Garment Sewing Must-Haves
- Classic 45mm Loop Rotary Cutter – My favorite for cutting garments out easily!
- 45mm Rotary Blades – Don’t forget to change your blades after a while! It makes a huge difference.
- 24×36″ Large Self-Healing Cutting Mat – I’ve had a not so good cutting mat in the past, and it was a pain! But this one is so nice and makes cutting out projects much better.
- Pattern Weights – These are very basic, but they’re functional. You can also make your own! There are lots of pattern weight tutorials online.
- Pattern Weight Set – These are super useful for cutting garments and small pattern pieces.
- Kai 5210 8″ Scissors – A great option if you like cutting out pattern pieces with scissors or if you need to cut thicker fabrics.
- Disappearing Ink Fabric Marking Pen – Blue – I’ve had these for years and never had any issues with them washing out completely.
- 18″ French Curve/Vary Form Curve Ruler – So useful when making pattern adjustments to curves or truing seams.
- Omnigrid Non-Slip Quilter’s Ruler 6×42″ – I use this with almost every pattern to lengthen pattern pieces super easily!
Sewing Essentials to Have Within Reach
- Wash-A-way Wonder Tape – This is my MVP. I’ve never had any problems with this washing out, and it holds things in place SO nicely!
- Chalk Marker – I’ve had mine for years, so the style has changed, but the function is the same! I love using this for marking darts and the placements for pockets.
- Sewing Gauge – Nice to have a couple! One by the machine and one by the iron.
- Seam Ripper – I like using these small ones because they’re nice and sharp! Also good to have a few of them in case you misplace one.
- Point Turner – Such a great tool to separate seams and get sharp corners.
- Kai 5 1/2″ Scissors – I’ve had mine since 2017 and still sharp as ever! They are always by my machine to clip threads, and also great for cutting buttonholes open.
- Multipurpose Sewing Clips – Love using these for holding gathers in place!
- Seam Jumper – I got my seam jumpers from a sewing retreat, so these aren’t the exact ones, but they are so useful! I’ve used them a lot for making bags or while making things with thicker fabrics. But I just learned it’s great for buttons too! So, I’ll be using it for that in the future too.
- Wooden Thread Rack – So great for displaying your thread on a table or hanging on the wall for easy access and organization.
Pressing Makes Perfect
- Rowenta Focus Stainless Steel Steam Iron – Pressing/steaming is essential to making your garment look professional, and having a good steam iron is a game changer. If you’re in Europe, I have the Braun TexStyle 7, and it works really well, too.
- Wool Tailor’s Ham – This is so useful for getting curves pressed nicely.
- Sleeve Pressing Roll – This is great for sleeves or long leg seams that need pressed.
- Hard Wood Tailors Clapper – I was without this for a while after we moved, and I really missed it! It’s so useful to set seams so they stay in place after pressing.
- Ironing Board with Height Options, Steam Iron Holder, and Linen Rack – I had to leave this beauty in the U.S., and I miss it often. It’s such a nice ironing board!
My Machines
- Brother CS7000X Sewing Machine – I have the CS6000i, but this machine is the upgraded version. As long as you don’t sew anything too thick, it’s a great beginner sewing machine, and I still use mine often! My favorite feature is the speed control, so I feel much better when teaching my kids how to sew.
- Brother 1034D Heavy-Duty Metal Frame Serger – Having a serger is a game changer! I’ve had mine since 2016, and it still works perfectly.
- Juki MCS-1500 Cover Stitch and Chain Stitch Machine – I had to leave this behind in the U.S., but if you’re ready to level up your sewing, this will make your knit garments and seams look so professional. I felt like there was a bit of a learning curve when I first got it, but with enough practice, you’ll get it.
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