SEWING TOOLS GLOSSARY
- Shears- shaped handles (one larger than the other) to fit your hand and has long, sharp blades. The lower blade lets the fabric lie flat as you cut. When you are cutting fabric you want very sharp scissors. You need a pair of scissors that is used for only cutting fabric because cutting paper or other things will dull the blades.
- Snipping scissors - have the same size handles and come in many different lengths. They have the same size handles and come in many different lengths. The most useful size is the small ones for snipping threads and for working at the sewing machine.
- Pins - should be fine, sharp, and rust proof. The ones with plastic coated heads are easier to use and see, but may melt if you iron over them. You will use pins a lot while sewing. Pinning helps hold fabric in place before you sew it. When you pin you will want to place the pins so that you can sew through them without hitting the pin head or so that you can easily slide them out of the way as you sew towards them.
- Pin cushion- used to prevent spilled pins and are convenient. They are fabric covered and stuffed with sawdust to sharpen the pin.
- Tape measure- should be treated fabric or plastic metal tip ends. It is a 60 inch measure.
- Seam ripper- A sharp pointed tool that has a curved blade with a sharp point that easily slips under a stitch. You use it to rip out a seam when you make a mistake. Take the sharp point and poke it underneath a stitch to break the thread. Continue to do this on any seam that you need to take out. Remember to always work away from both you and your fabric.
- Seam gauge- one of the handiest items in a sewing box. It is a short ruler that is 6 inches long and has a moveable slide. It is used for marking hems, seams and other areas.
- Fabric marking pen or chalk- come in several colors and should be washable. On some, the marking or pencil will disappear after a short period of time, others will stay until removed by washing or spritzing with water.
- Thimble- used to protect your finger when pushing the needle through the fabric. Thimbles come in a variety of sizes. They are made of plastic, metal, or leather.
- Hand needles- come in several sizes and types. The most common types for hand sewing are:
• sharps - which are average length with round eyes
• betweens - which are short needles with round eyes
• crewels (embroidery) - which are of average length and have long slender eyes