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Every home should have a basic sewing kit to replace buttons, mend holes, or repair a ripped seam.
Although you might get by with a tiny sewing kit from the dollar store, you'll be more successful and maybe even become quite skilled by using the best basic sewing tools like the Singer Start 1304.
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I can't remember a time when I didn't know how to sew. I grew up with grandmothers and a mother who were gifted sewers. I've even seen my father sit down at the sewing machine to make repairs to a pair of pants. I taught my two sons how to make basic repairs and just recently taught one of them how to thread and operate his newly-acquired sewing machine.
My mother had drawers full of sewing supplies accumulated over many years. But when I set up my own household, I narrowed my tools down to fit in a re-purposed wicker picnic basket and bought a portable sewing machine that has served me well for many years of making Halloween costumes, hemming countless pairs of pants, and creating curtains for several houses.
Whether you start with a preassembled sewing kit or put together your own, having good tools will make sewing more pleasurable and can produce better final results. I am always looking for the most effective, easiest to use, and the best value in products for myself and to recommend to others.
As you become more proficient with sewing or find that you enjoy it as a hobby, you can add more specialty tools like a seam ripper or a rotary cutter and, of course, plenty of thread for different tasks. When you're ready, upgrade to a sewing machine that can be programmed do everything from applique to embroidery.
Here are the best basic sewing supplies you can buy:
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The Singer Start 1304 Sewing Machine offers six types of stitching, a free arm sewing surface, and is lightweight enough for easy set-up and storage.
I've been loyal to Singer Sewing Machines all my life — from learning to sew on my grandmother's to upgrading to today's programmable models. And for the beginner or occasional sewer, the affordable Singer Start 1304 is a perfect choice.
If you've never used a sewing machine, the limited settings on the Singer Start 1304 are easy to master. The machine has pre-selected an average stitch width and length that works for almost every fabric. You have the choice of straight, zig-zag, satin (tight zig-zag), scallop for decorative trim, blind hem, and basic buttonhole stitching.
The free arm allows you to stitch smaller pieces like cuffs and children's clothes with ease. The machine has easy threading, an automatic bobbin winding system, three pressure feet (all-purpose, zipper, and buttonhole), and built-in reverse stitching to prevent fraying seams. While it comes with needles and bobbins, you might want to buy some extras. I like to keep full bobbins of basic thread colors for quick repairs.
Weighing just under 12 pounds, the machine is lightweight enough to move around easily but the solid metal frame keeps it steady while sewing. It is powered by a simple foot-controlled pedal.
If this is your first attempt at machine-sewing, you can't beat the performance when paired with the price. If you fall in love with sewing, you can easily upgrade to a fancier machine — check out our guide for best sewing machines — but Singer Start does an excellent job for basic tasks.
Pros: Sturdy but lightweight, 6 basic stitches, includes all required accessories and instructions, 25-year limited warranty
Cons: Does not allow the sewer to adjust stitch length and width for advanced sewing techniques.
Gingher Dressmaker's Shears have precision ground edges that will keep their sharpness through years of cutting fabric.
A pair of high-quality sewing shears like Gingher Shears — our top pick in our guide for best sewing shears — will help you make precision cuts and are worth spending a little more money for scissors that will last for years.
I bought my first pair in 1973, and they are as sharp as the first day I used them. The key to their longevity is that they have only been used to cut fabric and thread. Cutting paper or anything else dulls the blades. Stored in a sheath to protect the edges, everyone in my life is under the threat of bodily harm if they use them to cut anything except fabric.
Gingher dressmaker's shears have long, knife-edge blades, and a double-plated chrome-over-nickel finish that will not rust. The handle design helps hold the fabric flat while cutting. Both right and left-handed shears are available and both come with a nylon sheath for storage when not in use.
Although I've never had to have my shears sharpened, Gingher does offer repairs and sharpening services with a three-to-four week turnaround.
Pros: Durable, knife-edge blades will not rust and will maintain sharpness for a lifetime
Cons: Left-handed shears are more expensive than right-handed models
Remember the old adage, "measure twice and cut once?" With the Dritz Sewing Gauge, you can be certain that you are going to get accurate measurements.
While a flexible measuring tape is essential if you are creating a garment that must fit a body, a sewing gauge is more accurate for machine and hand-sewing.
The Dritz Gauge is made of aluminum so it will not stretch like a fabric or plastic tape. Around seven-inches long, the gauge has markings in centimeters and inches. The sliding marker stays in place for precise measurements along a hem or seam. One measuring edge is notched in one-inch increments for quick measurements and for easy pinning.
The pointed end is perfect for gently pushing out fabric on the corners of collars or pillow covers. No more rounded corners.
Here's a trick that you might miss, the gauge has a small hole near the end and two holes in the sliding marker. You can use them to draw scallops or circles. Place a pin in the hole on the end and a sharp pencil or marker tip in one of the holes on the sliding marker. Then, just pivot the gauge to mark scallops along an edge or create a circle for an applique.
Pros: Aluminum ruler holds its shape, measurements are in centimeters and inches, sliding marker stays in place, can be used for several purposes
Cons: Screen-printed numbers and hatch marks can wear off with repeated use
When you are sewing, using the right size and type of needle makes the job so much easier. With the Dritz Hand Sewing Needles collection, you should be able to find just the right tool and thread it easily with the included needle threader.
Hand sewing needles are usually called sharps, referring to the very sharp tip that is necessary to easily pierce the fabric. They have a round eye, medium length, and come in a range of sizes from one to ten. Smaller numbers are for heavier fabrics and ten is for thin, delicate fabrics. The set includes 20 steel nickel-plated sharps that are perfect for almost all hand sewing.
The set also includes an assortment of these specialty needles:
Milliner: sharp point and an extra-long needle to move through several layers of fabric, great for decorative stitches
Tapestry: blunt point with a large, oval eye used for needlepoint and crewelwork
Chenille: sharp point with a very large eye for thick threads and silk ribbons
Embroidery: sharp point with a long, narrow eye to hold embroidery floss
Between: sharp point, round eye, and short length necessary for quilting
Darner: the tip is slightly curved to help pick up fabric threads, the eye is large to accommodate thicker yarns
Each grouping is labeled so help you select the size and type of needle you need. And, to help you thread the eye of the needle, Dritz includes a small needle threader. Push the wire tip of the threader through the eye of the needle, slip your thread in the needle threader tip and pull through the eye of the needle.
I like to keep several of these rust-proof, durable sharps threaded with white, black, and navy thread for quick repairs.
Pros: Variety of sizes, made of steel and nickel-plated, rust-proof, durable needles, aluminum needle threader included
Cons: Package is not durable enough for extended storage of needles once they are removed
The best pinning tools
The Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion allows you to keep track of your pins and sharps, plus helps you find the ones you've dropped on the floor.
Sewing is so much easier if you have good pins to hold the layers of fabric together. Keeping them easily on hand is another trick. The Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion puts the pins at your fingertips and helps you keep them under control.
Pins are essential for sewing. They hold the fabric in place, help prevent mistakes like sewing mismatched pieces together, and leave both hands free for hand or machine sewing.
Of course, you need a place for all those pins, and a pincushion is a perfect spot. I've tried lots of different types from the traditional red tomato to wrist models and much experimenting, I've concluded that I like a magnetic pincushion best. It not only holds the pins in one spot, but it is also helpful for finding those pins I dropped on the floor. All I have to do is wave it over the floor and let the magnet do the work.
The Grabbit Pincushion comes in a range of colors from black to fuschia and at 1.8-inches tall and 4.25-inches in diameter, it is small enough to fit in any sewing kit. The 50 included pins are topped with colored-plastic heads and are 1.5-inches long.
Pros: Magnetic pincushion holds pins tightly, comes with 50 pins, available in several colors