A sewing kit is every quilter and sewists’ best friend. Having every necessary piece of equipment on hand, organized, and within reach will save you hours of searching for the many different tools you need to access while sewing and quilting.
Save this post for later, or copy the list below to start building your sewing kit! The essential sewing kit should include:
- Sewing scissors
- A thimble
- A variety of threads
- A variety of buttons
- A variety of needles and needle sizes
- Seam ripper
- Seam creaser
- Bobbins
- Clapper
- Rotary cutter (and extra blades)
- Quilting rulers
- Sewing clips
- Marking tools
- Pins
- Safety pins
- Pin cushion
- Patches
- Tape measure
- Fasteners (snaps, hooks, eyes)
You have two options when creating a sewing kit:
- Purchase a complete or semi-complete kit. These will usually include all the essentials, although you may need to purchase individual items to supplement the contents.
- Purchase individual elements, plus a container to build your kit ad hoc. This will allow you to choose the exact tools you prefer, or include tools you already have. You will just need a good container!
Both options have benefits and drawbacks.
A complete or semi-complete kit might have everything you need in an attractive container, but you can’t choose the individual tools. So, the scissors might not be very sharp, or the thimble might be plastic instead of metal. You could replace the items you don’t like, but that means you’re spending money on tools you don’t want.
Building your own kit means sourcing each individual tool. This lends itself to greater customization: you can choose your favorite brand’s scissors and seam ripper, and curate your thread collection. However, you’ll need to figure out how to contain everything. This could be as simple as modifying a sturdy shoebox with inserts that have several compartments, or repurposing a fancy tin.
Before you decide, talk to a sales assistant at Dave’s BERNINA! We’re all sewists and quilters, and we probably have some pretty good advice about tools and our personal systems for organizing our tools. We also have lots of the tools you need to outfit your perfect sewing kit. We can help you find what you need, and provide insight into our favorite pieces of equipment and how we use them. Stop by our Provo or St. George location or send us a message at info@davesbernina.com!