When starting a new creative hobby, you want to buy the necessary materials to start your learning well. In sewing, the choice of materials is so vast that it is sometimes difficult to determine what is really necessary and what is just a gadget.

I invite you to discover my selection of essentials for the apprentice sewer!

Let's get started!

1. Tailor's scissors and embroidery scissors

For tailor's scissors, I recommend investing in a good quality pair with well-sharpened blades. If you love sewing, don’t buy cheap sewing scissors; they will last 6 months to 1 year before being useless because unfortunately most of these cheap scissors cannot be sharpened 😅. 

Choose a pair of scissors that can be sharpened and will accompany you for several years in your learning process. 

Expect to pay at least 25/30 euros for your first purchase. Choose a pair at least 20cm long; this will make cutting large pieces of fabric easier.

For the pair of embroidery scissors, I recommend choosing small scissors with sharp blades whose loops fit your fingers well. This pair will be used to cut small threads, mark your assembly notches, trim, and possibly open a buttonhole...

Some pairs are decorated or use animal patterns. Everyone has already seen the famous golden bird pattern: the famous storks!

Expect to pay around 10/15 euros for this type of scissors. 

Finally, to complete the trio of scissors: the pair of scissors for paper. This one can be bought cheaply.

You can recycle your office scissors; that will be perfect. It is strictly forbidden to cut anything other than fabric with tailor's and embroidery scissors because you will damage the blades. They will become dull and will never cut fabric as well again.

If you have children or an unscrupulous 😂 or misguided partner, keep these two pairs out of their reach ;-)

2. The seam ripper aka my friend

The seam ripper: my friend! When you start sewing and even when you are more advanced, you rip seams out and that's perfectly normal. So when you make a mistake, you'll need a seam ripper.

This is a kind of small knife that allows you to undo stitches quickly and neatly.

Be careful, despite its size, the seam ripper is very sharp/pointed. It's a small knife. In fact, every seam ripper has a cap. Be sure to close this little cap properly to avoid injury and handle it with care. This tool will also be useful later for opening buttonholes.

There are seam rippers with thinner or thicker handles; it's a matter of taste. For my part, I prefer the small ones. 

3. Pins

For pins, start by buying basic all-metal pins, preferably medium size (neither extra fine nor too thick).

Decorative needles are tempting but they are not very practical for beginners.

4. Sewing needles

For needles, I recommend buying small kits that include several lengths and thicknesses of needles. This will allow you to discover which ones suit you best.

Hand needles as well as pins need to be replaced from time to time because they can bend or wear out due to the acidity of finger sweat.

Don't hesitate to replace them. 

5. A pincushion / magnetic pincushion

To avoid losing and scattering your needles and pins all over the workshop, I recommend two purchases: a pincushion to store your needles and a magnetic pin holder.

For my part, I have 2 magnets and I couldn’t do without them! I leave one on the sewing table and the other near my machine. This tool gathers pins and especially prevents losing them. The worst that can happen is spilling your pin box... with the magnet, that’s a thing of the past.

6. Sewing thread

After cutting your pieces, you will sew with good thread. Don’t skimp on thread!

A good quality thread is a good investment and will be necessary to sew a garment that no one will guess is handmade. A good quality thread won’t pill, won’t break easily, and won’t damage your machine’s mechanism. 

To start, you can buy basic colors like white, black, beige, navy blue, and red. This will allow you to match your threads well with the fabrics of your first creations.

Some haberdashery brands offer starter kits, you can buy these which allow you to save a little money.

7. Basting thread

The basting thread is a thread used to temporarily hold fabric pieces together so they don’t move during machine sewing. The basting thread will then be removed after machine sewing.

This thread breaks easily, it is fragile, which is normal. You will find large white spools or smaller models in white, light blue, yellow, or red. The goal is for it to contrast with your fabric so it can be spotted and removed once the operation is done.

8. Marking tools: chalk, felt pen...

Depending on your projects, you will need to use marking tools. Several are available, the most well-known is the classic tailor's chalk, but I find it inconvenient to use. I prefer to use a chalk mechanical pencil with a white or colored lead depending on the color of the fabric I need to mark.

The drawback of this one is that the line is rather thick. To overcome this flaw, you can use a Bohin mechanical pencil. 

There are also heat- or wash-erasable pens. I recommend testing them on your project fabric to see if the mark disappears well because sometimes the pens leave traces.

9. The tape measure

The tape measure will help you take measurements. Indeed, to determine your size, you will need to take your measurements. Most of the time, you will have three measurements to take: bust, waist, and hips. Based on your measurements, you can refer to the size chart provided with the pattern and determine the size you will copy.

I also use the tape measure at the sewing table to check my seams, transfers, measurements... It's always very useful to have it around your neck. 

10. The iron

Invest in a good iron if you don't have one. It's mandatory to have an iron nearby when sewing:
- for ironing the fabric
- opening seams
- marking folds and hems
- ....

It's really essential.

Bonus: the sewing machine

If you are starting sewing, I advise you to try different brands before choosing.
I refer you to my article "How to choose your sewing machine? My 7 essential criteria to avoid mistakes." If you want to learn a bit more about the machines I chose for the workshop, I also wrote an article on this topic "I test the workshop sewing machines: Janome Sewist 780DC."

As for me, I always sew with the workshop machines, especially when I test new courses, and otherwise I always have my personal machine: my Skyline S7. 

There you go, you know more about the basic equipment to get started well in sewing.

And you, do you already have this equipment in your sewing kit?

Get your needles ready!

PS: I'll add a little gadget that's quite essential... the fabric tester. It's a little creature that checks the quality of fabrics before or during cutting, depending on the nap time.

But maybe you already have one! 😂

Gala wishes you a great sewing time too! 

See you soon!