Chances are you have done a home economics class back in the days but you might have forgotten all that you have learned, and now you want to remember them all again because you have a sewing project you need to finish. But before you take a crash course on how to sew, you have to prepare first the tools that you would need. You would not use all these tools; it just really depends on how elaborate your sewing project is.

Tape Measure

This is a very important tool in a tailor and seamstress’ sewing box. Every sewing project must start with a measurement because you could not sew a dress or pants to fit the wearer perfectly if you don’t have their correct measurement.

Tape measures usually have inches on one side and millimetres or centimetres on the other side for ease of use. You would need a tape measure not only to take body measurements but for other sewing projects as well, say you want to sew a table cloth. In order to sew a table cloth that would cover the entirety of the table’s circumference, you have to measure it first.

Needles

With needles, you have to remember that size matters. Not any needle will do especially if you will be sewing something intricate or you will be using a delicate fabric. Needles vary in different types of points and sizes. If you will be using thicker fabrics such as denim, corduroy, wool, suede, canvas, etc. it’s best to use heavy needles to pierce through the fabric and use finer needles for chiffon, sheer, lace, silk and other dainty and flimsy fabrics.

Other types of high-quality sewing needles are quilting needles, embroidery needles, upholstery needles, doll needles, etc. This is the reason why it is best to use the needle that is specific to your sewing project. You have to remember as well that the larger the number of the needle’s size, the smaller it is.

Scissors

Before you start any sewing project, you have to make sure that your scissors are sharp. Blunt scissors will result in a botched sewing project because of the uneven cutting and mutilated fabric and will make your hand tired because of the constant snipping trying to cut the fabric. Caring for your scissors is easy, you just need to make sure the blades are clean and you regularly oil them.

Seam Ripper

You might think that a seam ripper is unnecessary since you already have scissors but having a seam ripper would make it easy to remove unwanted stitches. The fine tip of a seam ripper lets you remove single threads while the rounded one is used for the whole seam without damaging the fabric.

Other basic sewing tools that you should consider having before starting a sewing project are pins and pincushions, needle threader, sewing gauges, cutting mat, rotary cutter and ruler. Aside from the pins and pincushions, the other tools are not that as necessary, depending on your requirement and project.