We can say from experience that a sewing box can become a large assortment of tools real soon. To get started you’ll need the sewing essentials for beginners.
It’s easy to get carried away and buy everything you can possibly think you may need. And while it’s fun to buy all the bells and whistles, you only need these 7 things to complete most projects (obviously, besides the sewing machine).
I love to keep things simple wherever possible, especially with my sewing gear. Simply stock these sewing essentials for beginners and you’re ready to create thread art, stat!
Tip: Check out the best selling sewing machines for newbies and embroidery machines for beginners. These are great if you are starting out and want to learn more about the best sewing machines just for beginners.
Top 7 Sewing Essentials For Beginners
I promised to keep it simple. Here are the most important seven essentials for sewing beginners:
1. Fabric Scissors
First and foremost, having the right pair of fabric scissors is super important. These are unlike ordinary scissors as they are much sharper and are solely meant for fabrics.
Also, using this pair for any other cutting application (even cutting paper) dulls the blade and reduces its overall efficiency. Make sure you have a dedicated pair while you sit down to sew. In fact, I would suggest you have a special hiding place for these.
2. Seam Rippers
All beginner sewing essentials kits should include this nifty correction tool. Although it’s no fun to remove stitches, a seam ripper gets the job done whether you’ve made a mistake or are improving upon an old piece.
Just remember to replace it after you’ve used one extensively as they become dull with time.
3. Hand-Sewing Needles
Well, these little guys are pretty important too when you’re mending, basting, sewing on buttons, or hand sewing an indiscernible seam.
Just grab a variety of sizes as you’ll need them to work with fabrics of varying thickness
4. Measuring Tape
This may feel like a no-brainer, but we just want to stress how indispensable this item is. A measuring tape is primarily needed to determine accurate body measurements.
Also, you need one for measuring fabric width and other items when your sewing gauge or clear ruler falls short.
5. Seam Gauge
You may consider not buying a seam gauge if you already own a measuring tape. But we included this on our beginner sewing essentials list as it works well for creating perfectly even hems and taking down small measurements.
You can simply move the arrow slider along the length of the ruler and quickly mark the desired length in multiple areas.
6. Thread
The size of your thread collection will depend on the number of projects you’re working on since you’ll want to match the thread color to the particular fabric.
That being said, it’s best to always have black and cream in your stock. Also, don’t skimp on the thread quality as the cheaper stuff comes apart easily, leading to wardrobe malfunctions.
7. Pins
You’ll be needing a box of sewing pins to hold together several layers of fabric until they are sewn. You can select the length and type accordingly as the thin ones are ideal for fine fabric while the longer variety is used for quilting.
The glass and plastic round-head pins are most commonly used for sewing, but you can also look for ones with multiple color and shape options.
Another Tip: You can also choose to purchase a combo:
Final words
That’s it! You’re all set for sewing once you’ve collected all these necessary tools. And since we know how addictive it can get once you get the hang of it, we advise getting advanced tools like pinking shears, point turner, thread snips, and rotary cutter as you gradually develop your weaving skills.
