Hey, how's it sewing?

March 10, 2025 11:02 AM

I started sewing a couple months ago, I've made a few things and I like it, and now I want to accessorize. If you are a sewer (um ew, is it sewist??), what are your favorite/must-have tools?

I have a brand spanking new Brother CS7000X and it's so nice and easy to use I can hardly believe it. So I've got that end well sorted.

I'm primarily interested in making myself funky clothes and accessories. What basic tools or worth-it upgrades to basics would you, a person who knows about sewing, recommend I get?

(I've already got myself an adjustable dress form.)

Some things I can already see myself really struggling with:
- cutting
- in a straight line
- to save my life
- how

The workspace I have available is a small desk where my sewing machine fits comfortably, a 2'x4ish' bar height table, and a full size guest bed for spreading stuff out on. I don't have an ironing board or especially an interest in one (I have been ironing on top of a towel on top my table and it's...fine). I'll be clearing out a shelf (singular, please laugh) for fabric storage.

In addition to specific products, if you have any personal recommendations for specific brands or small shop retailers that stock quality sewing supplies and/or fun notions, that would be great for me for the future.

posted by phunniemee to Grab Bag (50 answers total)

Do you have a rotary cutter (like a pizza wheel cutter)? Those things rule.

And a huuuuge self-healing mat, and a yard stick, to cut things on.

Are you using Wonder Clips instead of pins? Also great -- and if you buy the cheap knock-offs and not official Clover brand, they are dirt cheap. (Which is good because inevitably you drop one and step on it, or whatever.)

Spend a little too much on good shears, and then DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO USE THEM FOR PAPER.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:11 AM on March 10 [11 favorites]

You can also search r/sewing for similar questions: they're one of the Nice People subreddits.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:14 AM on March 10

Rotary cutter with ruler on self-healing cutting mat. (A big one helps but you can also put smaller ones side by side.)

For scissors: Kai makes great, inexpensive ones. (I think I have these.)

For pressing: a cheap wooden clapper, a tailor's ham. If you're going to be doing sleeves or narrow pant legs, something like this (there are much cheaper versions on aliexpress and so forth).

Magnetic pincushions are nice - you can sort of just throw pins at them if you want, or wave them around a bunch of pins to clean up super fast. (You can also use magnetized plates or similar from the hardware store. Or just make your own with some magnets.) I don't have this kind but always thought it seemed easier to pick pins up than most.

Personally I love seam guides and presser feet with edge or center/stitch-in-the-ditch guides - makes sewing straight extremely easy.

Rulers! A yardstick is fun but maybe that's just me.

A walking foot if you don't have one and plan on sewing anything stretchy.

TBH the world of sewing accessories is infinite and fractal! I would take the general toolkit approach to it, i.e. to wait until you actually need something (or feel a burning desire for it) and then get it.
posted by trig at 11:33 AM on March 10 [1 favorite]

My spouse who started on a similar path about 6 months ago says a desk with an inset for the machine is super nice to have. Timing happened to align perfectly with a friend wanting to offload one, an older version of the Create Room workspace, with a drop leaf table extension for cutting.
posted by supercres at 11:34 AM on March 10 [1 favorite]

I have long hated all bobbin storage options because the thread is always unravelling and making messes, but I found these bobbin donuts where the thread goes under the bobbin and stays there and they are so awesome.

My life also improved when I designated a small pair of scissors as my sewing machine scissors and put a piece of velcro on them and a piece on the side of my machine and they live there so they are always at hand when I need to clip my threads. My machine has an integrated cutter but it doesn't cut close enough.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:50 AM on March 10

(Btw, what I meant by "rotary cutter with ruler" is you take a ruler and run the rotary cutter along its edge, thereby getting lines that are straight. If you get a clear one, it's easy to use on top of pattern pieces or whatever. You want one that has at least a bit of height so the blade of the rotary cutter can be guided by it.)
posted by trig at 11:56 AM on March 10 [5 favorites]

Spend a little too much on good shears, and then DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO USE THEM FOR PAPER.

More importantly, find a good sharpening service in your area. Even if the scissors are only ever used to cut fabric, they will eventually need to be sharpened.

Re: cutting in a straight line: There are some basic techniques that will help a lot, which this video covers some of (though note that most people would say to use long, smooth cuts rather than short chomps):

1. Keep your arm perpendicular to your body and your wrist straight if possible: rotate the pattern piece rather than bending your arm or wrist. This helps keep the cutting line in your line of vision so you can see if you are deviating to the left or right.

2. Keep the bottom blade of the scissors against the cutting surface. Avoid the temptation to lift the scissors as you advance, slide it instead.

3. Assuming you're right-handed, cut the pattern "counterclockwise", with the pattern to the left of the blade. This will avoid the blade blocking your view of the pattern and makes it easier to see where the cutting edge is going.

4. For large pieces, you can make some rough cuts to free that piece from the rest of the fabric so that it's easier to manipulate on a cutting table before cutting to the line.

5. This probably goes without saying, but wash and press your fabric before cutting, and avoid tugging or pulling on it when you pin down the pattern and when you cut. Otherwise what looks like a straight line when you're cutting will turn into a distorted one after that tension is removed or after the fabric is washed.

You could consider buying some cheap fabric with a thin check or pinstripe pattern and go to town practicing cutting straight lines. Maybe do a foot or two as a warm-up before you start cutting a new pattern.
posted by jedicus at 12:08 PM on March 10 [2 favorites]

For where to get supplies, a friend of mine who is a professional theater costume designer recently recommended Wawak. I haven't tried it myself, but I 100% trust her opinion on all things sewing-related!
posted by peperomia at 12:23 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]

Oh, if you ever find yourself switching between different kinds or sizes of needles, and feeling like you haven't used them enough to throw out but you still need to switch them out, so you do but then you always forget what kind they are and how close they are to actually needing replacement... then one answer is to get one of those tomato-shaped pincushions and label some of the wedges for different needles types/sizes. Then, if you need to take a needle out of the machine but want to keep it, stick it in the relevant section. I stick newish-ones closer to the top and ones that are relatively heavily-used closer to the bottom.

A random nice thing about the tomatoes is that the attached strawberry (why a strawberry? with a tomato?) is usually filled with emery, so if you have any pins that are dirty or have tiny burrs you can run them through it for some slight sharpening.

It also helps to have a small jar with a secure lid for keeping old sharps (used needles, bent pins, rotary blades, etc.) And a small jar or box or can or whatever to keep near your machine and throw threads and scraps of fabric into is also nice.
posted by trig at 12:27 PM on March 10 [3 favorites]

Wawak is an independent that has all kinds of sewing notions and tools, along with notions (thread, zippers, elastic, etc). Here are a few essentials from there:

Cutting mat, rotary cutter & clear ruler set though, you will want the largest mat and longest ruler you can afford...
ALL the scissors
Seam Gauge
Seam Ripper
Seam Guide for your machine (magnetically attaches to the machine to help you keep an evenly stitched seam)
Sewing Clips
Marking tools/chalk
posted by sarajane at 12:34 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]

Reading glasses
posted by advicepig at 12:49 PM on March 10 [3 favorites]

A (smaller) retailer that I've heard good things about quality-wise but haven't personally tried yet is Quilters Select. Supposedly their rotary blades and rulers are especially good.
posted by trig at 12:59 PM on March 10

N-thing the rotary cutter, especially paired with a ruler for straight lines.

I got myself some thread snips on a whim and find them really convenient for when I, well, just need to snip a few threads.

Various fabric marking tools to find what suits you best. Personally, I like to just get a set of children's markers; they wash out really well these days and you can get at least a dozen colors for the price of one of the 'real' ones.
posted by demi-octopus at 1:16 PM on March 10

Okay, I recognize the irony of saying sewing supplies are infinite and best bought bit by bit over time only to then post all these comments, but just to add a less purely functional suggestion: vintage sewing accessories can be really esthetically pleasing (and good quality). One example is sewing birds - a Japanese, less-birdy but not less-pretty cousin of which is a kakehari. They're basically a third hand for sewing - very helpful if you need to unpick a lot, or sew something by hand. (The kakehari kind is especially great because you can tie however long a cord you need to the clamp and then unpick comfortably from wherever.) Definitely not necessary, but a little special.

Goodwill's online stores sell a lot of vintage sewing stuff, which leads me to think they may be something you can come across in thrift shops with some frequency.
posted by trig at 1:21 PM on March 10 [7 favorites]

I’m not a quilter, but I still love my 18x3 clear quilting ruler.

Pattern weights are great! I make my own by taping dead batteries together.

I have a small 3M hook stuck to my sewing machine and hang a small pair of thread snips there.

I also have a slap-wrap bracelet that has a pincushion on it that is super useful.
posted by itesser at 1:21 PM on March 10 [2 favorites]

For pressing: get a little tabletop ironing board rather than subject your table to the heat and steam.

Seconding prevs: a ham for pressing, sewing bird, reading glasses (for eye protection as well as clarity!) and the biggest and smallest scissors you can use comfortably.
posted by Pallas Athena at 1:40 PM on March 10 [2 favorites]

One hint I have seen is to glue a small magnet to your sewing machine, to hold things while you work.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:45 PM on March 10

Get a good light, good scissors, put the machine on a table with a chair at a good height. You do not necessarily need to cut in the same room, but if you're making things with big pieces, a non-carpeted floor or larger table anywhere will be helpful for cutting. You can do the layouts on the bed but a bed is rarely suitable for cutting, even with a self healing mat.
Personally I do not like rotary cutters for garment making, because subtle curves are usually part of patterns. Bags and household goods, sometimes.
posted by cobaltnine at 1:46 PM on March 10 [3 favorites]

sarajane, looks like you have a duplicate link under "Seam Guide for your machine."
posted by wenestvedt at 1:48 PM on March 10

Pattern weights/ heavy coasters to hold the pattern on top of fabric rather than pins.

A machine foot that acts as an overlocker and trims the seams. (Brother Side Cutter)

A really nice chalk pen (Allary Sewing Chalk Pen)
posted by poxandplague at 1:57 PM on March 10

The things I find essential are a good marking pencil and a seam ripper.

I like to have a pair of tiny needle nosed scissors by the machine that never leave that spot.

I use my iron a ton when sewing because it saves a lot of time. It's important to use on a surface that doesn't collect moisture under the fabric when using the steam function, so I'd look into a portable ironing board if you get more into sewing.
posted by oneirodynia at 2:01 PM on March 10 [3 favorites]

I purchased a portable ironing mat that can go on any table, or really any surface like the top of a washing machine. I also have a regular ironing board that lives set up whenever I'm working on a big project, but the ironing mat comes in handy when I don't want to set everything up. Another useful item for tables is a cutting mat. You can get them in many sizes, even a small one about 2ft x 2ft would be really useful for helping with straight cuts.

I also find a small snips scissors, a seam ripper, and my regular sewing scissors (NEVER used on anything else) are my constant go-tos.
posted by drossdragon at 2:43 PM on March 10

Really good light!

A slightly better place for pressing than "fine"?... I would expect to need to press washed yardage for clothing durability; and even a standard ironing board is actually a little too narrow. Which means it makes sense to have a board-and-towel setup a little wider than your usual yardage.
posted by clew at 2:49 PM on March 10

🧵[ merchant&mills]
posted by HearHere at 3:05 PM on March 10

Do you have good scissors? I thought I had good scissors (Fiskars) until I got Ginghers. I use my seamripper a lot but a sharp pair of snips is sometimes a better tool than a seam ripper.

Agree with a table-top ironing board (mine is from Ikea) and a decent but not high end iron (don't spend a lot of extra money on an iron though). I do bust out the full iron for yardage though, and sometimes to work on, especially when making quilts.

Cutting mats: I saw a tip a while back that cutting mats aimed at sewists are much more expensive than cutting mats aimed at artists. So look into that. They are kind of expensive and they don't actually last forever.

Clips: Clips are often better than pins (you need good pins of certain kinds for some things though); I read someone say that the Clover ones are expensive but are actually better, so I went ahead and got 2 packs of those.
posted by vunder at 3:32 PM on March 10 [1 favorite]

Really good shears (I have some from Kai that I love)—I hardly use a rotary cutter for clothes. Plus I keep regular scissors at my sewing table for cutting patterns out.

A really good hot steamy iron and ironing board

Washable glue sticks can be handy for basting

Chaco chalk marker and those double-ended washable/air-fading fabric markers

A walking foot and a rolled hem foot if you don’t have these already, and a good setup for buttonholes

An ergonomic seam ripper

Easy-to-thread hand sewing needles—it’s useful to have one prethreaded, knotted and stuck in your pincushion ready to go for random little finishing tasks
posted by music for skeletons at 3:40 PM on March 10

Make yourself a thread catcher. Mine was a gift, but it's similar to this, except the end just goes under my machine to keep it in place. It really helps keep your sewing area clean.

Quilting rulers are nice for visibility, but a rotary cutter can and will nick them, so unless I'm cutting quilt pieces, I prefer a metal straight edge for cutting.

A tailor's ham is nice, as is a sleeve board (a tiny ironing board that fits inside a sleeve or pant leg).

One of those wooden racks is probably the nicest way to keep your thread and bobbins, but if you need to throw them in a box, plastic pins like this are good for keeping them together.

No product recommendations for fabric storage, but be nice to your future self and prewash everything and label each piece with the yardage. Or even make swatches! Then you can pack it in tightly.
posted by umwelt at 3:50 PM on March 10 [2 favorites]

I have a pack of ultra-washable kids textas in a variety of colours and I trace onto my fabric where ever possible. I get quite cranky when I have to cut out dark colours and can't use them.

Also, one of these ruler/gauge doodads.

In my last house had a large kitchen island at working height that was brilliant for cutting out on. I miss it. I don't have pattern weights, I use mugs!

Good containers for small items. I have a couple of tubs for all my supplies, it's much easier to find things when the small things are sorted and in containers.
posted by kjs4 at 4:33 PM on March 10 [2 favorites]

Martelli rotary cutter. They come in a left- or right-hand version and have extra sharp blades. Skip the Olfa, Fiskars, and Singer brands. I love my 1/4 inch foot and edge stitching foot. If you reach a point where you need a better iron, check out the one from Chi.
posted by XtineHutch at 5:03 PM on March 10

If you are a sewer (um ew, is it sewist??)

Seamstress comes to mind for me.
posted by y2karl at 8:55 PM on March 10 [1 favorite]

FRIXION!
Pilot frixion pens are fantastic. These are heat-erasable. In other words, you can mark up a fabric, and then run an iron over it later to erase the marks.
posted by dum spiro spero at 9:01 PM on March 10 [2 favorites]

If you are using pins (or dropping needles) I can recommend one of those little magnets on a telescopic stick that hardware shops sell for picking up screws.

I can also second the best erasable markers and rotary cutters.
posted by Fuchsoid at 9:46 PM on March 10 [1 favorite]

I can recommend one of those little magnets on a telescopic stick

Alternatively... You know those telescoping backscratchers? If you see multipurposing as a virtue, get one of those and a strong bar magnet to fit on the teeth.
posted by trig at 3:26 AM on March 11

Rotary cutters are excellent and definitely reduce the hassle of cutting things out. You’ll probably want some pattern weights to go along with your rotary cutter — these hold your pattern down firmly so you don’t need to pin it to the fabric. In the past, I have used heavy books, rocks, and cans of soda (not recommended - ask me about the sugar-spray nightmare that happens when you accidentally nick the can with your rotary cutter). However, I’ve now upgraded to homemade pattern weights which I love. Here’s what I did:

1. Bought some of these tiles
2. Ripped them off the mesh backing
3. Hot-glued them together in pairs, with smooth sides facing out

They’re cheap, they look nice, they’re quick to make, and they work wonderfully.
posted by ourobouros at 4:37 AM on March 11 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Seamstress comes to mind for me.
Men and non femme presenting folks sew!
posted by phunniemee at 5:19 AM on March 11 [5 favorites]

I kind of hope stitcher will take off someday. Or needler, with a fun bonus meaning. (The Online Etymology Dictionary says 'Needledom "the world of sewing" is from 1847'.)
posted by trig at 5:40 AM on March 11

Note that Frixion ink will reappear if it gets cold. May not be an issue in most places you’d make a mark but something to be aware of!
posted by music for skeletons at 7:59 AM on March 11 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Note that Frixion ink will reappear

*laments in Chicago winter*
posted by phunniemee at 8:02 AM on March 11 [1 favorite]

Corrected link for machine seam guide

Thanks for the catch, wenestvedt!
posted by sarajane at 8:40 AM on March 11

Sewist is a generally accepted term online and increasingly outside. And I second that r/sewing is a safe place for folks of all types and abilities.
posted by cobaltnine at 9:41 AM on March 11 [2 favorites]

Alternatively, we could let male people skilled in sewing cotton join the honorable legacy of seamstresses, just as we have let female people skilled in other fields describe themselves with words that were equally "un"marked male.

If we insist on adopting the not-female version as the neutral one, it was “seamster” or “sempster” for more than a thousand years. … Checking the OED, “Originally a designation of a woman, but in OE already applicable to a man.” Examples from c. 1000 CE translating the Latin sartor to seamyster (vs. in 1100 from sartrix to seamestre) so the girl-cooties should have worn off by now.
posted by clew at 10:06 AM on March 11

Lots of great recommendations so far. Wawak is truly excellent. I would add an ergonomic seam ripper. Mine has a big handle, maybe twice as thick as a pen, and the non-pointy end is soft so it feels nice if pressed against my hand.

> If you are a sewer (um ew, is it sewist??)
"Sewist" works, though I see "sewer" used to mean "person who sews" more than the other definition, so it's overwritten in my brain. I often just say "person who sews"/"people who sew"!
posted by esoterrica at 11:12 AM on March 11 [1 favorite]

If you need extra help holding the pattern down on the fabric for cutting, trace the pattern onto freezer paper first, then iron it to the fabric. You can trace onto the paper side, cut it out, and then iron it with the plastic side down to the fabric for cutting. It holds securely without pins and peels right off when you're ready to sew. Bonus, your original pattern is whole and uncut. Freezer paper is in the grocery store with the foil and plastic wrap.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:29 AM on March 11 [2 favorites]

Men and non femme presenting folks sew!

Sew it seams

Seamster or seamstress of course...
posted by y2karl at 12:53 PM on March 11

Also, I use a mini no-steam travel iron that has its own little silicone house so I can heat it up, leave it on in its house, and then use it as needed to iron as I go. Strongly recommend a wool ironing pad plus a dedicated mini-iron only for the sewing space. I hate dragging out the ironing board and the real iron just for a tiny quick seam.
posted by blnkfrnk at 1:13 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

Find a brand of thread you like and stick with it. For me, that brand has been Gutermann (25ish years) - it's consistent quality across their different types of thread.

The little clips are great and can be used for a ton of stuff. I got a generic set off amazon (had a giftcard) and use them across different hobbies.

A decent acrylic ruler to use with a rotary cutter. I use my 6"x24" and my 2.5"x12" most frequently BUT I am mostly quilting.

Rotary cutter - make sure you like the weight of the thing in your hand. I used fiskar rotary cutters for years but in the last year have found Olfa easier to deal with. (You can find replacement blades far cheaper online.) You may find a 28mm rotary cutter more useful than a 45mm or 60mm. Depends on how fiddly/curvy you need to cut.

Make sure you close the rotary cutter when not in use. A woman in the first quilting class I ever took sliced through the tendons on the top of her foot when she accidentally knocked her open rotary cutter off a table.

A decent pair of fabric scissors. I love gingher but you may want to try fiskar or another cheaper brand before committing.

Seam ripper - find a style that you like then check online for bulk pricing.

Spare, wound bobbins. I usually try to have a couple black, a couple light silvery grey, and a couple light beige bobbins ready to go. Your colors will vary from mine but it annoys me if I have to stop to wind bobbins even though it's a fast thing to do.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 5:41 PM on March 11

I have a black and decker electric scissor that I really love, it's rechargeable and holds a charge for a looong time - looking on amazon for the same model, I can't seem to find them, but there are others with really high ratings. They're nice for repetitive jobs, or if heavy sewing scissors hurt your hands.
posted by lemniskate at 6:15 PM on March 11

Folks above have covered just about everything I like!
If you plan to use digital PDF patterns, a decent printer is a good purchase. I happen to enjoy the print at home, and assembly process. You can also get printing done at copy shops and online for a price.
posted by LaBellaStella at 6:22 PM on March 11

I tend to both accessory maximalism (5 vintage machines) and also minimalism because you honestly don't _need_ that much.

That said, having a bias band maker / extruder thing was a game changer. I am also very happy with the box of 20 assorted snap on presser feet even if I will only use 3 or 4 of them regularly.

A couple of spare little paint brushes for cleaning my machines have been handy and I would love a tiny vacuum cleaner for the same purpose.

Getting new machine needles appropriate to the fabric and changing them at least atthe start of each project.

I am a fan of hand sewing the odd garment as well as having access to tools for quick repairs so getting a range of appropriate hand sewing needles and curating a portable sewing kit is a nice investment. That's a link to Bernadette Banner's video on making clothes in the apocalypse because she outlines her kit and she makes lovely content to inspire futher sewing.

Getting bigger spools of some core colours (olive, white, cream, navy, black,olive, grey, mid blue) is a good backup. I use grey on patterned fabrics which dont have a white background. Having a bobbin for each colour of thread is also nice, but I am yet to find the ultimate solution for keeping them together.

A notebook / place to to keep your sewing thoughts ordered.
posted by pipstar at 6:20 AM on March 12

I didn't have an ironing board, and then I had a small folding one I sat on top of a table, and then I finally splurged and got a good one and oh my lord, it makes a huge difference. I encourage you to at least get one of the folding ones, but I've decided ironing boards are a "buy once, cry once" item and it makes more sense to leap right to the good one.

My favorite tools these days are these amazing Snag Magic needles. They're more of a quilting thing than a clothing thing, but they're still good. You use them to carry the small ends of thread to the inside of the quilt or the hidden side of whatever it is you're sewing.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:41 AM on March 12