Choosing your sewing accessories
There are numerous items that one should use to sew. Items that are essential include, of course, thread, pins, needles, scissors, tapes and a seam ripper. It is also a very good idea to buy a sewing box, simply to keep your equipment in check. Anything will do really, but the ones with little compartments for separating your apparatus are ideal to maintain organization.
For your pins and needles, you need to always have a large quantity in your stock. I personally always lose mine, and very often break them, so having a lot is obligatory for me. Ensure that you have different types of needles too, I'm afraid it's not one size fits all!
1. Calico or other heavyweight fabrics such as velvet require a much thicker needle, whereas muslin, for instance, requires a thin needle.
2. It is a lot easier on your fingertips and of course very practical to have curved needles. These can be used to stitch the trimming onto the pelmet, for example.
3. I often notice that many bumbling sewers lose their needles in the fabric and on the floor's carpet too. I suggest, if you are one of these people, to keep coloured needles in your collection; they're easy to pick out if you lose them. I am not one of these people but I have many myself.
4. Dressmaker's pins are more practical than thick pins; they are more delicate and don't leave holes in the fabric or break threads.
5. Last but not least, embroidery-type needles are essential. The wide-eyed ones and the blunt and pointed ones to be specific.
The last three items, scissors, tapes and a seam ripper would be valuable additions to add to your collection of sewing equipment. The seam ripper is a bit controversial to have on this list, because it can be risky if not used correctly; upending your seams roughly. However, if used with care, can be vital in fixing your mistakes. Naturally, scissors are crucial for sewing, but try to keep them just for that; blunt scissors can create all kinds of problems on your favourite piece of fabric. And finally, it is necessary to have both a cloth tape and an expandable metal tape in your tool kit, you will end up using one or the other for everything.
I hope that the above tips will prove beneficial in your sewing activities. Remember that sewing is a precise art, so good quality equipment is advisable to ensure that you do the best you can on your projects. Good luck!