How to Stock a Sewing Kit for a College Student

College dormitories are great places to live especially when you have what you need when you need it. At home there is always a safety pin or a needle and some thread or an extra button somewhere, but who will you go to if you suddenly need to jury rig an outfit at the last minute at school? Be the go-to person in your hall by stocking a sewing kit with all the little items that you never expect to need but just might someday.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plastic or metal box that closes tight about the size of most shoe boxes
• Needles
• 1 spool each of black, white, red, navy, and neutral thread
• Assorted safety pins
• Straight pins
• Pin cushion
• Small sharp scissors
• Assorted buttons
• Hooks and eyes
• 6 inch squares of denim for patches
• Measuring tape
• Zipper closing plastic sandwich bags
• 6 inch square of paper or felt
• Permanent marker

1. Shop for the needles, thread, scissors, buttons, hooks and eyes, straight pins, safety pins, pin cushion, measuring tape and the container. It is important that your container close tightly so that the lid cannot come off if the box drops. Stocking a sewing kit for a college student (assume that this student is not a skilled seamstress or tailor but rather a novice when it comes to sewing anything) is a bit more involved than just tossing all of these items in the box. This sewing kit will be stocked so that it is easy to use even if the student has never touched a needle and thread before.

2. Open the needle package. Thread each needle. Make a few more black and white threaded needles than colored ones. Start with a piece of thread about 36 inches long. Poke one end of it through the eye of the needle doubling the thread so that you can tie a knot at the bottom leaving about 18 inches of thread ready for sewing. Insert the threaded needle into a piece of felt or paper so that both the top and the bottom of the needle are on the same side of the paper and the underside only shows about 1/4 inch of the shaft. Carefully wind the thread around the needle so that it will not get tangled up and so that it is truly ready to use when necessary. Repeat this with each needle. Place the threaded needles into a zipper closing plastic sandwich bag. You can even use a marker to label the bag: "Threaded needles." Put the bag and the spools of thread into the box.

3. Remove the straight pins from their package and insert them into the pin cushion. Now they won't fall out and clutter the bottom of the box. Place the pin cushion into the box. Add the safety pins, buttons, and the hooks and eyes to the box along with the scissors.

4. Cut several 6 inch squares of denim from worn out blue jeans for patches. Place these in the box as well.

5. Spend about 15 minutes demonstrating to your student how to sew on a button. Show the student how to sew on a patch. Give a brief inventory of the contents of the sewing box and answer any questions. Of course, make yourself available by phone or email to give tips if the student needs to mend anything during the year.