UPcycle | Sewing 101: The Essentials

Growing up with a great-grandmother, a grandmother and a mother who were always sewing, I learned pretty quickly it is always good to have a few basic sewing skills. You just never know when a seam will split.

From sewing on a button that has fallen off to tacking up a loose hem on your pants, avoid a potentially embarrassing situation by whipping out your trusty sewing kit.

For a bedside or coffee table simple sewing kit read down for a great little DIY project.

10 must-have sewing kit essentials:

Needles- Choose a few assorted sizes so you can work on different kinds of fabric. Sharps are best for most stitching or mending and ball point needles work best for knits.

Straight pins- All-purpose dressmaker pins are made from rust-proof stainless steel and are good for pinning almost all fabrics. You can get the flat head pins or get colorful with the round-headed, plastic pins. These are also easier to grip.

Scissors- Look for a good brand, because in a pinch, you won’t want a pair of scissors or shears that can’t cut well and tear your fabric. A smaller size is perfect for a travel or emergency kit.

Seam ripper- This is a perfect tool if you need to change a seam, or if you screw one up! Place under seam and gently lift to pop threads and keep your fabric from tearing.

Thimble- Safety first! Use a trusty thimble to keep your fingertips safe while hand-sewing buttons, seams or stitches.

Safety pins- Always a safe bet to carry, just in case you need an emergency sewing fix , like pinning up a blouse with a too-low neckline.

Extra buttons- Always good to have on hand, place a few white and black buttons in your kit.

Tape measure- A must-have for measuring a hem or seam or aiding in sewing a straight line.

Hooks and eyes, small snaps- Like extra buttons, a few of these are great to have on hand if one goes missing from a skirt or pants closure.

Thread- Along with needles, the most important item in your kit! Make sure to grab the basics – white, black and tan. You can add any other colors you like. If going on a long trip, throw in a few colors of some of your packed clothing just in case.

Keep your sewing kit inside a small makeup bag or travel kit or you can sew your own.

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I also have a bedside/coffee table sewing kit for those on-the-fly projects. With kids in school, wear-and-tear of uniforms is inevitable.

This easy, hip little sewing kit is perfect for just those times when you want to relax and aren’t planning on getting into a huge sewing project.

It does include some of the items above, but not all. Since you are at home, you’ll have easier access to good scissors and so forth.

DIY Pincushion Sewing Kit

What you’ll need:
2- wide mouthed canning jars with lids and rings
Cardstock
Glue
Ribbon
Small amount of batting or cotton balls
2 pieces of 6x6 in fabric squares of your choice

For inside the jar when finished:

6- 1x1 in. pieces of cardstock (wrap thread around these)
6 colors of thread (black, white, tan and others)
Extra buttons
Small seam ripper
Straight pins
Needles
Small measuring tape

Clean and wash your jars and let dry.

Place your jar lid onto the cardstock and trace a circle. Cut out and set to the side.

Take the jar ring and turn it upside down.

Lay a square of fabric over the ring and stuff it with batting or cotton balls.

Press the lid into the ring, adjusting the fabric to remove wrinkles.

Trim off the extra fabric. It’s important that you trim the fabric as close as you can or the lid won’t seal.

Glue fabric tightly to the bottom of the lid and cover with the cardstock for a clean finishing touch.

Cut a piece of ribbon long enough to go all the way around the ring, and glue in place. Tuck the ribbon ends under and glue on a cute button or fob to cover the seam.

Let glue dry and add your sewing essentials into the jar and stick your needles and pins into the pincushion on top and throw in your extra sewing essentials inside.

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Twinkle VanWinkle ponders, creates and discovers cool stuff about music, movies, food, fashion and so forth. Her thoughtful writings and interactives give great advice about healthy food, cooking tips, DIY projects, fashion and more. She’ll teach you a thing or two about music as well. Along with producing dynamic entertainment content for LIN Media, she is a mother, musician and social media fanatic.