Seven Sewing Tools I use Every Day

I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time looking for things in my sewing room. As hard as I try to keep it organized, it seems that it is often in chaos, especially when I’m in the middle of a project (or projects!). Can’t find my scissors, where is that seam ripper, and what did I do with my tweezers?

Stash ‘n Store

I recently came across a small item that has really helped me keep track of the little tools that I use every day. I’ve seen this notion for a while and thought it was clever and wondered it might help me keep track of small tools. I finally bought one and have the answer to my question – it does! The Stash ‘n Store from It’s Sew Emma is a small organizer that comes in two sizes and several colors. I bought the mini one, which is about 4” long and 1¼ high. I loaded it up with my tools and notions that I use almost every time I sit down to sew, and I keep it right next to my sewing machine. Now that my tools have a home, it’s easy to find them no matter how chaotic the rest of my sewing space gets!

Here are the tools I keep in my mini Store ‘n Stash:

Karen Kay Buckley Perfect Scissors

These 4” scissors have micro-serrated blades that hug the fabric, making it easy to cut accurately. I love how thin and tapered the sharp blades are and I use them to snip and clip when I am sitting at my machine. And, they are easy to use with the large finger holes.

Dritz 14-in-1 Seam Gauge

I have had this handy measuring gauge for so many years, I can’t count them. It has 14 measurements (from ⅛”-2”) and is great to quickly check the accuracy of my quarter inch seams, make sure my edgestitching is ⅛” from my project edge, or for consistently keeping my purse straps 1” wide as I sew them. It’s amazing how many times I reach for this flat little piece of metal to keep my sewing on track.

ek tools Craft Tweezers

I’ve been using tweezers in my sewing room since I brought my first serger home and it came with them. Before that, it had never occurred to me how useful they could be (who knew?). Over the years, I’ve had several types, but these reverse-action craft tweezers are my favorite. Originally for beading, the precision tip lets you pick up even the tiniest of threads. The reverse action means that you squeeze to open them, find what you need, and then “un-squeeze” so the tweezers grab on. I don’t have to keep the tips together – it’s easier on my hands and more comfortable to use than regular tweezers.

Dritz Seam Ripper

When I first started sewing, I hated to “un-sew” and almost never used a seam ripper. That meant that some of my projects did not look great and others (many) did not get finished. I just gave up and moved on to other things. Over the years, I learned to embrace the seam ripper and when I did, my sewing improved. Partly from correcting my mistakes and making my project look better but also, when I deconstructed my project, I was able to understand exactly what mistakes I had made and see how to avoid them in the future. This small seam ripper has soft finger grips to eliminate stress and strain on my hand. Plus, it’s sharp and gets the job done quickly!

BERNINA Screwdrivers

Along with my general sewing tools, I keep three tiny little screwdrivers in the Stash ‘n Store. These are from BERNINA and are for changing my needle, securing attachments such the Bias Binder to the machine and tightening or loosening other regular screws on the attachments or the back of the feet. No matter what brand of machine you have, you probably have 1 or 2 small tools that you often use so keep them handy.

So, even if my sewing space gets crazy with piles of fabric and unfinished projects, I’ll still be able to find the tools I use the most. One little step toward being more organized.