Building a small but effective arsenal of sewing tools will help make your
first couple of sewing projects a lot easier. In this lesson I'll cover some
sewing toolbox essentials. When you sew you will be cutting a lot of things like
fabric, paper, and thread so I'm going to start with some must-have cutting tools.
Fabric shears are one of your most important sewing tools. There are many
different types of fabric shears, but if you want a starter pair just get some
high quality, eight-inch knife edge shears. They're big enough to be
efficient, but small enough to cut around tight curves. Remember fabric shears are
for fabric only and you should never use them on paper.
Speaking of paper, you will also need a pair of standard household scissors for
cutting out your paper patterns, just remember to keep these separate from
your fabric shears. To save time while sewing get an efficient pair of thread
snips - it could just be a small pair of scissors or you can go all out for a
nice ergonomic pair. Keep them next to your machine and snip as you go. A
rotary cutter can make cutting go twice as fast and it is quite precise. It does
require a cutting mat, which is the most expensive part, but you're going to want
to buy the biggest mat you can and you won't regret it.
Pattern weights are particularly helpful if you choose to cut using a rotary
cutter. You can buy small weights specifically for sewing or use small
heavy objects like cans of cat food or these metal washers from your favorite
hardware store. Making clothing for yourself means becoming intimately
acquainted with your body's measurements. Taking accurate measurements is
essential to get a good fit, so have a good measuring tape handy whenever you
start a project. You'll also often need to measure while you're sewing so you
should have at least one clear ruler handy. They make it easy to see your hems
and work with the grain line on your fabric.
A seam gauge is a small metal ruler that has a sliding guide. This tool will help
you easily mark small repeated measurements like buttons, pleats, and
your hem allowances. Pins act as an extra set of hands while you're cutting and
sewing. During the cutting process pins are used to secure your sewing pattern
to your fabric helping to keep everything stable as you cut. When you're
sewing pins are used to temporarily hold your two pieces of fabric edges together.
While you sew spare your sewing machine's needle by avoiding sewing over pins.
Sewing over pins can break needles and disturb the timing of your sewing
machine, so take them out right before your machine's about to go over them.
You'll also need a pin cushion for storing all of your pins like this
iconic tomato cushion - it's usually red but our is this pink. We also have a fun
tutorial for making your own magnetic pin holder so don't miss that on our You
Tube channel. You'll often need to make markings on your fabric and there are a
bunch of different marking tools that you can choose. I love to use a classic
triangle of chalk but they also make chalk pens pencils and water soluble
markers. There's some really cute stuff out there so have fun with this part.
Sewing machine needles come in a variety of sizes and types. The larger the needle,
the heavier the fabric it was intended for. Universal needles are a great
all-purpose needle that can be used for a variety of fabrics. For example size 70/
11 are usually considered medium weight and are ideal for something the
approximate weight of a bedsheet so use that as a gauge. A higher number denotes
a larger needle while a lower number indicates a smaller needle. Just remember
to replace your needle after eight hours of sewing. We also have a
downloadable needle guide just for Seamwork members that you can find in the
classroom. Print it out and post it near your sewing machine for an at-a-glance
reference for needles.
Finally there is one tool you cannot sew without and that is the seam ripper.
Mistakes are a natural part of sewing and you're going to have to rip out some
seams, maybe a lot of seams. It happens to the best of us so always have a nice
sharp seam ripper - it's worth every single penny. And those are some of the
essentials you'll need to get sewing. What else might you need? Don't worry,
you'll soon be collecting a ton of other notions and tools as you learn new
techniques, but next we're going to dive into choosing a project and picking out
fabric.