10 Tools To Buy For The Sewing Beginner

So your shiny new sewing machine arrived in a pretty box. Wish you could get started? Use the list below to arm yourselves with basic tools and needs for the beginning sewer. Like me, if you have not been to a fabric store before, things can get quite intimidating with all the choices in the stores. But my advice is simple – persist in your efforts and you will be well rewarded. Please note that I am largely interested in making purses, handbags and other home decoration items. So my list is compiled from that perspective. I can however confidently state that the majority of these items are a must no matter what you plan to sew. The list below contains the most basic things one must have and is by no means exhaustive.

If you live anywhere near an IKEA, I found a great sewing starter kit there . The kit is a great deal at $6.99 and contains the following: fabric shears, seam ripper, pin cushion with pins, black and white thread, hand sewing needles and measuring tape. A very handy set. I found the quality to be fairly good for the price, though the box in which it came gave away easily.

1. Fabric Shears – You will need this to cut a lot of fabric, so I advise buying a good pair. Gingham is a good brand, although on the pricier side. Never use your fabric shears to cut paper.
2. Small Scissors – A small pair will do nicely to cut paper, threads, notions and other miscellaneous items.
3. Seam Ripper – Touted to be the sewer’s best friend. To err is human, to forgive is ..well, let the seam ripper do it.
4. Measuring Tape – A flexible one or the one in the casing based on what projects you will be doing.
5. Transparent Ruler (with 1/8th inc markings) – Also known as a quilting ruler, this tool is useful when you want to draw on paper.
6. Muslin Fabric – Stock up on a few yards of muslin to practice. The prospect of running your shears through expensive fabric is terrifying for the new sewer. It will also serve as an ideal press cloth for ironing on interfacing.
7. Pins and Pin Cushion
8. Markers - Erasable markers or chalk to mark on fabric (on the wrong side only!)
9. Tracing Paper – Though you may have purchased a pattern, it is better to trace it out on tracing paper so that the pattern can easily be used again.
10. Iron and Ironing Board – Pressing your project as you work along is critical. It gets rid of creases, keeps seams flat and manageable and strengthens the seams. Have your iron and iron board set up near an electrical outlet so that Ironing can get fun.

How I bought my first sewing machine online … and 5 tips to help you get yours!

During my lifetime, I have never had any trouble buying any electronic goods. Reviews were always a plenty on sites like Amazon and finding a good deal and comparison shopping was a breeze, to say the least. I figured it would be the same case with a sewing machine.

No, it wasn’t. There aren’t too many reviews online, the prices vary significantly between models. Now then, you have to remember that this is a person who never had a sewing class in school, whose mother did not sew, whose grandmother did not sew and who only liked to shop on Amazon. Forget that, the first time I went to a fabric store, I was stymied. I did not know how I was supposed to buy the fabric. The choices are mind-boggling. It felt as if there is an entire universe that I missed out on and here I was, thinking that I was fairly well endowed with the ways of the world.

There were Singers and Brothers, reviews were hard to find, people only recommended that you go to dealer. What was more mystifying to me were the innumerable models out there and the names of the model. 25-stitch, 100-stitch, free arm, computerized, electronic, serger (what is that?), tension (I know that!), quilter, embroider and the whole gamut of features was prominently displayed along with the model name. After considerable deliberation, I eventually ended up getting the Brother XL2600i. And yes, despite the “buy from a dealer” advice, I couldn’t resist the good price online. I got my little toy delivered in 2 days and am now having fun playing with it.

Some tips to consider when buying your first sewing machine:

1. You do not need a 100-stitch machine

Many machines offer anything from 10 stitches to a 100 stitches. What exactly is this? Basically, you can set the machine to sew many types of stitches – most of them are decorative and are probably not used for everyday stitching. If all you plan to make is simple clothes, purses, home decor items – you probably only need a model with around 10 stitches. The model that I bought has 25 stitches. Many of them look uber-cool, but I doubt I will learn how to use them in the near future. If you like embroidery however, this becomes an interesting question as you may want to have decorative stitches.

2. A less expensive model need not be of low quality!

It’s probably less expensive for a reason. Maybe it only does the basic tasks. As a beginner, you might want to consider buying a simple sewing machine with all the basic features. I have read reviews about the basic Brother machine or the Singer machine online and it seems to work for people. Well, it certainly does work for me. I wanted a sturdy machine that did the basic stitches, but that had some modern features in it such that I would want to keep it at least until I gained considerable experience.

3. Know the difference between a computerized model and a mechanical model

Saw a cool computerized version that cost $75 more? It may be a good idea to think twice about it. Threading a machine is fairly easy on a mechanical version. Many machines also come with a 1-click bobbin inserting mechanism, which makes inserting a bobbin a cup of tea! A sewing machine that is computerized usually has the option to automate certain tasks – certain types of stitches for your project.

4. Always check out the manufacturer’s website

The manufacturer’s website lists out all the models it carries. So let us say you found something interesting online, while looking it up on the manufacturer’s website, you will get to see what similar models they carry and what are the features on each. This will increase your familiarity with the brand itself and if you do spot other models on different websites, at least you will have a fair idea as to what you really need.

5. Know your budget well

I have seen machines ranging from the 50’s to hundreds of dollars. The more professional ones cost thousands, but we will not look at those at this stage. My logic in choosing my budget was as follows: I wanted something that will be robust and that will offer reasonable flexibility in sewing heavy weight fabrics. I believe you could spend somewhere in between $60 to $150 and get a machine that suits your budget.