Tools for Beginner Sewists: Part 1

Hello Friends and Welcome!

If you stopped by last week, you may remember I mentioned that I grew up in a family with lots of other sewists. I was really lucky that they were happy to teach me when I wanted to learn, let me experiment when I was feeling creative, and most importantly, lend me supplies and tools to create my projects and wild ideas.

Unfortunately, one of the biggest hurdles to beginners who want to learn sewing or quilting is the expense. This is especially true if you don’t already have friends or family with supplies to share. It can be very discouraging for a beginner to join a creative community only to learn that everyone is using expensive tools, patterns, and materials. But some of the most beautiful and intricate projects I’ve seen can be made using just a basic handful of tools.

This week, I’m going to be talking about furnishing a sewing space for a beginner. While I introduce the tools, I'll let you know how much I've paid for my supplies recently. All costs listed are in Canadian dollars. Some of my supplies were gifted to me or inherited from family members, and others I've had for a long time, for these items I won't be able to offer a price.

The Absolute Necessities

There are only a few things you absolutely need to get started on a sewing project. These things are generally very easy to find and come in a variety of prices to fit whatever your budget might be. For these necessities, I do recommend spending a little extra as they will last much longer and be more reliable. These tools might seem obvious to someone who’s been sewing for a while, but I hope that even those of you who already have these tools will be able to learn a little more about them!

Hand Sewing Needles:

Regardless of if you have a sewing machine, you will run into a situation where it is easier or more practical to sew by hand. You will need a needle with a large enough eye that you can thread it easily, but not so large that it leaves holes, tears, or marks in your fabric. In my experience, sharps are the most common type of needle and are made for standard, multipurpose use.

The different sizes of sharp needles are marked with the numbers 1 through 12. 12 is the smallest and 1 the largest. There are needles larger than size 1, but they are generally used for tapestry or carpet work rather than garment or quilt making. I am currently using size 8 needles and they have worked well for all the projects I've used them for, but you can also buy packages containing assorted sizes if you'd like to experiment. For more information about needle types and sizing, check out this helpful chart made by the John James needle company.

Needles can be bought at any crafting or sewing supply store at a range of prices. I recommend that you don’t buy the cheapest needles since they usually haven’t been properly filed down and could be crooked, blunt, or have burrs in the eye that will break your thread while you sew.

Thread:

This is a tool you’ll need for both hand and machine sewing. Thread is used to hold the pieces of your project together, so you’ll want something strong enough to last through whatever wear your project will experience. If you tug on your thread and it snaps, it is probably too old or fine for any project that will be getting regular use.

Like needles, thread weight is marked by numbers, heavier threads with lower numbers and finer threads have higher numbers. Most of the thread I use is 30 weight. I will admit that I don’t experiment with thread weight very often, so I don’t know exactly the correct situation to be using a heavy vs. lightweight thread, I am much more concerned with fibre content.

Fibre content refers to the material the thread is made from, I have a lot of cotton and polyester threads. Generally, I try to use a thread made from the same fibre as the fabric I’m working with. Most of my quilting is done with cotton fabric so I use cotton thread. A lot of the fabric I use for garment sewing is a polyester blend, so I often use polyester thread. Fibre content can also affect the price of your thread, so if you don’t know the fibre content of your fabric, feel free to use a polyester thread as these are generally cheaper.

You will also need to consider what colour thread to use for your project. It is fairly common to buy a new spool of matching thread when you start a project, but this can get a little expensive if what you're making doesn't use a full spool. If you frequently work on small projects, such as masks or mini quilts, it would be more efficient to buy a selection of neutral thread colours that could be matched to many fabric colours. I have a spool each of white, black, grey, beige, and brown and am able to match them well enough with most colours.

When looking at the cost of thread, make sure to consider the quantity on the spool. You might have two threads with different prices only to find that the more expensive one has twice as much thread and is actually cheaper for the quantity you're buying.

Fabric:

Listing the individual uses of every fabric is a whole other post unto itself, and one I don't think I have enough experience to make. If you’re trying to decide what to use in your next project, checkout this MasterClass article on fabric uses. The fabrics I commonly use for quilting are cottons and flannels. For garment sewing, fabric choice is entirely dependant on what you want to make.

If you're sewing on a budget, only buy what you need for the project you are currently working on. Many sewists talk proudly about their fabric stash or collection, but as a beginner, you should be more concerned with learning. If you run across a fabric you love and happen to have some extra money on hand, feel free to buy some to use in the future, but never feel pressured to buy fabric for the sole purpose of building a stash.

When looking for cheap fabric, I like to visit the clearance section of my local fabric store. Most of the fabric there is no longer in production, so you won't be able to get more if you run out, but the reduction in price is great for experimenting and learning. You can also ask the employees if they have any products on sale. Thrift stores are another place you can get cheap fabric. Bedding, tablecloths and curtains behave much like yardage, and sometimes you can even find cuts of fabric that have been donated. You can also ask your local thrift store what they do with un-sellable items, such as clothing with torn seams, as those items may still have a lot of usable fabric in them. If shopping at a thrift store, be considerate of the other shoppers; don't buy plus sized clothing to use like a cut of fabric. The larger sizes are not donated as frequently as some smaller sizes, so please leave these garments for people who will wear them as they are.

A Project or Pattern:

There are lots of different ways to choose a project. You could download a free pattern, draft your own, or just wing it! If you want to invest some money, you could buy a pattern from a designer, of attend a class for a more personalized experience. The project you want to make and the pattern you choose to use will also affect the amount and type of fabric you buy, so make sure to read any instructions carefully before picking up your materials and hardware.

If you're struggling to understand a pattern, feel free to reach out to me and I'll do my best to help!

Fabric Scissors:

To make a sewing project, you will need to cut your thread and fabric. Craft or kitchen scissors may be enough to cut thread, but they will most likely chew up the edges of your fabric rather than cutting smoothly. Make sure to keep your fabric scissors labelled or in a safe place so they aren't accidentally used for other purposes. Cutting paper, plastic, and other non-fabric things will dull the blade of the scissors and make it more difficult to cut your fabric.

You will also want somewhere to cut. Many people will cut at a large dining room table or kitchen island, but if you don't have a big table, you can always use the floor. Wherever you cut, make sure you've cleared a space large enough for your project and removed anything you don't want to cut by accident.

Ruler or Measuring Tape:

Depending on which type of sewing you plan to explore, you will need either a measuring tape or ruler. Taking accurate measurements will help your projects fit well and look their best.

When quilting, you will need a straight ruler to mark the sizes of your pieces before cutting, and to check that your blocks are the correct size once assembled. But for garment sewing, a measuring tape is more useful. Their flexible nature allows measuring tapes to take accurate measurements around the body. Any garment you make should be custom sized to the person who will be wearing it, and even for something that isn't meant to fit tightly, you will need accurate measurements to determine which sized pattern to use.

Rulers and measuring tapes are some of the supplies you can buy very cheaply at the beginning and upgrade later on. They can both be found at discount and craft stores for under $3.

Good Lighting:

It is super important to be able to see the project you're working on. Eye strain makes mistakes more likely, and can cause irritation, migraines, and exhaustion. In other words, sewing in the dark is no fun. If you find yourself doing a lot of sewing in the evenings or if your home doesn't get very much natural light, you should buy a lamp.

I use a desk lamp with a bendable neck so I can point it in different directions depending on where I need the light focused. I think desk and office supplies usually go on sale around the end of August when students are furnishing and moving into their university and college residences.

A Positive Attitude:

This might seem cliche, but your attitude and emotions play a big part in the outcome of a sewing project. If you find yourself getting frustrated with your project, you should take a break, move around, drink some water and have something to eat, or get some sleep. Work on projects and ideas that get you excited to learn and experiment. If they don't come out exactly as you hoped, you've still learned many important skills that will make your next project even better! If you think a project is too difficult for you, try it anyway, you might surprise yourself. You can't expect every project to be done in a day, so make sure you're working on things that make you happy so you enjoy the time spent on your hobby.

Some Additional Resources

With these few tools, you can start hand sewing. A lot of people today assume that machine sewing is the best way, but there are many experienced sewists who prefer to sew certain parts of a project by hand, and couture sewing almost always includes handwork. Unfortunately, a lot of the tutorials and guides available online assume the readers have access to a sewing machine and will be using it, so the time estimates and instructions will be specifically geared towards machine users. The best community I’ve found for demonstrating hand sewing is the historical costuming community, especially those who recreate historical practice in their projects. I would recommend checking out Abby Cox and Bernadette Banner on YouTube, following those links will bring you to a playlist of each of their videos featuring advice for hand sewing.

This post has run a little long, so check back next week for Part 2 where I'll talk about the upgrades and additional tools you can use to bring your sewing to the next level!

In the meantime, Happy Sewing!

VA