Guest Post: My Favorite Sewing Tools!

Hi people! My name is Sølvi and I blog at delfinelise, and I am thrilled to help Tors out this week!

Nice to meet you!

My initial thought was to write something about dressing stylish for winter, but since that topic already´s so well documented by Sarah and Suzy, I decided to share with you some of my favorite sewing tools!

I am always interested in new ways of improving my sewing skills, and I am always on the lookout for new cool stuff that can make my sewing experience even better. How about you? Do you have any special tricks or gadgets that makes your sewing more enjoyable?

Well, here it is, my top list:

1. Measuring tools. The classic Sømometer is a typical Scandinavian gadget, and as you can see from the picture, all the most important measurements are printed on it. Invaluable! My measuring tape is pretty sweet too, as it has one side with inches and one with centimeters, and it is printed for lefties! I am left-handed, and it´s so cool to have a measuring tape where the numbers start at the right side, much easier!

2. The second thing I´ll share is my sketching tools. I have a fashionary, witch is a sketching book with body templates. I sketch my design ideas in it, so I don´t forget, and I can always go back and see what I have actually made, and what I haven´t . I always color my sketches using my Caran d´Ache pencils. I've had them for ages (I am talking 20+ years here...), and they are so perfect for coloring!

 

 

3. The next things that are invaluable to me are my sewing books. As I use A LOT of BurdaStyle Magazine patterns when I sew, having a good reference book nearby is crucial, as the Burda descriptions tends to be quite foggy. A good fitting book is important as well, so I know I don´t spend hours on a garment only to find that it doesn´t fit. 

4. For prepping patterns and transfering them onto the fabric I love to use my Signet Color chalk. It´s got cartridges in different colors, and it works well on many different types of fabric. I love that it has the shape of a pen as well, as it makes it more pleasant to write with than some of the other tools on the market. Pictured is a hand held hole punch as well. It´s perfect for punching holes in the paper pattern so that I can makes accurate markings on the fabric.

5. Next up are my favorite cutting tools. I depend heavily on my rotary cutter and cutting mat, it makes fabric cutting much more accurate and fast. I love my metal ruler as well, it´s super long, and with a 90 degree angle it´s perfect for cutting straight lines.

6. The last thing I would like to share with you is my favorite way of storing pins while sewing. It´s a belt for the sewing machine! I don´t have a big sewing space, so I love how this keeps (most of) my pins, sewing machine needles and needles in place. I found the tutorial for this on Martha Stewart.

So there you have it, my favorite sewing tools. Enjoy!