5 things you can't do without in the sewing room

As a crazy sewing nut that I am, I love to get an insight into how others work. To read other people's sewing hacks, smart tips and other things that can come in handy when I sew. That's why I thought I'd share my top 5 list of smart gadgets that I can't do without in the sewing room. Maybe some of these are new to you?

Sewing clips

I've been sewing with needles most of the time I've been sewing. I'm a needle nut of sorts. I leave nothing to be sewn together unstitched, which I've learned the hard way isn't so smart when sewing on an overlock.

After I managed to destroy a number of overlock knives, I found these clamps at a trade show. I had heard about them before but had never tried them myself. I have now been sewing with these for about a year. The biggest benefit is clearly that I have saved money because I don't have to change knives at regular intervals like before.

Scissor magnets

During the fall I discovered this sewing hack that I had actually never heard of before. This is definitely the most time-saving gadget of them all! Cutting out garments to be sewn is, in my opinion, one of the most boring and least developing parts of my sewing. As a parent of young children, sewing time is also limited, so I want to do as much as possible in the little sewing time I have.

When I discovered that by putting magnets on the scissors I could avoid the task of marking seam allowances, I just had to try it. And what a joy it was! By putting them as far forward on the scissors as possible, you follow the curves of your garment and then you just cut with the edge of the magnet following the pattern and giving you the even distance you want on your seam allowance.

These magnets are also sold in the shop and are available for both a suitable seam allowance for a sewing machine of 1cm and for an overlock of 8mm.

Glue stick

I have been using the glue pen for the past 3 years and it has been invaluable at certain times. I have mainly used it when attaching edging and when sewing zippers before the actual sewing, as a kind of reinforcement for the regular pinning.

The pen itself is enough to buy once. When the pen runs out, you replace it with a so-called refill (where only the glue is purchased). The yellow color of the glue is nothing to worry about because the glue disappears when washed.

Seam ripper

There is a love-hate relationship with this product. No one wants to use it, but we all make mistakes at some point. The seam ripper is probably the most well-known tool of the above, but it is definitely a must-have in the sewing room. My biggest tip here, however, is to replace it regularly. There is no point in buying the most expensive ones, as the blades become dull quite quickly, and therefore need to be replaced from time to time. A dull seam ripper will not help you much.

Marker pen - self-dissolving

One of my newest hacks that I learned about recently is this marker pen whose ink disappears within 48 hours. The color of mine is a pretty dark purple and I tested it on a sample patch first on a very light fabric, which took longer than promised but after a couple more days the marker disappeared.

I am quite careful when using it, especially on light fabrics if I plan to use the garment in the near future. The main area of ​​use for me is to mark, for example, where size labels should be placed instead of marking with pins as I have done before. Or why not where the breast pocket should be placed on the garment.