Investing in notions and tools: What's worth it?

Saturday, January 12, 2013

When you first learn to sew there a few things that you must have to get started. We sell these things together in a goody bag of sorts for our customers. Each bag includes Fiskar Scissors, a hem gauge, magnetic seam guide, fabric pen, pins, a seam ripper, and a measuring tape. But, after you get your first project or so under your belt, you're ready to branch out from basic projects and explore more
challenging fabrics and projects. You'll soon discover a whole world of sewing notions and tools marketed to help you get things done faster, better, or easier. But, what's really worth the investment. Here's what we spend our money on...which makes it a pretty safe bet for you, too!

Snapsetter

Brooke swears by this little tool that helps inserting those little snaps into your children garments a breeze. All you need is a hammer and you're ready to snap away. Snaps are most commonly used for baby onsies, jumpers, small pouches, and even some women's cardigans. They can be used to replace buttons on any garment.


Chalk Pen

This is one of Krista's most favorite notions of all time. She probably loves it so much because she mostly sews from patterns and there are often so many little marks you need to transfer to your fabric so everything lines up correctly. Sure, there are a ton of pens and markers available, but you have to be careful of the ink that's used (it can wear on your fabric over time -- even if it washes out), and depending on what type of pen it is, your marks can disappear. But, chalk is chalk. It's safe for fabrics and doesn't go away without a little elbow grease. The package comes with multiple colors so it will work on any fabric.


Wonder Clips

Misty raves about her Wonder Clips anytime anyone asks. She sews a lot of clothes for little Ellason and sometimes those small curves are just much for pinning. With Wonder Clips, you simply clip them onto the seam allowance of your fabric and sew away. No more worrying about sewing over pins and breaking your needle. No more shoving pins through multiple layers of fabrics pricking yourself endlessly along the way. They're easy, clean, and make sewing a breeze.



Seam-Fix

Laura loves her seam ripper and this super-charged version puts those little plastic ones to shame. The one end of this seam ripper easily and quickly cuts through threads to break up the seam. The other side is made of a special plastic that grabs the little threads and safely pulls them out of your garment. Too cool, right? The company that makes them has a neat little video to show you exactly how it works.

What are your favorite sewing notions? Is there anything out there that you've wanted to try but haven't yet for any reason? Let us know and we might do a test drive to let you know if it's really worth it or not.

We've also got a Pinterest board specifically for highlighting some of the best notions out there. Be sure to follow it and let us know when you find a pin that should be added there.

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