Tools for Terrific Sewing

As skilled as some sewers are, I've often found that their equipment isn't quite up to the task, and it's the quality of the basic tools that so often affects the ease with which we sew. I thought I'd share with you what's essential in my sewing room.

I encounter so many students whose magnetic pincushions are jumbles of threaded needles, machine needles, safety pins, all sizes of straight pins, including, without fail, a huge number of bent pins. If this is what yours looks like, take a few minutes to organize it.

Once pins are bent, they're finished. Throw them out and get new ones; the expense is minimal, so resign yourself to periodic replacement. I use different weights of pins for different projects--long, sharp, thin glass-headed pins for fine silks and laces, and much sturdier ones for wools and heavier fabrics. I keep them in two separate pin dishes, and they're never mixed.

I do lots of hand sewing, and I'd find it impossible without my beautiful hand-sewing needles. My favorites, like the pins, are Japanese, size 9 long. They're strong and thin and very sharp (they go through any fabric effortlessly). They don't bend easily, nor do they shred the thread (as some needles do). They're a little tricky to thread at first ( the eye is small), but you'll soon get accustomed to it.

I also rely on beeswax to strengthen my thread. I coat double thread for sewing on buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes, and handpicked zippers. Once you've pulled your thread through the beeswax once or twice, press it with a hot iron--this will seal the beeswax into the fibers, making the thread even stronger.

I also do a lot of hand basting, and I like to use silk thread for that task. Of course, once the machine stitching goes in, the basting has to be removed, and silk thread has the advantage of pulling out relatively easily. You might find it among the quilting threads in your fabric store. It's well worth the search and the expense.

And first-rate scissors are essential. My scissor inventory isn't huge, but those I do have are the best I can find. I'd find it hard to get along without micro-serrated shears. They're big scissors with tiny serrations on the blade--they grip even the most slippery fabrics with ease. And small, sharp scissors are another necessity--from cutting threads to trimming lace, to clipping seam allowances. Good scissors won't tire your hands or shred your fabric. And be careful not to let them fall on the floor--if they fall while their blades are open, the blades will likely get nicked, and they'll need to be resharpened. And once they're dull, I sharpen them professionally or replace them.

So don't underestimate the importance of first-rate equipment--your efforts deserve them. The best tools will help you do a better job, not impede you or frustrate you. It's worth searching them out--and learning to rely on them.

(Susan Khalje is an author and host of HGTV's Sew Much More. Contact her at skhalje@aol.com or Box 51 Long Green, MD 21092. For more information, visit www.SusanKhalje.com.)