If you’re brand new to sewing and not sure which tools and supplies you need, I’ve compiled this list of 15 must-have beginner sewing tools to help you get started.
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When I was sixteen I was invited to participate in a friend’s quinceañera. As part of the court, I was expected to have a particular style of dress in a specific color – similar to bridesmaids in a bridal party. Even at sixteen, I was a serial creative… and way too ambitious for my own good. So I thought hey, I can make a dress for this party.
Of course, I had zero sewing experience at that point in my life, other than a little hand sewing I’d done in Pioneer Girls. (Think girl guides, but Canadian and religious?) It was guaranteed to be a disaster, even if I couldn’t see it.
My mother, the supportive woman that she was, bought me a sewing machine and the fabric I’d need. She was, of course skeptical. And rightfully so.
After a few failed attempts (and much wasted fabric), my dear mama ended up having to buy me a ready-made dress for the quinceañera.
Taking up a new hobby, like sewing, can be daunting. And when you’re trying to learn the skill on a time crunch? That makes it 100x worse.
If you’re just getting started in sewing, don’t jump in head first. Don’t try to tackle a massive project before you’ve learned the basics.
A big part of knowing the basics is familiarizing yourself with what you need and what you don’t. It’s easy to think that buying a little bit of everything will be to your benefit in the long run, but it won’t. Too many tools won’t make the work easier – it’ll make it more complicated.
Tools for Your Success
There are so many products marketed to sewists that it can be difficult to know what you actually need. This will vary based on the types of projects you want to tackle, of course. If you’re looking to make clothing, for example, you’ll need things you wouldn’t need if you’re starting with scrunchies and zipper bags.
And, as above, I highly recommend you start with scrunchies and zipper bags. Both are practical projects you can get use out of. They also make great gifts if you fall in love with making them. But more importantly, they help you learn essential skills – like sewing straight lines on your sewing machine.
I’ve compiled a list of 15 must-have beginner sewing tools. The first 5 are the obvious things – like a sewing machine – with recommendations on what I use and recommend. The following 10 are a little less obvious – like chopsticks.
So let’s get into the list!
15 Tools Every Beginner Sewist Needs in their Toolkit
The Most Obvious Things
There are, of course, several obvious beginner sewing tools you’ll need if you want to start sewing. Let’s tackle those first before we jump into the less obvious (but incredibly useful) things you’ll want in your sewing toolkit.
01. A good, reliable sewing machine.
A good sewing machine does not have to cost you a fortune. I prefer Brother machines, but I’ve heard great things about Singers as well. The machine I have is a Brother CS7000X (which you can check out here) and I love it. It’s under $250 and has been able to do everything I’ve needed it to do. For context, I make a lot of dolls and plushies, along with scrunchies, lanyards, zipper pouches, etc.
02. Sewing machine needles.
It’s important to have a variety of sewing needles for your machine. First off, different fabrics need different needles. But just as important—your needles will break. In the middle of a project. When you are trying to get something finished and you’re impatient and/or overwhelmed. It’s just a rite of passage. Make sure you have backups on hand so you can switch out the needle without having to take a trip to the store or wait for an Amazon delivery. Trust me on this, I speak from experience.
03. Sewing machine feet.
When you just get started, you may not think much about the variety of sewing machine feet available to you. If you order a new machine, it’s going to come with the staples. A regular foot, a zipper foot, etc. But if you’ve picked up something secondhand, you may not have all the feet the machine typically would come with. Or you might branch out into a project that needs an uncommon foot. I’d recommend getting a set of feet like this one so you always have what you need on hand.
04. Sewing machine bobbins.
Bobbins are a must-have, and you’ll need more than you think. Your machine will come with a few, but you’ll want extras—each color of thread you use will need its own bobbin, at least until you empty it. At any given time, I have about two dozen bobbins that have thread on them. You need to make sure that the bobbins you get are compatible with your machine. My Brother sewing machine takes different bobbins than my Brother embroidery machine. Check the manual for your machine, or if you don’t have the manual, Google the machine number to see which bobbins work with it.
05. Hand sewing needles.
Even if you do the majority of sewing by machine, you should ensure that you have hand-sewing needles in your toolkit. You’ll need them more often than you realize! I use them a lot for sewing up small imperfections or closing up the backs of plushies I’ve made after stuffing them. Something like this little set is perfect. If you’re trying to assemble your sewing kit on a budget, check out your local dollar stores for hand-sewing needle sets. Sometimes they have them!
The Less Obvious Things
There are some beginner sewing tools you’ll need, or want, that you might not realize until you start sewing. The worst time to realize you’re missing something that will make your project easier is right in the middle of your project. You risk losing momentum, or trying to go without and ruining your project.
This list of less obvious must-haves comes from my own experience and only includes tools that I use regularly.
06. Small iron/mini heat press.
I always resisted pressing projects as I worked because I hated pulling out my clothes iron. It was big and bulky, and I was always afraid of forgetting to turn it off. Then, while scrolling TikTok one evening, I saw a fellow sewist use one of these little mini heat presses to iron their projects as they worked. Let me just say this thing has been a game-changer for me. I now press my projects as I go, which results in neater finished projects. Who would have guessed? I really can’t recommend this heat press enough. You can find it here.
07. Pressing/ironing mat.
If you’re going to iron your project as you go – which is highly recommended in most patterns – you need a safe space on which to do your ironing/pressing. I really like these wool mats. I have one and use it often, particularly because if you need to, you can pin your fabric right into the mat. It’s a nice thick wool that absorbs heat beautifully. It is stiff enough that you can use it as a flat surface on which to iron, but also loose enough that you can pin your fabric to the mat to keep it in place while you iron if you need to. I much prefer this over the traditional ironing board for my sewing projects. You can find the one I use here.
08. Fabric rotary cutter.
It was not that long ago that I did all my fabric cutting with scissors. And while there’s a time and place for scissors (I even have them on this list!), for some projects a rotary cutter is the quickest, easiest way to get straight cuts. I had one of these for ages before I started to use it. In fact, I think I only used it because my fabric scissors were MIA. Wow, did I ever wish I’d started using this cutter sooner! While I’d recommend investing in a decent cutter with replacement blades (something like this is great!), if you’re on a tight budget you can pick up a perfectly good cutter from the Dollar Tree.
09. Self-healing cutting mat.
If you’re going to use a rotary cutter, you need one of these mats. And I highly recommend a rotary cutter and mat. You can get tiny ones from Dollar Tree and while they work fine, I’d recommend getting a bigger one from Amazon or a fabric store. The bigger your mat, the less you have to move your fabric around while you’re cutting it. To me, that’s worth the cost. However, the Dollar Tree mats, while small, are just fine for small projects and if you’re on a budget, this is a perfectly acceptable place to save some money.
10. Clear quilting ruler.
This is another piece of equipment that I had for some time before I realized just how useful it could be. A clear ruler is good for more than just quilting, despite the name. I use it all the time when I have to cut out a perfectly measured piece. They’re great for making scrunchies, lanyards, bags, and pouches. Basically, anything that is primarily made up of squares and rectangles. There are lots of different sizes, but you don’t need to go overboard. I only have one, and it’s 6.5” by 12”. This has worked just fine for me. You can find a good quilting ruler here.
11. Bobbin case.
As addressed in the list of obvious tools you’ll need, you’re going to accumulate a lot of bobbins. To avoid them getting all tangled up or hard to look through, you’re going to want a bobbin case. This is by far my favorite bobbin case; the padded interior keeps those bobbins nice and cozy. I have four of them – two for my bobbins wound with regular thread, and two for my embroidery thread bobbins. They’re different sizes of bobbins and yet both sizes fit in the case. Don’t skip out on this. It’ll save you a lot of problems in the long run.
12. Fabric scissors.
A lot of new sewists make the mistake of using whatever scissors they have lying around the house to cut their fabric. From a money-saving perspective, I get it. But I’m here to tell you that fabric scissors make a significant difference both in the ease of cutting and the quality of the cut. These scissors have been, after all, created with fabric in mind. Household scissors can make fabric fray – on top of just being difficult to use. While you don’t need top-of-the-line fabric scissors, you do want scissors that are meant just for that purpose. And don’t use them for anything else! Get a pair of fabric scissors and store them securely amongst your sewing supplies. I promise it’s worth it. Find a pair of fabric scissors here.
13. Sewing clips.
Whoever invented these little clips is a genius; for the majority of projects I much prefer them to sewing pins. (However, with slippery fabric I will sometimes use pins instead of these clips.) I’m a little scatterbrained, which means sometimes I leave a project in the middle of it to work on something else. I have cats, so this is not a great idea. Especially with pins, which are sharp and easy to misplace. These clips are larger, brighter, and even if you drop one and don’t notice, you’re not going to poke a hole in your foot if you step on it. (Been there, done that.) I still try not to leave them out of course, because they’re still small enough that a cat (or a kid, if you have one of those) could swallow it. Plus I find they’re a lot easier to work with, and they don’t leave holes in your fabric. Check out these sewing clips if you’re not sure what to look for.
14. Fabric pen.
Amongst all the beginner sewing tools on this list, this is the tool I use the most often. While some people refuse to write on their fabric, I am not one of those people. I use fabric pens (either the ones that disappear over time, or the ones that are erasable with heat) all the time. They’re great for tracing patterns, marking where to leave openings, and drawing out where to stitch. I like to make a lot of notes for myself as I work and these pens are incredible for doing so. I’d recommend having at least one of them in your toolkit at all times. You can find fabric pens here.
15. Chopsticks.
This is a weird one but hear me out. I use chopsticks when I’m sewing a lot. I use them to help me turn fabric right side out and to poke out the corners when I do so. This is useful in so many different projects, including many of my patterns/tutorials like my lanyard penholder attachment and my rice hand warmers. I also use them to help me pull the inner tube of fabric out when I’m making scrunchies. Also, on occasion, I use them to help guide fabric while I’m sewing so I don’t get my fingers too close to the needle. You don’t have to get anything fancy; I have a set of plastic chopsticks from Dollar Tree and I’ve been using them for several years.
What is in your toolkit?
If you’re a sewist, I’d love to know what your must-have beginner sewing tools are. There could be things I’ve missed, or incredible tools I’ve never come across. Maybe you have advice for the new and beginner sewists!
Let me know in the comments. And if you’re on Instagram, share pics of your sewing setup and favorite tools. Use hashtags #theserialcreative #sewingmusthaves #sewingtoolkit so I can check them out.
If you’re looking for some beginner-friendly sewing patterns, why not check out my scrunchie tutorial and my moon phase banner tutorial?
Happy making!
