When you are starting off with your new passion for sewing, it might be overwhelming to understand which basic sewing tools you will need. Overtime, experience will drive you through your favourite tools and technique.
This post is a short guide to basic sewing tools that will be enough to start your sewing adventures, maybe to sew one of the B’etha Bags Easy Sewing Patterns.
Four basic operations makes everything you need to sew the perfect garment or accessory:
- Measuring
- Cutting
- Marking
- Hand sewing.
For each and every operation, there are essential tools that you will need in order to ease your work.
Depending on the kind of fabric you are using for your project, you will need some particular ones.
Let’s take a closer look at which tool you will use more often in each operation phase.
Measuring
You will need accessories and tools which will help both measuring the body and the pattern.
Suggested tools:
- A transparent ruler, useful to look through what you will be measuring and marked.
- A tape measure. It is flexible as needed to take body measures. The best ones you can choose are 60″ – 150 cm long with metal tips. It will have numbers printed on both sides.
- Sewing gauge. You will need this to measure hems, slots, folds, etc…
Cutting
My suggestion is to invest in good quality items that will last a lifetime, taking good care of them.
- Tailor scissors. They typically have curved handles. The blades are usually 7” to 8” (18 to 20 cm), but there are also models with longer ones.
- Sewing scissors. They have a sharp point and a rounded one to better cut and refine edges. The blades are usually 10 to 12 cm long.
- Seam ripper. This will be one of your most used items, trust me! It is used to quickly untie the seams. Just be careful when you use it: it is easy to cut the fabric itself!
- Pinking shears. This scissors has zigzag shaped blades, rather than straight. They are used for refining the edges of fabric while resist fraying.
Marking
- Tracing wheels. There are two types of marking wheels: with notched edge or smooth edge. They both have the same use, but the smooth edge one will be better to be used on delicate fabrics like silk or chiffon.
- Tracing paper. It is a special carbon paper that will trace the marking wheels track from the sewing pattern safely on the fabric.
- Tailor’s chalk. It is used to trace a line directly on the fabric. Chalk is easily erasable, so use it when you are going to sew on it right after.
- Tailor’s markers. They make marking a fast and easy job. There are different kinds of markers, those that will be erased in 48 hours, others are water soluble.
Hand sewing
Pins and needles. Make sure you stack up on every type and size for different uses. Be careful in choosing the ones that won’t rust. Pins with coloured heads are easier to see on fabrics.
- Normal needles medium length. These are the needles you can use in any situation.
- Embroidery needles. They are pointed and of medium length. You can use them to put on sequins.
- Yarn knitting needles. Used for knitwear, the spherical tip goes easily through the meshes.
- Silk Pins. Used for lightweight fabric.
- Straight pins. Made of brass, steel or stainless steel, are used for normal types of work.
- Thimble. It is very useful to protect the middle finger while hand sewing, especially in the beginning! They are usually available in different sizes and materials.
- Pincushion pad. It is the best place to keep your pins. There are two main kinds and I suggest you get both: Wrist pincushion and magnetic pincushion.
- Needle threader. Very inexpensive, but a lifesaver to thread the needles, especially when sight is not as good as it used to be.
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