What to have in a sewing kit

So now is roughly that time of year where people are applying to art college or university. Good luck if you have any interviews or portfolio reviews! I thought it would be a good time to post about what is needed for a basic sewing kit for those of you going to study something fashion or costume related – or if you just fancy starting to learn to sew J

Before I started my first year of university I was sent a list of things that I needed to buy which scared me as I didn’t have a clue what a lot of the stuff was. So I figured it might be helpful for me to outline what you need, what they are, how much you should spend and where to buy them.

What to have in your sewing kit

Sewing bag/purse

Something to put all your kit it. I wouldn’t recommend a box as they’re just too heavy. Just something perhaps the size of a large pencil case will do.

Fiskcars Embroidery Scissors

Fabric Scissors, Pinking Shears, Embroidery Scissors

Fiskars Dressmaking Shears

Fiskars Pinking Shears

Price varies.

Investing in a good pair of fabric scissors is pretty essential. Spending a good amount of money normally means that they will be a good pair but as a student I didn’t want to go too overboard. Fiskars are a good brand costing around £25 a pair and around £10 for embroidery. As you grow more experienced you will probably end up buying a few different pairs for cutting different fabrics (eg. Really sharp for silks etc.).

Look after your scissors – ie. Don’t cut paper with them!

Tape measure

Tape Measure

Approximately £1.

One with inches and cm is handy.

Hand needles

Embroidery needles

Leather needles

Approximately £1.50 per pack.

A range of different sizes, embroidery, leather, machine needles of different sizes etc.

Thimble

Thimble

Approximately £1.50.

Look after your fingers!

Black and White thread

Black and white thread

Approximately £2.50 for 100m of cotton. Around £2 for 1000m of polyester.

If you can fit other colours in there then great! It’s also good to have a cheap thread in there too for tacking.

Pins & Pin cushion

Dressmakers Pins

Around £2.50 for a box of pins. Pin cushions vary depending on design.

I have 2 pin cushions and one straps round my wrist which is really helpful. I try to have two boxes of pins in my kit because when I’m doing a large project I tend to get through them quite quickly.

Safety pins

Hemline 46mm safety pins

I would pay around £2 for 20 ish.

Large sharp ones – around 45mm. It is good investing in good quality safety pins.

Quick unpick/ Seam ripper

Seam Ripper

Around 50p - £1

If you have never used one of these before it will be your new best friend. It’s a really quick way of unpicking unwanted stitches and can rip through a seam in seconds. Be very careful with delicate fabrics though.

Tailor’s Chalk

Tailor's Chalk

Approximately 50p - £1 each

There are many types of tailors chalk nowadays. Chalk pencils, marker pens. I am sure they’re all very good but I still use old fashioned chalk. Make sure you keep it sharp with a chalk sharpener or just some scissors – not your fabric ones! I’ve been told to use yellow – probably because it shows up on most things.

Pattern Master

Pattern Master

About £25 – can be found cheaper on amazon.

I had no idea what this was before I started uni but I really don’t know how I managed without one now. It’s basically a 40cm ruler used for pattern drafting where you can check your lines are straight, perpendicular, draw curves – it’s fab!

Tracing Wheel & Carbon Paper

Hemline dressmakers carbon paper

Tracing Wheel

About £2 for a tracing wheel. Around £8 for 5 large sheets of coloured carbon paper.

A tracing wheel is used to mark on your seam allowance lines using carbon paper. Worth buying!

Loop Turner

Loop Turner

Around £4

So when you make rouloux loops you sew it inside out then turn it through. A loop turner will save you a lot of time and can pull it out the right way really quickly instead of fiddling about with your fingers.

Punch pliers

Punch Pliers

About £15

Maybe not essential for a beginner but you will need one eventually. Essential for corsetry.

Screw driver

For changing needles in machines etc. Very handy and necessary for your sewing kit.

Pencil and rubber

Always handy.

Where to buy supplies

Morplan – great for buying large quantities of items at cheap prices

Amazon – generally things are at a discounted price so a good place to buy your more expensive items like scissors

Your local sewing shop or haberdashery – you are likely to find a lot of the stuff in a standard sewing shop like needles, pins, chalk etc.

Muccoloch and Wallis – pretty much have everything but can be expensive

John Lewis – again, will probably have everything and should be good quality

I haven’t mentioned everything you will need but this is just a basic guideline to start off with. I’m sure as you’re going along sewing you will find new equipment that makes your life easier so please comment below on anything you find useful. Happy sewing!