10 Items for a Beginner Sewing Kit

I  am so very proud to say that my husband’s niece has taken up sewing this year! I am one pleased aunt for sure. So in light of her new adventure I have taken it upon myself to assemble a sewing kit for her with some of my sewing favorites.

When I was starting out I just had all of my mom’s old sewing supplies scissors, thread, pins, sewing needles, and my grandmother’s machine. I started on hand-me down items which was totally fine due to the level of sewing I was at and as time went on I discovered some of the best tools of the trade.

Before I began I did a little bit of research to decide what exactly I should put in her starter sewing kit. I take advantage of the fact that I have everything I could possibly need with in arms reach and since I never had to start from scratch it was fun trying to build one. Closet Case Patterns has a really great post on the 13 SEWING TOOLS TO SPLURGE ON. I didn’t get my niece everything on this list but here is what I did purchase for her.

1. Fiskars 8 Inch Forged Scissors | 2. Fiskars 4 Inch Forged Embroidery Scissors | 3. Dritz 100-Piece Long Pearlized Pins, 1-1/2-Inch, Fuchsia | 4. Zirkel Magnetic Organizer ZMOR Pin Cushion | 5. Clover Seam Ripper | 6. Singer 60-Inch Tape Measure |7. Clover Pen Style Chaco Liner Pink | 8. Dritz Assorted Hand Sewing Needles | 9. Dritz Sewing Gauge | 10. Singer Simple Sewing Guide: Essential Machine-Side Tips and Techniques

1. & 2. I started with some good scissors because everyone needs a pair for cutting into that fabric that aren’t used for paper. I purchased both 8″ and 4″ scissors with the 8″ being great for larger cuts and the 4″ good for trimming threads. I love my 4″ scissors and I’ve used the Fiskars brand for a long time, even my mom and grandmother had a pair they passed to me. Hopefully these will get much love as well.

3. & 4. Now several sewing bloggers and indie brands highly recommend glass head straight pins for ironing purposes, if you run over these pins with an iron you could melt the tops. However with her just starting out in the sewing world I thought I would get her some regular straight pins as 9 times out of 10 the pins end up on the floor or get lost. Having color ends makes them so much easier to find and decreases the chance of being stabbed in the foot. (Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything. :P) Of course what is sewing without a good quality pin cushion. I love my magnetic pin cushion that my husband created for me out of a tea tin lid and rare earth magnets and it’s so much easier to use than a typical pin cushion. Plus you can run this across your sewing surface to collect those pins laying about.

5. Everyone needs a good seam ripper. Closet Case Patterns recommended this one and I had to snag one for myself. I can just say this is literally the BEST seam ripper ever. Nuf said.

6. For the soft measuring tape I included one from my own personal stash since I have a total of 5. (I kept losing them in my sewing stash. Now they all have a home.) But if you’re looking for a good tape any will really do. Some are stiffer than others and some come in retractable cases, it’s all just personal preference as to which to get.

7. I listen to the podcast Sewing Out Loud and they recommended these Clover Chaco Liner pens and since I loath tailor’s chalk I thought I’d give this a try. It’s a great tool to use and I can’t wait to buy one in every color and throw out that annoying tailor’s chalk. It takes a little bit to get serious pigment out but when you get the hang of it, it’s great.

8. For hand sewing needles again I went the inexpensive route, simply because these are what I use on a daily bases. As she gets more into sewing and hand sewing I’ll recommend the better needles.

9. The dritz seam gauge isn’t a tool that I use all the time but when I need to check the seam it sure is handy to have.

10. Lastly, I purchased a copy of they out of print Singer Simple Sewing Guide. I purchased my copy when I started to get back into sewing in High School and it has some good information in it that I refer to occasionally. Hopefully she will be able to do the same.

Well there you have it. A long winded explanation of the items that I would purchase again and again for a beginner sewing kit. If I had a larger budget I probably would have added a couple more things such as thread, a thimble, and sewing machine needles. Hope you enjoyed it.