Filling Your Sewing Basket
In sewing, the quality of your equipment and materials can make a huge difference in the quality of your finished project. I suggest purchasing name brand equipment and supplies at a dedicated sewing or craft store because these items are typically better quality and more reliable than what is available at dollar stores or big box discount retailers. Cheap thread that shreds and dull scissors will frustrate and discourage any sewist.
I have included the brand names of some items to make it easier to find them in the store. I recommend avoiding kits, even branded ones, that appear to have everything that you need in one neat package (scissors, pins, thread, etc). Unfortunately I've found these kits to include equipment and materials of poor quality and questionable usefulness. Instead, I recommend purchasing the quality pieces you need separately. With the exception of the aforementioned kits, supplies available at sewing/fabric stores will be good quality. Pacific Fabrics, a local chain of fabric stores, often has 25% off specials and Joann always has deep discounts in-store and coupons available from their app and website Joann.com.
I have included the brand names of some items to make it easier to find them in the store. I recommend avoiding kits, even branded ones, that appear to have everything that you need in one neat package (scissors, pins, thread, etc). Unfortunately I've found these kits to include equipment and materials of poor quality and questionable usefulness. Instead, I recommend purchasing the quality pieces you need separately. With the exception of the aforementioned kits, supplies available at sewing/fabric stores will be good quality. Pacific Fabrics, a local chain of fabric stores, often has 25% off specials and Joann always has deep discounts in-store and coupons available from their app and website Joann.com.
Want to Reuse & Recyle in your sewing project?
Check out ReCreative, a creative reuse retail and art center in Greenwood -- Seattlerecreative.org. Whenever I'm at national or local thrift stores, I make a bee-line for the section that has sewing equipment and fabric. Value Village stores often have an entire row of "material," aka fabric, near the linens section. At Goodwill, I often snag vintage fabric, piles of zippers, snaps and unique sewing tools usually mixed in with crafts.
Check out ReCreative, a creative reuse retail and art center in Greenwood -- Seattlerecreative.org. Whenever I'm at national or local thrift stores, I make a bee-line for the section that has sewing equipment and fabric. Value Village stores often have an entire row of "material," aka fabric, near the linens section. At Goodwill, I often snag vintage fabric, piles of zippers, snaps and unique sewing tools usually mixed in with crafts.
My favorite Kai scissors
Essential Equipment:
Fiskars 7” Student Scissors – these sturdy but sharp and inexpensive shears are a good starter choice under $10.
KAI Scissors - If you are considering a more expensive pair of dedicated sewing scissors, look for a pair with a sharp, medium-length blade and a comfortable handle that fits your child’s hand. I love my KAI scissors! I call them my super-scissors in class and I reserve them for cutting fabric only (students know they are the scissors with the ribbon tied to the handle). The KAI model 5165 sewing scissors have a 6.5” blade and would be a great starter pair at around $20. KAI cutting shears model N5210 at 8.25” (also available in a true left-handed version 5210L) are compact, cut like butter and are priced under $30. To keep the blades sharp and in good condition I don't cut anything but fabric with my sewing scissors. You can find these online or at Pacific Fabrics.
Fiskars 7” Student Scissors – these sturdy but sharp and inexpensive shears are a good starter choice under $10.
KAI Scissors - If you are considering a more expensive pair of dedicated sewing scissors, look for a pair with a sharp, medium-length blade and a comfortable handle that fits your child’s hand. I love my KAI scissors! I call them my super-scissors in class and I reserve them for cutting fabric only (students know they are the scissors with the ribbon tied to the handle). The KAI model 5165 sewing scissors have a 6.5” blade and would be a great starter pair at around $20. KAI cutting shears model N5210 at 8.25” (also available in a true left-handed version 5210L) are compact, cut like butter and are priced under $30. To keep the blades sharp and in good condition I don't cut anything but fabric with my sewing scissors. You can find these online or at Pacific Fabrics.
Dritz Embroidery Needles Size 3/9 – for hand-sewing, a good beginner pack with big eyes and several needle sizes that will work with a variety of threads and fabric weights.
Dritz Sharps Needles Size 1/5 – these needles have smaller eyes, but they are sharp enough to tackle fleece and heavy cotton and tightly woven fabrics with ease.
Dritz Color Ball Pins or Unique Pearl Head Pins - straight pins are used to hold your pieces together as you sew. A box, or wheel, of sharp 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inch pins with a ball head will do.
Pin Cushion and Needle Case - super simple to make in sewing class!
Dritz Sharps Needles Size 1/5 – these needles have smaller eyes, but they are sharp enough to tackle fleece and heavy cotton and tightly woven fabrics with ease.
Dritz Color Ball Pins or Unique Pearl Head Pins - straight pins are used to hold your pieces together as you sew. A box, or wheel, of sharp 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inch pins with a ball head will do.
Pin Cushion and Needle Case - super simple to make in sewing class!
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Collins Washable Wonder Marker – a special marking pen with blue ink that disappears completely when sprayed or rinsed with water. Used to mark sewing lines, trace templates and draw detail to be embroidered. *Do not use “washable” felt tip markers or permanent marker on fabric – they will end up making your project look messy. Clover White Triangle Tailor’s Chalk – used like a wonder marker to mark dark colored fabric. Brushes off completely. Omnigrid See-Through Ruler - to measure and mark seam allowances and stitching lines on your projects. They come in a variety of sizes - a 12 inch x 1 inch ruler is great for hand sewing, an 18 inch x 3 inch ruler is handy for machine sewing. |
Marking the stitching line using the Wonder Marker and Omnigrid ruler
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Essential Materials:
Fabric – types include felt, woven (cotton, wool, flannel, etc.), knit, fleece, fake fur, and more!
FELT: available in lots of fun colors in acrylic (least expensive), 100% wool (most expensive), or acrylic/wool blends in 9"x12" sheets or from a bolt “by the yard” but, you can buy as little as 1/8 or 1/4 of a yard of felt and most other fabrics.
COTTON: sold from a bolt or in “fat quarters” (22” x 18” pieces). You can buy a small amount of fabric off the bolt - sometimes as little as 1/8 of a yard, or 4.5" x 44". FLEECE & FUR: sold by the yard.
Thread - For hand-sewing, we use several types in class: sturdy, tangle resistant Coats and Clark Button & Craft Thread and Top Stitching Thread, Heavy upholstery thread and DMC Cotton Embroidery Floss. For my machine-sewing students, I prefer Coats and Clark Dual DutyXP, all purpose polyester thread.
Buttons - it's nice to have a variety of sizes and colors with shanks, 2 holes and 4 holes.
Stuffing - a big bag of poly-fiberfill will last a long time.
Nice-to-haves:
Clover brand Wonder Clips - tiny clamps for holding fabric together as you sew. Use in place of pins!
Bee's Wax – used to stiffen and lubricate thread for easier handling.
Sewing Gauge - a small 6" metal ruler with a plastic slide - convenient for measuring seams and hems.
Embroidery Hoop - holds fabric stiff and stable while adding embroidery stitches to your project. I like old-style wooden hoops best, but they are not as readily available as modern plastic models. Start with a small size 4" or 5".
Tracing Paper – used for tracing and marking patterns.
Trims - ribbon, rick-rack, binding tape, cord, lace, elastic, and more - all sold by the yard and sometimes in pre-packaged lengths.
Miscellaneous Notions - metal snaps, zippers, sequins and beads can be fun to include in your projects.
Seam Ripper - sharp razor-like device for taking out stitches. Use with caution.
Pinking Shears - useful for adding a fancy zigzag finish. These scissors are very heavy and have a large hand grip; most younger children need help using them. A good pair of pinking shears can be expensive and is an investment; I recommend reserving them for sewing use only.
Books -
Sewing School and Sewing School 2, by Lisle and Plumley, both books include cute projects with paper patterns and very solid sewing instructions. One caveat: the authors use some different sewing techniques, materials and terms than what we use in class. I would encourage students to try what the authors suggest - or just use the patterns and ideas and do what they already know how to do.
