The Five Sewing Supplies You Should Always Stock Up On

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There’s nothing worse than having to run out to pick up more supplies when you’re in the middle of a project. Of course, we could just plan ahead but when the muse strikes, don’t you just want to start making right away? Today, I’m sharing the five supplies that I always stock up on. These are the supplies that I know I will use over and over again. So when they’re on sale or I just happen to be in my favorite store, I make sure to throw a few in my basket. (By the way if you're a beginner sewist or helping out someone who is, make sure to check out my post – The Only 6 Tools You Need to Start Sewing. And just in case you're wondering how I define a tool versus a supply, I see tools as things that won't be used up and don't need to be replaced frequently. Supplies on the other hand are things that you can run out of.) 

Five Sewing Supplies to Stock Up On

1) Thread
Whenever I’m at the store and thread is on sale, I make sure to buy some big spools of the colors I use all the time – white, black, navy and gray. Depending on your color preferences, you may want other colors too. I use gray all the time because it's one of my favorite colors and I've found that it also works well when sewing chambray.

2) Machine needles
Yes, it's true. You do need to replace your machine needles fairly frequently. Old needles can become dull and actually shred the thread and make your stitches look wonky (this can also be caused by the wrong type of needle for your fabric). There's debate about how long to use a needle (anywhere from 4 to 20 hours or sewing time). So, do what feels right for you. You can learn a little more about it here and here. Anyway, machine needles are a good supply to watch the sales for. I like to always have a good supply of universal and ball point needles in various weights. I also like to buy the big variety packs with multiple sizes. So whether I’m sewing woven or knit fabric, I’m ready to go. 

3) Rotary blades
I never realize how badly my rotary blade needs to be replaced until after I change it and see how smoothly the new blade cuts the fabric. Just like thread and needles, you’ll always be cutting fabric and blades never expire. You’ll save a lot of time and headache swapping to a fresh blade. 

4) Zippers
I can’t even count the number of times I had all the supplies I needed except for a zipper. These days I try to stock up on the zippers that I know I'll use frequently. For me, that's a few dress length invisible zippers in black and white. You might want to stock up on jeans or skirt zippers instead. Zippers can be expensive thought so check out your local thrift stores or charity shops if you're looking for a deal.  

5) Elastic
I like to have a good supply of 1/2” and 1” elastic at all times. I will buy 5 to 10 yards at a time. The 1/2” is perfect for the waistband of a dress and 1” is great for elastic waist pants or skirts. Elastic does eventually go bad but it will take at least 10 to 20 years so you won’t have to worry about your stash going to waste. :) Also, if you like to sew underwear, you may want to stock up on fold over elastic. I enjoy making panties from scraps of knit fabric and the only supply you need besides thread is FOE. 

I'm really lucky to live in Los Angeles and have access to an amazing fashion district. If you're in the area, you might want to check out my LA Fabric Shopping Guide because I have a few favorite stores for good deals zippers and elastic. What supplies do you like to stock up on? Let me know in the comments. 

7 Tips for Sewing Sequin Fabric

Sequin fabric is the peacock of the fabric world. So pretty, so flashy and so hard to resist. I’ve sewn with it a few times and it is not without its challenges. There are already a lot of great tips out there for sewing with sequins that have helped me on my journey but I thought it would be worthwhile to add my two cents on what’s worked for me and where I’ve run into frustration.

7 TIPS FOR SEWING SEQUIN FABRIC

1) Choose a simple pattern

First off, determine if your fabric has stretch in it. Sequin fabric can be stretchy (hello, ice dancing costume!) or not and you’ll want to choose a pattern accordingly. Sequins are significantly bulkier than regular fabric so you’ll also want to choose a simple shape, i.e. not very many pattern pieces. (This will also help you in tip two.)

For example, instead of a dress pattern with princess seams, choose one like the Mesa Dress with a simple front and back and no darts (check out my sequin Mesa Dress here). For separates, you might try one of my patterns – a Lou Box Top or Nita Wrap Skirt. Both have endured the sequin test with success. Last month on Instagram, Victoria shared a sequin Lou Box Top that is just to-die-for. It’s a very simple shape with just two pattern pieces plus I have instructions for how to line it here. I made a Nita Wrap Skirt from sequin fabric last month and shared specific tips here.

2) Include a lining

As someone who has not worn many sequin fabrics, I never realized before that sequins are really scratchy and uncomfortable. When sewing your own garment, you’ll want to choose a pattern that includes a lining or add one to the pattern. 

3) Take care of your equipment

Sequins are nasty little buggers that will dull any blade. So, use an old pair of scissors to cut the fabric and definitely don’t use your serger. On the advice of By Hand London, I used a leather needle and stitched right through the sequins. A leather needle is made to pierce the fabric and I didn’t have any problems.

BONUS TIP: If your sequin fabric has stretch, remember to use a stitch that also has stretch. (But again, do NOT use the serger.) I used a narrow zig-zag stitch and it worked just fine.

4) There will be sequins. Everywhere.

Place a drop cloth underneath the area where you are cutting the sequin fabric. I especially had this problem when I made this sequin dress and removed the sequins from the hem allowance. A year later, I’m still finding sequins (which may say more about my housekeeping ;).

5) Don't sweat it

If you’re lazy or just crunched for time AND your sequins are small, it’s ok to NOT remove the sequins from the seam allowance. I know, that’s maybe a little controversial. It's a personal choice but I found the sequin removal to be really tedious and just not worth the trouble.

I was working with small sequins in a serpentine pattern so there was no easy way to remove a bunch at once. It took hours and my hand cramped from gripping the seam ripper for so long. If I were going to wear the sequin garment often or if it was for a very important event, I might take the extra time to remove the sequins. But, in reality, I’ve worn my sequin garments once (or never!) so spending hours removing sequins and making a big mess just wasn’t worth it to me.

By the way, Sara does a great job of explaining both methods (removing and not removing the sequins) in this post on the We All Sew blog.

6) Don’t iron but do press

The heat from an iron can damage the sequins but you will want to get those seams as flat as possible. If you’re not removing the sequins from the seam allowance, you’ll need a bit of pressure to flatten them. Sometimes finger pressing will work but if you need more force, you can use a rolling pin or something similar.

7) Don’t topstitch

A topstitch just doesn’t work with sequin fabric but since you’ve included a lining, you can slip stitch the hem to the lining. If your fabric is stretchy, remember to use a hand stitch that has stretch in it. Lucky for you, I have a tutorial on how to do that right here.

Additional resources:
By Hand London
Craftsy
We All Sew

Have you worked with sequin fabric before? Do you have any tips?