How to Stock a Sewing Area

Make sure you have these basic sewing tools on hand when working on any sewing project. The correct tools can save you both time and money.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dressmaker's Carbon
• Seam Roll
• Tailor's Hams
• Dressmaker Pins
• Dressmaker Shears
• Fabric Chalks
• Fabric Cutting Boards
• Fabric Pencils
• Fabric-marking Pens
• Hand Sewing Needles
• Measuring Tapes
• Pin Cushions
• Pinking Shears
• Sewing Machine
• Sewing Machine Needles
• Thimbles
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine Bobbins
• Scissors
• Yardsticks
• Tracing Wheels
• clear, plastic rulers

1. Choose a sewing machine according to your budget and sewing needs. Most modern machines have zigzag stitches as standard. Zigzag machines allow for a wider variety of stitches than do the older, straight-stitch models.

2. Choose quality cutting tools and keep their edges sharp. The use of dull-edged cutting tools can cause fabric to pull and rip or can leave jagged fabric edges along your cutting path.

3. Stock your sewing area with these cutting tools: dressmaker shears (bent-handled), scissors, pinking shears, seam ripper and cutting board. A cutting board helps prevent your cutting surface from being scratched.

4. Measure and mark fabric accurately by using the following tools: tape measure, ruler, yardstick, pins, pin cushion, dressmaker's carbon/tracing paper, tracing wheel, fabric chalk, fabric pencil and fabric marking pen.

5. Have these sewing tools and accessories available as well: thimble, needles for sewing with your machine or sewing by hand, bobbins and thread. Refer to your sewing machine owner's manual to determine the correct type of needle and bobbin for your machine.

6. Keep a variety of both hand and machine sewing needles among your supply of sewing tools. Needles of both types differ in size according to the fabric with which they are used. Change machine needles frequently.

7. Press your seams correctly to give garments a professional, finished look. To successfully achieve this look, you will need a tailor's ham and a seam roll. Both are used in conjunction with your iron and ironing board.

8. Use a tailor's ham for pressing and shaping curved seams. Use a seam roll to prevent the imprint of a seam from forming on the right side of the fabric.

9. Choose other sewing notions such as bias tape, zippers and buttons as required by your chosen sewing pattern.

Tips & Warnings

• Have cutting tools professionally sharpened for best results.
• Do not use shears to cut anything but fabric. Cutting paper will dull shear blades.
• Do not use scissors in place of a seam ripper. Most scissors are too large to rip a seam without also cutting into fabric. The best use for scissors is the cutting of small bits of fabric and snipping threads.
• Trim a raw edge of fabric with pinking shears to keep it from fraying or unraveling. Pinking shears are optional if you plan to finish raw fabric edges another way.
• A transparent, plastic ruler will allow you to see through to fabric when measuring and to mark lines more accurately.
• As you gain more sewing experience, you will develop a preferred method of marking fabric and will have a preference for one type of marking tool over another. Try different methods and tools until you find the ones that work best for you.
• Keep a variety of thread colors on hand. Black and white are staples. Purchase other colors as required by chosen sewing pattern.

[celticj]

on 6/16/2007 Thread: Years ago I bought a fishing tackle box. Size was about 12" in height and width. I has about 40 small tray that slide in and out. I put little stick-on dots and wrote the color on each dot which was on each box. Now threads never come unrolled and I can find the color I need right away. I organized from white to black with more than one drawer/tray for some colors I use often. I had left over drawers so I change add or change I aquire more thread in each color. I also keep the bobbins with that color in the same drawer/tray. THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE. I love to grab a thread to mend or start projects: they are all labeled so I just pull out the tray/drawer and find exact color I need.

on 8/8/2006 On a block of wood, tap in five or six 3 inch nails 1.5 inches apart in a straight line. The bobbins will stack on the nails, ready to use at any time.

on 3/13/2006 Put fabric, pattern, zipper and other specific items in a large Ziploc bag so that it stays clean and everything for that project is in one place.

on 2/14/2006 I bought a white shoe cubby to store my extra fabric in. I roll the fabric and wrap them in cling wrap, then I cut a piece off the fabric and pin it to the outside of the cling wrap. That way the fabric stays clean and you can glance to see which one you want to use instead of unwrapping the fabric. Also, I save paper towel rolls and wrapping paper rolls to roll the fabric on.
Shoe cubbies come in different size, I bought one that holds 15 shoes.

on 1/9/2006 A medicine pill box is also a great way to keep bobbins organized.