Thirteen Essential Tools in Sewing

Sewing is fundamental in producing any clothing and household linens such as curtains, bead sheets, and sofa covers. It is the method of fastening cloth using a needle and thread.

While some sew clothes for their own consumption, many people sew to repair clothing and other materials. Here is a list of some necessary instruments in sewing.

1. Bodkin - A bodkin is a sharp slender tool used to make holes in a cloth. It can blunt needle with a large eye for drawing tape or ribbon.

2. Bobbin - A bobbin is a cylinder on which a yarn or thread is wound, thus, providing either a temporary or permanent storage.

3. Measuring tape - A measuring tape is a softer form of ruler consisting of linear measurement markings. It is usually made from flexible cloth, plastic, or fiberglass.

4. Patterns - Patterns are original garments from which other clothing will be based upon. It can also be cardboard or paper templates from which parts of clothing are traced onto the fabric. The art of designing patterns in sewing is called pattern making.

5. Pin - A pin fastens materials together.

6. Pincushion - A pincushion serves as a storage for pins and needles. It is anything filled tightly with stuffing such as grains or cloth.

7. Rotary cutter - A rotary cutter, which is composed of a handle and a rotating circular blade, is used to cut fabrics. It has different sizes for varied purposes.

8. Seam ripper - A seam ripper is a tool with a handle, shaft and head to unpick stitches.

9. Scissors - The sewing scissor has one sharp point and another blunt one for detailed cutting of materials. Shears such as pinking shears is a kind of scissors that provide a wavy edge.

10. Sewing Needle - A sewing needle is a long tool with pointed tip at one end and non-pointed at the other. It has a hole, called the eye, where the thread is carried through the fabric.

11. Sewing Stitch Awl - This is thin metal shaft and a sharp point at the end either straight or bent. This is a tool where holes can be pierced in or can be enlarged. It is used for sewing heavy and thick materials.

12. Thimble - A thimble is an object worn on the finger or thumb to protect it from pointed needle.

13. Yarn - Yarn is a continuous length of interlocked fiber. The thread is a type of yarn used for sewing either by hand or by machine.