People who are new to sewing can start in several different ways. Some begin with a simple handheld needle, thread, and fabric, while others dive right into using a sewing machine.
As you expand your skills as a sewist, you may realize that you need more items to expand your sewing abilities. Small sewing tools like needles, scissors, pins, and similar items are called sewing notions.
There are several reasons you might want to add new sewing notions to your toolkit. With more tools at your disposal, you can take on more difficult projects with your sewing machine. More advanced materials like denim and leather require different types of needles, thread, or other items to successfully sew with, which explains the need for additional sewing notions.
Having more sewing notions at your disposal can also help you make even simple projects look more finished and professional. That is why professional sewists like to keep such a wide range of sewing notions in their kits.
Let’s look at a few of the sewing notions you should consider adding to your kit to bring your sewing to the next level.
Every sewing machine comes with standard needles that work for several types of fabrics and projects. However, these will only get you so far in advanced sewing projects.
You can invest in some universal needles for your sewing kit to have on hand if you ever want to work with a more complex material. These needles can be used for so many tasks and are durable for many hours of use. You can also get specialized needles for pieces created using especially thick fabric or for detailed work like embroidery.
Most professional and even DIY sewists use sewing machines for their projects, but there may come a time when you would prefer to finish a stitch by hand or simply practice your hand-sewing skills. That’s why it’s important to have hand-sewing needles available in your sewing notions collection.
You can make threading easier by taking advantage of the threading tool that comes with many packs of hand-sewing needles. Some even include self-threading needles to further facilitate the threading process.
Having scissors handy during any sewing project is crucial to ensure that your fabric is the right size and shape. However, you shouldn’t use just any scissors to cut your sewing fabric, as regular scissors could create a haphazard cut.
A pair of high-quality sewing scissors is a great investment for any sewist. They will give you a smooth cut every time.
In any sewing project, it is also essential to have fabric pieces that are the same length. If your fabric is improperly measured, you could end up with an unprofessional look or even a finished product that doesn’t function the way it should.
That’s why garment measuring tape is an important part of any sewing kit. You should make sure your measuring tape is at least 15 feet long and shows measurements in both centimeters and inches.
Every sewist works to make their stitches as perfect as possible, but even the most advanced sewing machine users will need to rip stitches and start over once in a while. Sewing kits often include a seam ripper, but if you don’t have one, this sewing notion is a great one to have on hand in case of mistakes.
As you create a new garment or mend an old one, you’ll need to mark certain places on the fabric to know exactly where to pin or sew. However, a pen or marker would leave a permanent stain on your project.
For that reason, specialized marking tools for sewing are an important part of any sewing kit. Add some tailor’s chalk and a disappearing fabric marker to your tool kit for easy, washable marking.
Sewing notions are the small details that truly add up for any sewist. Find the sewing notions you need and much more at GoldStar Tool.