Basic Sewing Supplies
Sharp scissors
Thread
Seam ripper
Pins/Pin Cushion
Machine needles
Measuring tape
Trying to sew without these will be very difficult, so get these basics. A seam ripper may have come with your machine. Your machine may also have included extra bobbins, sewing machine oil (NOT REGULAR HOUSEHOLD OIL!), a small brush, small screw driver and some plastic circular discs that go on top of spools of thread.
If these things did not come with your machine, you will eventually need to get them. Put them on your shopping list. If you sew often you will want to have them soon. Let me explain what some of them are.
Machine Accessories
Extra Bobbins are important to me because I do a lot of sewing, and I want to be able to put all the different colors I use on different bobbins so I am all set and ready to sew. I hate the thought of unwinding the thread on a bobbin so I can put a different color on it. What a waste! Check you machine manual. MAKE SURE YOU BUY THE CORRECT BOBBINS! There are lots of bobbin choices out there, with many different measurements. Just because it seems like it fits does NOT mean it is the right bobbin.
Sewing Machine Oil is absolutely NOT the same as household oil - even if that oil has a picture of a sewing machine on it! Whoever started doing that should have to replace all the machines that have been gunked up and ruined! Sewing machine oil is much lighter than regular oil, and is vital to keeping your machine happy. Sewing machine repair people will tell you that when someone brings them a machine with problems, it is usually because it is full of lint and needs oil.A Small Brush is needed to sweep out lint in the bobbin area. Thread causes lint, and if you want things to work well, you have to keep it clean.
A Small Screw Driver is needed, depending on your machine, to take off the needle plate, maybe to change needles or presser feet or for opening and oiling your machine. Check to see if you need one. If any of those things can't be done without a screw driver you will need one very soon!
Spool Caps, those small plastic discs that go over the end of your spool, are very important. They may look like some little cheap, unimportant part, but without them the thread can get caught along the rough edge of the spool. This can mess up your sewing, and it is so hard to figure out what is happening! Really, that is all it takes to drive you crazy. Seriously.Next Step Essentials
These next things will come in handy if you do much sewing. Sewing clothing takes different tools than quilting. I do both, so I may or may not have drawers over flowing with various accessories that are very precious to me. Maybe.
Disappearing Marking Pens are very handy to have. For generations people have been marking their fabric with chalk, or bar soap. Those methods work, but there are so many options these days. My favorite is just a water soluble pen. It makes an easy to see bright blue mark, then when you get it wet, it disappears. I also have pens that make a bright mark and then disappear when you iron over them. I also have an air pen that makes a purple mark that disappears in a few hours all by itself. Lots of choices here!
Hand Sewing Needles come in handy too. My motto has always been, "If you can't do it on a sewing machine, why bother?", but honestly, sometimes you do need to do something by hand. It may be sewing on a button or snap, tacking down a facing, etc.
Thread Snips are so handy, and easy to grab to quickly snip loose threads. I keep some near my machine and my iron so I can quickly get rid of messy looking threads.
An Iron is a necessity to me. It makes a huge difference in the finished look of whatever you are making. I joke that I sew with my iron as much as my sewing machine! You can make things look so much more crisp and exact and finished when you have been pressing all throughout the construction of your project.
Now if you want to quilt, which I LOVE, there are other things you will need - rotary cutter and mat, various sizes of rulers, 1/4" presser foot and whatever the latest quilting gadget is...
Until next time --- Happy Sewing!
Hope I'm not over-stepping. Please make sure to use the correct bobbins for your machine. I recently purchased two "non-working" machines at the thrift store. The only thing wrong with them was they had the wrong bobbin in them. You will laugh at this: I also purchased a "working" machine, & it did seem to until I tried it at home. That one had the correct bobbin, but it needs help beyond what I can do.
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