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Hi there and welcome back to my blog! Today we’ll be looking into some basic equipment that you need for sewing.

The good news: most items are rather affordable😊 The bad news: there is one item that is super important but that might have a bigger impact on your budget. I’m sure you guessed it already, it’s the sewing machine itself.

But do not despair! I’ve summarised my best tips, what to look out for and how to save money in this blog post here. Hope you’ll find everything you need to know there.

Easy, you need a sewing machine. I’ve got my Janome, check out my review if you want to know more about this beginner’s machine. Next to the sewing machine, what else do you need? Well, let’s dive into it!

Dressmaking Scissor✂️

First up, I recommend you buy some good quality dressmaking scissors with a very sharp blade. There are tons out there and the choice comes down to reviews and your personal preference. A good scissor allows you to cut your fabric more accurately which is, of course, essential for the end result of your sewing project. Also, make sure no one is borrowing your dressmaking scissors to cut anything else than fabric as it might damage the blade.

Pins & Pin Dish📍

Nothing is more helpful for beginners than using lots and lots of pins to hold everything in place before cutting and sewing! I have a magnetic pin dish and love it as it means no more – or at least less – lost pins on the floor.

Iron💨

Probably one of the most needed equipment when sewing! Have your iron and ironing board close to your sewing station as you often need to press your fabric. Also, it’s important to have a steam iron so that you can make sure that no wrinkles are left in your fabric. There are many reliable irons out there, I usually trust brands like Philips or Russel Hobbs.

Chalk & Erasable Pen🖊️

Another sewing essential you need to have is a chalk and/or an erasable pen (kind of the more modern version of the chalk I guess). You need this to draw marks and lines on your fabric so that you know exactly where to sew, cut, pin or whatever you need to do.

Tape measure

A tape measure is not only essential for dressmaking but also for other sewing projects you might want to tackle down. There is so much you need to measure while sewing, so make sure to have a tape measure to hand from the very beginning.

Unpicker

Another important tool for beginners is the unpicker. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan and it happens to the best of us that we sew some wrong stitches. The unpicker will be your hero in such moments as it enables you to unpick your stitches.

Hand needles

I guess hand needles are part of most households anyway, but if that’s not the case for you, buy some. We will be able to sew a lot with the machine but there are some parts where it’s better to bring the hand needle into action.

Empty bobbins

Have a look at my ‘how to thread a sewing machine post’ to learn more about what empty bobbins are and why you need them. In short: there is an upper and a lower thread when sewing with a machine. The bobbin is the lower thread which you will need to wind. And for that, it’s always good to have some spare empty bobbins.

Ruler📏

Again, something very basic that you might have at home already. A ruler will be needed when drawing a line between two points or to measure distances. After all, we want nice, clean lines and not wobbly ones.

Selection of thread

Last but not least, I recommend you purchase a basic selection of threads. It happened to me a few times at the beginning that I forgot to order a thread for my projects, so I had to run to a shop just for this or order one online which meant waiting some days until the thread arrived (which is really annoying when you’re passionate about your project and can’t wait to get started)…

And that’s it, folks! With the above items, you should have a good basic equipment at home to get started. You’ll have noticed I added some useful links so you can immediately get your basics from Amazon. If you’re really starting out there are also simple sewing kits. Some of the kits give you an all-in-one selection of basics you’ll need to start your sewing journey. Check it out here.

More things will probably be added as you progress but don’t go crazy at the beginning – just take it stitch-by-stitch.

Hope this was helpful and happy sewing,

Yvonne