark fabric and will come off.
- Pressing cloth: I used scrap muslin or cut up & washed old t-shirts. Good for when you can directly touch your iron with your fabric. Helps keep the iron clean from extra gunk on fabric.
- Muslin/cheaper fabric alternative: For doing a first draft or mock-up to test fit, especially if you normally have fit issues with clothes off the rack.
- All projects should be done in muslin or a cheaper, similar fabric alternative first so that you can work out all the fitting issues before you get into your final fabric.
- Containers &/or Bags: to keep all these things in! This is your chance to pass on your Lola’s tradition and put it in an old cookie container, trick people into thinking its cookies when it’s really your sewing kit! 😝
Intermediate: Game Changing Sewing Tools
- Safety Pins: used for doing fittings
- Sewing Clips: instead of using pins, you can use clips. Best for when you don’t want to stick holes in your fabric or if your fabric has holes and can’t be pinned together (leather, pleather, tulle, fishnet etc.)
- Thread Wax: pulling the thread through wax then pressing it using a pressing cloth to set the wax helps keep thread from tangling & getting knots when hand sewing.
- Awl: like having another finger and can get really close to the machine needle
- Rotary Cutter: like a pizza cutter, great for cutting straight (see cutting mat & quilter's ruler below)
- Cutting Mat: protects your table when using a rotary cutter, can also be used for measuring
- Quilter's Ruler: use as a guide when using a rotary cutter
- Fabric Weights: keeps fabric in place while cutting (alternative to pinning)
- Pinking Shears: makes a zig-zag cut, an alternative finish to an overlock or zig-zag stitch
- Point Turner: Helps corners look sharper & creases creasier
- Sewing Gauge: helps measure when pressing hems
- Pressing Template: great for pressing hems, surprised these aren’t more popular. I have my grandma’s old one, but this doesn’t seem very common when I’ve looked it up. I use this to help me start pressing my hems all the time.
Advanced: Nice to Have Sewing Tools
- Transfer paper: used with tracing wheel (see below) on muslin or first draft fabric to transfer sewing lines to muslin
- Tracing Wheel: used with transfer paper to trace sewing/cutting lines from pattern onto muslin
- Serger/Overlock machine: used for knits and stretch fabric. Prevents raw edges from fraying alternative finish instead of the zig-zag stitch or using pinking shears.
- Projector: use a projector to cut out sewing patterns instead of printing & cutting
- Dress form (customized to your size): makes it easier to do fittings, get into draping or even pattern making