Tips

Choosing Tools & Sewing Notions

If you're new to sewing, here are a few essential tools and notions that you'll need.

Step 1. Choose the best scissors you can afford. Good quality full-size dressmaking scissors with comfortable handles and strong stainless-steel blades. Even if you don’t plan to do any dressmaking, you will get a cleaner cut in any fabric with large scissors. A smaller pair of lace or machine embroidery scissors is also useful to keep next to your machine.

Step 2. Choose a wider than usual tape measure. If you buy one in a bright colour with large inch and centimetre markings, in either a 60 or 90inch length, you won’t spend half the day looking for it. Make sure it has metal-bound ends to prevent fraying.

Step 3. Choose a pack of standard dressmaking pins and one of long, slim-shank, quilting pins with flat, colourful heads and you’ll be ready for anything. There is a huge variety of pins available now but it is not necessary to buy different pins for every different project.

Step 4. Choose a good quality seam ripper. Make sure it has a sharp point and blade and a close fitting cover which will slide onto the handle when the ripper is in use.

Step 5. Choose a good quality tailor’s chalk in a triangular ‘cake’ form... if you can find it. These last for ages and can be easily sharpened to an ‘edge’. There are chalks available in pencil form but these wear down very quickly. The plastic holders with the slot-in chalk dust capsules are a nifty design but don’t leave a very strong line. Try to stick to light or neutral colours as the darker blues and reds can be waxy and difficult to remove.

Step 6. Choose a pack of good quality ‘sharps’ sewing needles of varying lengths. There are easy-thread needles available now with open eyes to slot the thread in but, unless you use a thimble these are very hard on the fingers.

Step 7. Choose a metal thimble. These can take a bit of getting used to if you’ve never used one before but are invaluable for tough hand-sewing jobs.

Step 8. Choose a reputable make of sewing machine needles When you first start sewing, I would recommend buying a pack of standard size 12 needles rather than buying a variety pack, half of which you’ll probably never need.

Step 9. Choose a sturdy pincushion. Try and find one that has feet and is filled with sawdust rather than wadding as this won’t roll around on your work table and will help keep your pins sharp.

Step 10. Choose a solid, wooden yard or metre stick rather than one of those collapsible ones that carpenters seem to carry around. They’re invaluable for measuring long lengths of fabric and curtains.

I hope you found this top tip useful. If you have any comments, feedback or suggestions for more tips, please write to me at margo@time4me-workshops.co.uk

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