Sewing Archives

Basic Sewing Supplies – Everything a Beginner Needs

seam ripper* – Oh yes, you will be ripping out stitches. I promise. I keep one at my machine, one on my work table, and one at my ironing board. That’s how often I end up using it. 🙂 There’s a video here showing how to use this scary-looking tool.

needles – Look for sharps, embroidery needles, or betweens – all will work for hand-sewing. There’s a post here all about the difference between those needle types. Start with a pack of assorted sizes so you can try out several and see what you’re most comfortable with. Many people start sewing with a larger needle and then progress to smaller needles as their skill improves.

sewing gauge* – Such a handy little tool – you’ll use it all the time.

marking pencils* – You’ll need at least two – a light color for dark fabrics and a darker color for light fabrics. I often use a regular pencil to mark on light fabrics, and I like this assortment for marking on darker fabrics.

bent shears* – The bent shape on these makes it easy to cut through layers of fabric without shifting it around too much. You can buy really expensive shears and have them sharpened regularly or you can buy inexpensive ones like these. If you use them ONLY FOR FABRIC and do a lot of sewing you’ll probably need to replace them after about a year. If you cut paper with them you’ll need to replace them a lot sooner. You can read about The Great Scissor Rotation here. 🙂

thread snipper* – You’ll need a pair of small scissors for cutting threads close to the fabric. I love my spring-loaded snips, but any small, sharp scissors will do.

pinking shears* – You won’t need these unless you start sewing garments, but they’re fun to have for other projects too.

pins* – You need long, sharp pins with large heads that will be easy to spot. I love these pretty pearly ones.

pin cushion* – Get something pretty or plan to make your own very soon. (Here’s a free pattern.) If you go with the classic tomato and strawberry combo – the tomato is for storing your pins. The strawberry is for sharpening them. Don’t store pins in the strawberry or they may rust.

clear straight-edge ruler*

If you want to buy some thread now, go ahead and get a couple of spools of all-purpose thread in black and white. You’ll buy other colors as you need them and you’ll want to match them exactly to your fabric.

Of course – you’ll need a sewing machine too. Here’s some info to help you choose a good one for beginners. You’ll also need an iron and an ironing board – but I’m guessing most people already have those. You don’t need anything fancy – just an iron that will make steam.

That’s it! Gather up your sewing supplies and come back here to learn how to sew!

Best,
Wendi

*All links marked with an asterisk are affiliate links to the exact products I use in my studio.

Choosing a Sewing Machine for Beginners - a video from Shiny Happy World

If you’re trying to choose a sewing machine for beginners you do NOT need anything fancy. Please – do not buy a $1000 (or more!) machine unless you know you’re going to use it all the time.

At the other end of the spectrum – if you’re choosing a machine for a child, do not buy a toy sewing machine. I’ve seen a lot of them, and every one has been an utter piece of junk. They work for a little while and it’s all very exciting – but they die quickly – and sometimes spectacularly. My daughter Jo started with a toy machine and it literally threw sparks right before it went up in smoke. Very exciting.

What you want is a good, basic machine. A used machine is a great way to save some money – just make sure to bring it into a shop for a thorough cleaning. They can also give you a threading lesson and show you the basic maintenance required for your machine.

Whether you buy a machine used or from a sewing machine store, here’s a list of things to look for. . .

Smooth sewing. Try it out. If it makes your teeth rattle and the table shake so hard that you can’t feed the fabric through smoothly – don’t buy it. If it makes a grinding sound or a ticking sound – don’t buy it.
Even sewing. Sew a row of regular stitching, then take it out of the machine and look at it. Are the stitches all the same length? That’s good. Does it skip stitches – some are twice as long as others? Don’t buy it.
Easy threading. (Relatively speaking. If you’ve never threaded a sewing machine before it will seem insanely complicated at first.) Some newer machines have numbers or a diagram right on the machine to help with threading – and that makes it especially easy for younger kids.
A manual. Especially important for used machines – though you can find PDFs of a lot of old manuals online now.
A drop-in bobbin – if you’re choosing a machine for a child. It’s easier for kids to load than a front-loading bobbin.
Straight stitch. Every machine has this.
Zigzag stitch – all but the oldest machines have this. Don’t be sucked in by hundreds of available stitches. It’s like cable – you’ll only use a couple of them.
Stretch stitch. It’s not really necessary – you can always use a zigzag stitch instead – but it’s really nice to have and I end up using it fairly often.
You do NOT need a buttonhole stitch. You can use a zigzag stitch to make any buttonhole – and I actually get better results with a zigzag stitch.
The ability to backstitch. This allows you to easily “knot” at the beginning and end of your stitching. Again – almost all machines have this feature.
A foot pedal – if you’re choosing a machine for a child. Some machines have a knee pedal instead. That’s fine for adults, but those are often difficult for kids to control. It’s also hard to get the height just right for them.