Sewing is a very useful skill to have. Being able to make repairs to ripped clothes instead of heading straight out to the store, as well as the ability to revamp old curtains and other household fabrics, could save you money. Whether you’re talented enough to make clothes from scratch or not, it’s always a good idea to have a well-stocked sewing kit at home.
Here are some essential items that should be in yours.
1. Dress Pins and Pincushion
If you’re making alterations or need to keep some fabric in place, dress pins are perfect for the job, especially when paired with a pincushion. It is an easy and comfortable way for you to carry your pins with you as you make alterations on clothes. Just remember to take the pins out before you try anything on!
2. Grommets
You might not recognize these items at first if you’re not used to sewing, but they’re very versatile and used to help strengthen fabrics and hold them in place. They are the small metal circles that you can see in the corners of tarp (where you can feed through string), curtains, shoes, even corsets! You can buy grommets in various sizes and colors at Goldstar Tool.
3. Good Dressmaking Scissors
Whatever your sewing project, big or small, you’re likely to need to make cuts to the fabric somewhere. If you use blunt scissors, you could risk an uneven cut and snag the fabric. Why not just use kitchen scissors or others in the house? You can, but if you are going to use scissors from your kitchen, for example, you could risk staining the fabric if there is any left-over grease or other residues on them. Invest in top-quality dressmaking scissors for your sewing kit.
4. Neutral Threads
A range of colors would be just as good, but if you’re only keeping your sewing kit for small jobs, then neutral threads are all you need. They’re great to have at hand to make small repairs as they will match most fabrics. Tan, white, cream, beige, and black are all good colored threads to have.
5. Spare Buttons
Buttons are the most common things that need replacing/repairing on apparel. Usually, store-bought clothing does come with a spare button, so instead of throwing that away, place it in your sewing kit in case you need it. If not, having a collection of spare buttons is a good idea. Like the threads, your buttons should be neutral to make sure they match the majority of items, but there are plenty of colorful and fun buttons you could add to your collection if you wanted to.
6. Tape Measure
Of course, if you’re going to be making alterations to anything, you will need to have the right measurements to do so properly. Always have a tape measure in your sewing kit – it could come in handy for several DIY projects! There are plenty of other items you can have in your sewing kit at home, but the above are absolute essentials!
