It’s 2026, and if you’re starting on your sewing journey, it’s hard to know what tools you actually need to make sewing easier. In this post, I thought I would talk about what my sewing room essentials are. In this post, though, I’m not going to talk about sewing machines because I feel like that one is kind of obvious. There are so many different kinds that we can save that for a post of its own. Let me know in the comments if you have others that you would like to add to the list.
1.) Sewing Clips: When I was first starting out, I saw everyone using pins. So I thought that I had to use pins as well. The worry, though, is that I have cats that like to try to eat anything that drops on the floor. The other concern I had was that I would end up poking myself and getting blood all over my project. The clips that I saw at the store were so expensive, though, so I bought a cute little tin from Amazon. It sounds dramatic, but they changed my life. They are easy to use, and there is no slipping. Best of all, they work on delicate fabrics as well, such as satin and silk.
2.) Pinking Shears: I had debated about buying these for a long time. Would they actually be useful? Yes! These are great for making sure that woven fabrics don’t shred. Especially if you do not have a serger or if you need to iron your seams open, but need some stability. These are also great for another thing, too, removing bulk from your seams. Especially on a curved seam, many patterns will tell you to make some notches to make the fabric lay more easily around curves. This does the job and looks nice!
3.) Rolled Hem Foot: This is my newest addition to my sewing room. I always wondered why it was necessary when I could manually roll the hem myself. Well, let me tell you. This saves SO MUCH TIME! The seam is clean, and it sews close to the edge. It offers a perfect professional finish. Since the ends are also enclosed, you don’t have to worry about fraying. You can easily do curved seams with ease. There are different widths to match your project and fabric. I know that many love to use it for hemming tricky fabrics such as chiffon and satin. I just bought a 3-pack from Amazon, and it works perfectly. It is important to note, though, that you need to know your machine well. Personally, I use a Brother sewing machine, so I needed to look for one that worked with my “low shank” sewing machine. It was easy to switch out, too, so I can go back and forth as needed.
4.) Tailors Ham: When I first saw these, I thought that they looked ridiculous and had no idea why I would ever need them. Then I started sewing clothes, and I quickly realized why it was important. If you are primarily doing quilts or things that are flat when finished, you probably wouldn’t need this. However, when making clothing to fit a 3D person, depending on the pattern, you need to be able to iron a curve. These are great for that. There are usually 2 sides for different types of fabrics. I also noticed recently that they have one for a sleeve. That seems like such a great idea that it may be one of my sewing purchases in the near future.
5.) Acrylic Ruler/Cutting Mat/Rotary Cutter: I’m including these three things as one because they go together. Whenever I need to cut strips of fabric for a bias binding, border, or just to cut out pieces of patterns, this comes in handy. The clear acrylic ruler is perfect for measuring the width with ease and provides a stable guide. The self-healing cutting mat is, of course, essential for protecting your surfaces. The rotary cutter is a great tool for cutting multiple layers out. When paired with the acrylic ruler, it will give you crisp, clean cut lines that you may not be able to cut with regular scissors. I especially love using this for quilts because I can cut several pieces at the same time to save time.
Those are my essential tools in my sewing room. In a future post, I’m going to share some more tools that offer a nice upgrade once you have been sewing. Keep an eye out for that post! Until next time, happy crafting!
Cats MeWOW Designs 