Basic sewing supplies
New to sewing? The great thing about sewing is that you don’t need to buy lots of new equipment to start making cute projects. For beginners, you just need these 5 basic items.
Sewing Supplies for Beginners
Needles - Hand sewing needles come in a variety sizes to tackle different types and weights of fabric. You can purchase a variety pack of hand sewing needles. I tend to stick with a medium sized needle - one that slides into the fabric well but has a big enough hole to thread. Prym Assorted Hand Needles
Pins - Hold your fabric pieces securely in place whilst sewing with dressmaking pins. Opt for medium-sized pins that are simple to handle, yet strong enough to secure multiple layers together without any fuss. I prefer glass headed pins, as plastic headed pins and irons are not friends! Hemline Glass Headed Pins
Thread - A good all-purpose polyester thread works wonderfully with most fabrics. It can be useful to have a selection of colours, so you can easily match new projects Gutermann Sew All Thread Set (these come in a different colour sets). You can also just start with white thread, then slowly build your collection - Minerva has a great feature “add a matching thread” when you buy fabric from them.
Scissors - You can use any household scissors, but a good pair of sharp fabric scissors does help cutting cleanly through textiles. A small pair of embroidery scissors is also incredibly handy for trimming threads and making small detailed cuts. Milward Sewing Scissors Gift Set (set of dressmaking and embroidery scissors).
Fabric - Choosing the right fabric can be both exciting and daunting for beginners. The easiest way to start your fabric collection is to buy fabric on a project by project basis - this way you’ll get used to know the different fabrics. However, the most common and versatile fabric is cotton, so you can’t go wrong with buying cotton fabric if you see a pattern that you can’t resist!
With these essential items in your sewing kit, you’ll be well on your way to creating delightful hand-sewn masterpieces that you can be proud of! Happy sewing and enjoy every stitch!
Top 3 beginners sewing kits
For those just starting out, a sewing kit is a fantastic cost effective choice. It provides a collection of essential tools you'll need, allowing you to experiment without feeling overwhelmed by choices.
Scissors, a thimble, needle threaders, tape measure, stitch rippers, glass-headed pins, 25 hand sewing needles, and a chalk pencil.
Scissors, needles, pins, tape measure, thimble, chalk pencil, stitch ripper, needle threaders, safety pins, sew-on snap fasteners, buttons, cotton tape and elastic.
Scissors, needles, needle threader, pins, pin cushion, seam ripper, safety pins, thimble, tape measure, marking pencil, velcro, elastic, snap fasteners plus lots of different coloured threads.
Other makes you might like
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Other makes you might like 〰️
To put a sewing pattern onto fabric, you can use a few different methods. I like to swap between these methods depending on the pattern design.