Sewing Tools.
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If you've been sewing for a while, you have a drawer or two full of these. Your sewing tools. Also known as sewing notions, sewing essentials, and "sewing thangs" depending on where you live. My mother, a fantastic seamstress in her day, was a master collector of sewing essentials. She grew up during the Depression and learned the art of recycling long before it became a household word - just like everyone else during that time. Nothing went to waste. When clothing wore out, every button, zipper and piece of trim was salvaged. She still has shoe boxes and bags full of such stuff. Some of it is older than I am. (Nope, not telling!)
Sew Many ChoicesWhen it comes to things like needles, threads, elastics, chalks, pins, pin cushions, and all the usual suspects, most fabric stores and fabric departments are fine for what you need. However, if you are looking for special ribbons and trims for your fashion sewing or home decor sewing, your local stores may not be the best source. Unless you need a ribbon or trim "right away", there are oodles of on-line stores with great trims you probably won't find locally. (Although, in all fairness, I have to admit I have been surprised by what I have found at two of the major fabric chain stores lately.) MY Recommended Sewing Tools
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Sewing Scissors: At least two. One for you and one that you'll use as a decoy because your husband and kids will NOT adhere to the "sewing only" rule and will use these on any and everything thereby rendering them useless for cutting fabric. Ok, seriously, I recommend you buy scissors that have a spring action handle - especially if you suffer at all from hand related problems like carpel tunnel or arthritis. They are not expensive and your hands will thank you for it.
Fold-up Fabric Cutting Board: Yes, the kind you can purchase for around $9.99. I have more than one. They protect your cutting surface (like your expensive dining room table which is where I do most of MY fabric cutting because my actual cutting table is covered with stuff!), and their grid is great for checking measurements, keeping your fabric selvages straight, on-grain alignments, bias cut alignments, and it can become a memo board to hold your notes and other pattern pieces. Yes, you can stick pins in them to your hearts content as long as you don't push the pin all the way through and therefore put tiny little nicks in the finish of your table! (Hopefully, my husband will never notice which brings up how useful place mats can be.) I use my cutting board to pin down embellishments and play with other creative changes I may or may not want to make to what I'm sewing. This sewing notion is one of the most versatile in your sewing arsenal. Like scissors, your whole family can find uses for it (which may not always be what YOU want it used for). I have and still use a cutting board that is over twenty years old. Everytime I look at it and see all the ink and paint on it from my daughter's various arts and craft projects during her growing up years, I find myself going down memory lane. Which is one of the reasons I still use it.
Measuring tapes: Buy several. I like the kind that retracts into its holder. So will anyone under the age of fourteen so buy several. You didn't really think the spring wore out because of YOU, did you?
Seam Rippers: You should have several of this sewing essential as well. They aren't just for ripping seams. They also open buttonholes made with your buttonhole attachment and make great "staple removers" for taking buttons off the card. However, try to avoid these--the now-you-see-me, now-you-don't rippers. Really, they totally disappear on me in the drawer. Fortunately, if I close it, count to three and look again... they reappear!
Fabric Markers: I use air erasable and water soluable most of the time. Follow the instructions and they work well. As for those little chalk pencils, I think the manufacturers put the little brush on the end as a joke. No amount of "brushing" removes the mark - at least with the ones I have.
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Good Lighting: Yes, lighting is a sewing essential! Put your sewing machine where you get the best natural light during the day and keep a really bright floor lamp nearby for evening and nights. If you can afford it, invest in a lamp specifically made for sewing and crafting. You'll find these sold on-line and at most fabric stores. Just don't let your husband see the sales slip.
Pins: The longer the better! I especially like the ones with the shiny colored heads. They really dress up my pincushion, and they are easier to handle if you have "mature" hands, plus you can see them better if they drop on the floor, which is a plus if you have "mature" eyes. Note this! Use glass head pins if you are one who tends to iron over the pins holding your fabric pieces together. Glass head pins will not melt under hot irons and ruin your fabric like the plastic ones will.
A Good Multi-Task Office Chair: That's right, a good chair is a sewing essential. Ergonomics aren't just for the office. Be kind to your spine and be sure you are sitting correctly. Your sewing chair should have an adjustable lumbar support for your back and easily adjust to your height. Ideally, your chair should also swivel and be on casters for easy movement. If you don't have one, go to your nearest office supply store and get one! Mine was only about $40 and worth every penny.
Breaks: Admit it, you get so involved with your project you wind up with neck, shoulder and back aches because you're hunched over or in one position for long periods of time. Don't you get enough of this at the office? Get up, stretch, massage your hands, roll your neck and roll your shoulders. Then drop and give me twenty straight seams Soldier!
One last thing, maybe the most important. The right attitude: You must have patience with yourself and the project, acceptance that things may not always go as planned, and a healthy dose of humor to put it all into perspective.
"Happy Stitching!"
