Must-Have Tools of the Trade

When you first start a particular craft, it can be hard to know what tools you’ll really need.  And no idea what some things even are! Here are some handy tools I can’t live without.

Figure 1 – General sewing, cutting, pattern making related tools

1. Ruler – Jumbo sized is best, and a clear one is extra handy so you can see what’s going on underneath
2. Patterns – buy a few basic patterns: an a-line skirt, a t-shirt, a pair of pants.  You can use these to practice with, and you can play with them and make changes (make a v-neck instead of a crewneck for the shirt or add ruffles to the skirt). Not only will you learn a lot by using them, but once you get good, you’ll be able to modify the patterns to make whole new patterns!
3. Scissors – get a good pair  of sharp scissors (or 2 or 3… you WILL lose them often, I promise). Your fabric scissors should only be used to cut fabric. NO PAPER. Paper will dull them very quickly and make them useless for cutting fabric. I’d suggest marking them with a piece of tape and making sure everyone else in the house knows they are off limits.
4. Chopstick or bamboo skewer – or really anything long and skinny like that. They are immensely handy when turning a strap, bag, or pillow right-side-out.
5. Hand-sewing needles – I try so hard to put needles back in their spot when I’m finished working, but I always manage to lose them. Have some extras on hand so you aren’t caught with no way to fix that pair of jeans that just ripped. It’s also a good idea to have different sizes. Really thin needles are great for beading, and fatter needles work better for thicker materials like denim.
6. Measuring tape – another item that’s good to have more than one of.
7. Marking implements – Plain white chalk is good for dark fabrics. The blue pen is good for light fabrics. Both come right out with spritz of cool water.
8. Pin cushion – Again, the more of these you’ve got, the better. I’d recommend one for your wrist (my green zombie brain was a gift!) and one for your sewing table.
9. Seam rippers – I’ve lost my fair share of seam rippers, and I can tell you it takes forever to undo a seam with a pair of scissors. These are handy and cheap, thus my collection.

Figure 2 – Sewing machine related tools

1. Thread – Make sure you always have extra spools of black and white thread. Stock up on some other colors you use a lot- for me it’s pink and red.  It’d be really expensive to buy full spools of every color, but they make these sets of cute tiny spools that are the type you’d get in a little hand-sewing kit. They’re perfect for when you need just a little bit of neon orange or puce. You can also often find cheap thread at garage sales and thrift stores.
2. Sewing Machine Oil – Aside from things actually needed to physically sew (needles and thread), this and your instruction manual are THE MOST IMPORTANT accessories to have for your machine. Keep your machine well oiled and as lint-free as possible. You should avoid blowing on or into the machine to clear lint- acids in your spit can actually damage your machine over time. Plus, blowing lint further into the machine isn’t really helping, is it?  There are extra small vacuum attachments that are perfect for cleaning your machine.
3. Tweezers – These can be a lifesaver when you’re threading a needle (especially for sergers and coverstitch machines) or replacing a needle.
4. Sewing Machine needles – Always, always, always, have extras on hand. I didn’t break a needle for the first 6 months I got back into sewing. Then one night, I broke 3 needles in 20 minutes, and then I was out! Always have extras in several sizes and types (ballpoints are good for knits, while woven will work for most other fabrics).
5. Bobbins – Another cheap item that you can’t really have enough of.
6. Zipper foot – Hopefully your sewing machine came with a zipper foot, but if not you should be able to find one at a sewing/craft supply store. It can make the impossible task much easier.
7. Teflon foot – The bottom of this foot is coated in teflon which makes it perfect for sewing over sticky things- some kinds of t-shirts have this sort of gummy ink that most sewing feet hate. It’s also awesome for sewing PVC and vinyl.
8. Needle threader – I had some of the cheap little coin versions of this for YEARS before I ever realized what they were. And once you’ve used one, you’ll wonder why you didn’t always! Absolutely a necessity if you used woolly nylon thread.
9. Magnetic Seam Guide – The secret to straight seams and a perfect seam allowance.

Figure 3 – elastic, trims, etc.

1. Tulle – I buy these 6″ rolls they make for bridal decorations in all different colors. It makes a really awesome trim for the bottom of a skirt, and it’s already measured and cut perfectly for the task!
2. Decorative elastic – This organza ruffle elastic is awesome for the top edge of a shirt.
3. Picot elastic – Makes great edging for tops, armholes, waistbands, and straps.
4. Regular elastic – Ideal for ruching and elastic casings.
5. Ribbon – For lacing, bows, and more.
6. Grommet or Eyelet tape – A really easy way to add corset style lacing to something.

Figure 4 – Other assorted tools

1. Big roll of craft paper – Awesome for drafting patterns. You can also use: old bedsheets, wrapping paper (some even comes with a grid printed on the back, which is really helpful), paper bags, tyvek envelopes from the P.O., newspaper, etc.
2. Fabric glue – I don’t like using glue exclusively, but it can be really helpful to secure something in place before you sew it down.
3. Pinking shears – These look like a heavy duty pair of scissors, but when you cut, it looks like this: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ This will make the edges of fabric less likely to fray, and it also will make your seams look nice when they’re pressed open.
4. Permanent Fabric Marker – Fun and handy.
5. Interfacing – Good for reinforcing things that need added durability. It comes in many weights and they even have fusibles that you can iron right on to the back of your fabric.
6. Rotary cutter – It’s like a pizza cutter for fabric! This isn’t a must, but it’s handy if you’re cutting through several layers, or if you need really straight lines (like a strip of fabric for a ruffle or a pleat). Make sure you get a cutting mat and a big thick ruler or you’ll mess up your floors and tabletops.
7. Cutting mat – Handy even if you don’t have a rotary cutter.

Items not shown that you may also find helpful:

1. Stitch Witchery or other heat bonding product- it’s basically a strip of dried fabric glue that you can used to iron a hem or seam together  instead of sewing.  It’s a good way to stick something squirmy like a zipper in place before you sew it.
2. Dressform – I got incredibly lucky and found my dressform for $5 at a rummage sale. Check out your local thrift stores, and the craft gods might smile upon you. If you don’t have luck there, you can always try to find a deal on Ebay or other craft/sewing supply stores or DiY it!
3. Fabric – I don’t think this one needs much explanation, but I’ll list some kinds of fabric that’d be handy to have around. Muslin is good if you’re experimenting and want to do a rough draft first, because it’s cheap. Craft fabric, canvas, or duck cloth is good for making screenprinted or stencilled patches. Knits are good for tops and stretchy waistbands. I like having a variety of broadcloth around in basic prints (polka dots, stripes, houndstooth, etc.) for purses, skirts, pillows, etc.
4. Buttons – Buttons are good for embellishments, and they’re also handy to have around in case one pops off of your favorite shirt and rolls under the fridge.
5. Paintbrushes – Make sure you have some broad brushes and foam brushes for filling in big spaces and a variety of smaller brushes for fine lines and details.
6. Fabric paint or acrylic paint and textile medium or textile ink- You can paint it on, stencil, screenprint, or water it down and use it as a dye for light colors.
7. Fabric dye – Fabric dye can fix a lot of things and is just fun to play with. Got some ink stains on your favorite pair of jeans? Dye them dark indigo or black and cover the stains. Or bleach that skirt you got at the thrift shop that’d be cool if it wasn’t that ugly orange and dye it green.

Where can you find this stuff?

Most of this stuff is probably available at your local craft store, but online stores like Ebay and Amazon often have the same products for cheaper.

For specific sellers and sites, check out the Craft Supply Database.

This Sewing Machine Kills Knits + Stretch Fabrics!

If you’re using a standard sewing machine and trying to reconstruct t-shirts or sewing on knit fabrics, you’ll want to use a zig-zag or stretch stitch. The zig-zag allows the stitch to stretch with the fabric, so it doesn’t break when you try to get your newly reconstructed t-shirt on or off.

If you plan to be sewing a lot with stretch and knit fabrics, you might want to consider investing in a serger (sometimes called an overlock machine).

A serger is a special sewing machine that uses 3, 4, or 5 threads. It trims off the seam allowance and sews “around” the seam, locking the edges to prevent rolling and fraying.

Sergers are very well suited to sewing stretch fabrics because it’s stitch allows for a significant amount of stretch without breaking- more than even a zig-zag stitch.

Sergers aren’t cheap, but there are some decent inexpensive models on the market. One I can personally vouch for is the Brother 1034D.

You still might wind up being stuck sans serger for a while, so if you can’t resist the urge to sew with knits and other stretch fabrics in the meantime, here are a few more tips if your sewing machine tends to go Cookie Monster on your fabric:

• If the sewing machine sucks the fabric into the machine or forms a big wad of thread on the underside when you first start sewing, try sliding the edge of the fabric about an inch or so past the foot when you first start sewing. You can also try wrapping a piece of tape or tissue paper around the edge of the fabric to add extra stability. It may also help to sew the first few stitches by turning the wheel by hand manually.
• Make sure you’re using a ball point needle for knits. Standard sewing machine needles are made for woven fabric and can snag the fibers of knit fabric. Some machines are very temperamental about this. Others are not.
• You can try an overlock attachment, but I have no experience with them. From what I’m told by those that have, it is NOT really anything like using an overlock/serger machine, it merely makes stitches that look like it.

Super Deal! 500 business cards for free!

OvernightPrints is offering 500 free business cards, all you have to do is pay the shipping!

This is a really good way to get hang tags for your product for free-  Get the cards printed with your logo, punch a hole in it, and then attach it to your goods.  Voila! High quality printed hang tags for cheap!

You could even get a smaller logo printed 2-3 times on one card to double or triple your savings, especially if you prefer smaller tags.

And of course, you could always just get them as business cards. I had some printed that can double as a business card and a hang tag.

The Secret to Straight Seams

If you’re having trouble keeping your seams straight, you probably just need some more practice. Go slow- don’t put the pedal to the metal just yet. Some machines are really fast, so you’ll need to practice keeping steady pressure on the pedal at a speed you can keep up with. It’s really a lot like driving.

You can also get a handy little tool called a Seam Guide. It’s a little magnetic doo-dah that sticks to the plate of your sewing machine. You adjust it to fit your seam allowance, and then while you’re sewing, line the edge of your fabric up with it.

Seam guides should be readily available at your local craft/sewing supply store like Joann Fabrics.

Fabric Junkies Alert!

I don’t deny it. I don’t even try to hide it.

I am a bonafide fabric junkie.

I’ve probably got enough fabric in my stash to fuel a small sweatshop for a year, but that doesn’t stop me from buying more. And more. AND MORE.

And I know I’m not alone, so here I am to share today’s score (plus a ridiculously awesome coupon), from Fabric.com:

I’ve already got plans for some awesome homecoming/formal dresses with that zebra print!

Shipping is free if your order total is over $35. I don’t know when this coupon expires, but I used it successfully today to get 25% off! (Saving that kind of cash to me = MORE FABRIC!) The coupon code is 2try9