Thursday in The Know: Top 5 Favorite Sewing Tools

Happy Thursday!

Before we get into the Thursday In The Know I want to tell you how much I enjoy doing these. I do, I really do and I'm curious if you would help me out by telling me what you would like to know about in the future. Is there anything you think I might know something about?  Is it designer fabric?  Fabric shopping online? Shopping for /with a toddler? How to navigate a thrift store?  Finding your personal style? Home organization? Please leave a comment and tell me what you're interested in. 

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program.

Lets say you're trying to get into sewing and just don't know where to start. Well, here is my top 5 things I would get or make sure you have around so you can have a successful experience. 

1. First and foremost a sewing machine. I don't think you even need a nice expensive sewing machine. I have been sewing on my $75 JoAnn special Singer Prelude for 5 years now and it still churns out good stuff. Sure, it would be awesome to have a better sewing machine (I'm trying to get one from Prudent Baby by making the most adorable potholder) but this is what we could afford when the 30 year old Singer I used to have started smoking and making horrible noises. In fact, it is kind of nice when you're starting out not to have to worry about all the fancy stitches and computerized mechanics. It sure makes it easier to try to figure out what happened should it break. 

2. Good scissors are definitely the next thing you'll need. These are Gingher brand, which as far as I know is the Porche of scissors. With all the money you saved on a machine you should get yourself a pair of these. They sell them at most fabric stores and on amazon.com.

3. You'll also need a seam ripper. Most machines come with a small one but I recommend getting a decently sized one. They are cheap and you will use it a lot. Trust me. No matter how many times you think something through you'll sew things on backwards every once in a while. This is the exact one I have and I love it. My mother-in-law bought it for me. I think they are only a couple bucks. Well worth it.

4. Sewing pins are you're new best friend. Of all the notions I own these are the most valuable. I like the longer ones with yellow ends. I also have some flat ones that look like flowers on the end but for some reason these ones aren't as sharp. I also recommend having a good pin cushion because it's nice to be able to grab a pin with just one hand while the other is holding the fabric.

5. The next one is a cutting mat, rotary cutter and clear, hard plastic rulers. I know that's more than one thing but they really go together. And, I will say this is sort of a luxury and I would get it after all the other things on my list. These are awesome for cutting things out though. It makes your cutting process so much easier. If you can't swallow the price of all of these, just get the clear, hard plastic rulers. It will be so useful for sewing AND everything else you measure around the house. (You can tell that to your husband when he balks at how much money you spent to start sewing).

So, there you have it. The five things I can't live without when it comes to sewing. What about you? Is your top 5 different? 

And don't forget to tell me what you think of Thursday In The Know and what you want to know.