We all have our favorite tools of our trade. And our favorite brands of these tools. Today I want to share mine with you. Good tools make a job so much easier, and it doesn’t have to be costly to outfit your sewing room with a few of these. Or all of them as far as that goes.
- The first tool is a decent scissors. I love my Gingher one, similar to this one. I have gotten it professionally sharpened (at least) twice, but I’m thinking I’m soon due for a new one. I also have this one from LDH. It is a bit big for fine cutting, but I love it for heavy duty stuff, like bulk cutting denim patches or something like that.
- I also love me a good pair of thread snips. I have this one from LDH Scissors that is amazing. Before this I was using a pair of bandage scissors that was discovered in the cabinet of my first (used) sewing machine. I had been using them for 15 years for sure.
- Every seamstress needs a good seam ripper. I currently have this one and it is serving me well. I used to have two, but one has gone missing or else my mom took it. So I should get another one soon, because these tend to travel without me.
- Pins. Good quality pins. And a magnetic pin catcher. If someone wants to buy me a present, I’d take one of these. Ha ha.
- Next I shall wax eloquent on the benefits of a flexible measuring tape. These things are indispensable. I am round. A yard/meter stick does not go round. A flexible measuring tape does. I personally love the ones that start at Zero on both ends, on opposite sides. Because I always forget which end is Zero otherwise. And I dislike being in the dark.
- Oh, I also love my small hanging garbage can that parks beside my sewing machine. I also dislike extra steps. Might suddenly get healthy or something. This one was made for me many years ago by a dear friend.
- Pattern. Weights. Because, you know, patterns never ever lay flat on your fabric, and always move. Mine are just random bits and pieces collected over the years: my first set (of 5) was homemade by my cousins for my mom. They are old grinding pieces from a feed mix mill. My next set (of 4) are gorgeous stainless steel ones my hubby cut from a piece of stainless rod (?). He made some for the 3 girls that I taught sewing to once and these were the spares. My last set (of a dozen) is steel flat bar cut into chunks and painted with felt glued to the bottom.
- For tracing patterns, I love to use this stuff from Amazon. It is medical table paper, but I buy the 36 inch wide stuff. So that I have wiggle room. (I see the price is atrocious, so I may have to find an alternative. Eek. Any input?)
- Marking devices: chalk pen, marker, and such. To mark darts and to draw tuck lines. This chalk pen for dark fabric and the marker for lighter fabric. I definitely don’t have the best marker because I tend to wing too many things instead of marking them properly. Oops. I dream of having some of the Frixion Pens like these ones.
- And I also love a good straight edge stiff ruler. I have a 6” by 24” quilting ruler that I use to draw those straight edges when I’m extending a skirt or sleeves. And of course a decent sewing gauge is indispensable.
- I think my Pfaff sewing machine is the best one for me. As well as my Babylock serger (mine is an older version of this one) and Janome coverstitch. Well, the jury is still out on the coverstitch. Some day when I’m rich and famous I would like a Babylock coverstitch. Until then, my Janome will do the trick. (I want to do full-fledged reviews on each of my machines yet, but at the rate I write blog posts…)
If you got till the end, bless you. None of these links are affiliate links, just convenient places for me to search. Happy sewing.
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