Sew Nice to Have

Sewing is expensive to start up so I definitely took advantage of whatever steep coupons I could get a hold of before buying a bunch of things.  Aside from the thread and sewing machine (the most expensive item) for me I have found that the items below have been very handy (if not a necessity).

Sewing Must Haves:

1.  Rotary Cutter and extra blades

2.  Measuring tape

3.  Small precision/detail scissors (similar)

4. Sharp shears (similar dressmakers shears)

5. Packs of extra sewing machine needles (needles are universal for machines now)

6. Assortment of hand sewing needles with storage magnet (similar)

7. Pins (similar)

8.  Bobbins and bobbin case, make sure the bobbin size is appropriate for your machine.

9. Pincushion (hedgehog pincushion DIY tutorial)

10. Clear Ruler (Similar)

11. Self Healing Cutting mat (this one rotates)

12. Seam ripper

13.Fabric marking pen and chalk pencil

Sewing needles get dull quicker than I would have expected.  I've heard that one should change the sewing needle after major sewing projects.  A dull sewing needle results in all sorts of violent noises from your machine and essentially gets nothing done apart from exercise your hands because you're always using the seam ripper. So... buy a bunch of sewing needles in an assortment of sizes (especially needles appropriate for the fabrics you typically use -- Refer to the DIY Tips page of this blog).

Sewing Should Haves:

1. Clover Wonder Clips in lieu of pins for thick or layered fabric

2. Tailor's Ham for ironing to help with sewing darts and curved areas such as sleeves

3. Tracing wheel, good to have serrated and blunt edge

4. Assortment of sew-all polyester thread (featured is Gutermann thread)

5. Bias Tape Maker

6. Scissor sharpener

7.Seams right to measure seams or use as guide

8.Ruler Hem Clips

I really like the ruler hem clips for hemming pants because you can have a consistent hem all the way around.

Sewing Nice to Haves:

1. Assortment of braided elastic for waist bands and such (similar)

2.  Hooks and Eyes

3.  Velcro

4. Piping Bias Tape (or piping cords to make them yourself)

5. Iron on denim patches

6.  Assortment of exposed and invisible zippers (similar)

7. Compressed air duster to clean sewing machine

8.Sew Snap Ons

For my projects, I like to have various tools/accessories handy. For example, let's say I don't have enough fabric to be sewing a zipper in... well, maybe I'll opt for sew snaps instead.  Or let's say the hooks on a dress fell off or it needs one... problem solved.  How about I fell down and tore up my jeans? Well, I can patch them up quickly enough.  That is why I like to have a lot of the Sewing Nice to Haves handy.  I've also learned that regular sewing machine maintenance is crucial.  It gets really gross when lint accumulates in there and you can't be breathing into it adding moisture... so compressed air duster is great to have around for the computer keyboard and the sewing machine!

Sew Organized:

How I go about organizing things will probably change periodically as I accumulate more things and change how I want to access the goods.  This is how everything looks right now at least.

Sewing Cheat Sheet:

Thread tension can be so tricky when you use different types of fabric so I like to have this on the back of my machine to help me troubleshoot.  The original graphics are on my DIY Tips page of the blog.