Your sewing starter kit
You don’t need to spend lots to get started. You can pick up the essentials, like needles and threads, from your local supermarket!
1 All purpose glue It’s always useful to have a tube ofthis stuff in your box!
2 Ribbons & braiding You can collect and build all of this up from old projects.
3 Safety pins Often found lying around your house.I use them when altering clothes – they stay in place better than pins and won’t draw blood when you’re trying stuff on!
4 Bobbins If you invest in a sewing machine then you’ll get a few bobbins with it. I usually have about six so I can switch colours without having to re-load my bobbin. It’s always good to have a blackand a white one.
5 Cotton reels Start with black and white. For eachproject it’s best to buy a colour that matches or is slightly darker than the main colour of your fabric.Use cotton thread on natural fabric and nylon thread on man-made fabric.
6 Hand needles You can buy these in most convenience stores. Packs tend to include varying sizes, but just use a reasonably thin 2-inch needle.
7 Spare machine needles Like the bobbins, if you buy a sewing machine then it’s good to have a pack of these in your kit. Sometimes your needle will break and there’s nothing worse than being halfway through a project only to fi nd you’ve run out of needles!
8 Large fabric scissors A good pair of scissors will last you a lifetime. Only use them for fabric or they will blunt very easily! Go to your local cobbler to get them sharpened.
9 Unpicker/seam ripper As the name suggests, use this to rip seams and unpick stitches – great for mistakes and alterations.
10 Buttons All mums have a button box somewhere in their house!Have a search to see what you can fi nd.
11 Tape measure Another useful tool that you often fi nd in a Christmas cracker!
12 Embroidery thread Thicker yarn that can add colour, texture and style to garments.
13 Tailor’s chalk This rubs off easily and is great to mark where you need to sew. Your local haberdashery will sell washable pens and felt tips too,which all do the same job.
14 Small scissors Use to cut threads and small details. Nail scissors from that manicure set you got last Christmas are the perfect tool. Make sure they have small blades and a sharp point at the end (you can often use these instead of an unpicker). I wear mine on elastic round my neck so I don’t lose them while I'm sewing. Warning: Make sure you have a blade protector on them if you do this!
