Leaders Helping Leaders--Sewing

MY FAVORITE THINGS—or some sewing gift ideas for you

Unlike Julie Andrews/Maria VonTrapp, I do not make playclothes from the draperies in my room!  However, I do have some favorite sewing items that would make practical, personal gifts at the holidays and for birthdays. 

If you don’t sew, you might need some ideas of what to buy for a budding sewing enthusiast on your gift list.  Good sewing equipment and notions help to encourage kids (and adultsJ) to keep on sewing. 

Here are some of my favorite things: 

·        Pins—“invest” in some good pins with glass heads.  The glass heads can stand the heat of an iron in the case of accidents, plus the longer length works well on most fabrics.  Great stocking stuffer for less than $10.

·        Chalk roller pen—a great way to mark fabrics, it makes accurate and removable markings.  Marking pens can be good but sometimes their marks don’t come out, or they reappear!  Another stocking stuffer idea.

·         High quality trimming scissors—my favorites are 5” Gingher trimmers.  They have nice pointy tips which I like for snipping when I have to “unsew”.  They are easy to control when trimming seams, grading seams, and trimming threads. 

·        High quality shears—8” shears are a necessity in the sewing room.   My favorites are, again, my Ginghers.  (If you have a leftie in the family, be sure to get shears designed for a leftie.) Shears are different from scissors—shears have two different-sized holes for the fingers and thumbs and are for cutting out fabric, allowing the shears to rest flat on the cutting surface and not lift the fabric out of line; scissors have two same-sized holes and are used for trimming, not cutting out. 

If there is already a good pair of sewing shears in the family, consider purchasing a micro-serrated pair.  These have blades that grip fine or slippery fabrics better for a good accurate cut. 

·       1 yard (or more) of silk organza—Silk organza is a terrific all-purpose fabric to have on hand.  Its many uses include:

§  A see-through press cloth—serge the sides of ½ yard of ivory silk organza for a terrific sewing aid

§  A stable underlining for wool, silk, or other fibers

§  A seam stabilizer—use the selvedges of the silk organza as a low-bulk stabilizer at zippers or shoulder seams

·       Pressing equipment—a tailor’s ham is needed, and it’s not just for tailoring.  Any garment that has shape built into it by using darts or princess seams will look better if pressed on a ham.  If a ham is already available, consider a clapper, a sleeveboard, or a tailors point presser.

·       A good iron—be sure that your sewing giftee has an iron that steams well, doesn’t spit, and has good controlled heating.  There are many variations on this theme, but everyone needs a good basic iron before moving on to more elaborate options.

·       A rotary cutter and mat—Quilters love these but garment sewers can use them, too.  I use mine for cutting bindings or even cutting out an entire garment.  Buy as large a mat as you can afford and will fit in the sewing space.  You won’t regret it. 

·       A good sewing light—I got a tabletop Ott light with a nice discount coupon a few years ago.  It is terrific when I do handsewing at my sewing machine area.  It also folds up so I can fit it in a suitcase to take when I go to motels—where the lighting is notoriously poor for sewing. 

·       A good basic sewing machine—I am often asked about buying sewing machines for kids.  This is tough.  You don’t know if the sewing bug will last for a while and you don’t want to spend too much until you do know.  On the other hand, a poor sewing machine can be a reason to quit sewing!!!!  My advice is to buy the best you can afford, using my other guidelines below.  (If you don’t need the machine in a few years or want a better one, you can trade this one in for credit or cash.) 

I WOULD NOT buy a machine that is promoted by the chain stores as being great for kids or for beginners. 

You DO NOT NEED an embroidery machine or a machine that has 258 built-in stitches. 

You DO NOT NEED a brand new machine. 

You DO NEED a good basic machine that does a balanced straight stitch, a zig-zag and perhaps a blind hem or edge-finishing stitch.  It would be nice if it makes a good buttonhole, too. 

You DO NEED a used or new machine that is being sold by a reputable dealer who will back up the purchase with good service. 

Ask 4-H sewing leaders and other people who sew where they get their machines serviced and where they recommend that you shop.  Private purchase or buying from somebody on-line is much more risky.  Unless you are a qualified sewing machine mechanic, beware of deals that seem too good to be true!!!  If you don’t buy from a reputable dealer, you may get a gem, but you also have to be prepared for the possibility that it may be a clunker.

These are a few of my favorite things.  Do you have any ideas for perfect sewing gifts for kids or any age person who is learning to sew?  Please use the comments section to share your ideas with the rest of us! 

Happy gift giving!

Linda