Sewing For Sustainability: 12 Items You Need In Your Home Sewing Kit

Creating a well-stocked sewing kit for repairing and mending clothes is a great step towards sustainability. Here’s a list of essential items you should have in your sewing kit:

1. Needles: Include a variety of hand-sewing needles in different sizes to accommodate various fabric weights and types. A pack of assorted needles that includes sharps, ballpoint, and embroidery needles is ideal.
2. Thread: Keep an assortment of sewing threads in basic colors like black, white, gray, and beige. Choose high-quality threads suitable for different fabric types such as cotton, polyester, and silk.
3. Pins: Use straight pins to hold fabric pieces together while sewing. Look for rust-resistant pins with glass heads for easy handling and visibility.
4. Scissors: Invest in a good pair of fabric scissors for cutting fabric and thread. Additionally, have small embroidery scissors or snips for trimming threads and precision cutting.
5. Measuring Tape: A flexible measuring tape is essential for taking accurate body measurements and measuring fabric lengths.
6. Seam Ripper: This handy tool helps remove stitches quickly and safely when making corrections or alterations.
7. Thimble: Protect your fingers from needle pricks and provide extra pushing power while hand-sewing by using a thimble.
8. Pincushion: Keep your pins organized and easily accessible with a pincushion. Choose one with a sturdy base to prevent tipping over.
9. Tailor’s Chalk or Fabric Marker: Use tailor’s chalk or fabric markers to mark sewing lines, darts, and other important points on fabric.
10. Assorted Buttons and Fasteners: Stock up on a variety of buttons, snaps, hooks, and other fasteners to replace missing or damaged closures on clothing.
11. Sewing Machine (optional): If you have a sewing machine, make sure it’s in good working condition with extra needles, bobbins, and machine oil on hand.
12. Fabric Scraps: Keep a collection of fabric scraps from previous sewing projects to use for patching or reinforcing worn areas on clothing.

With these essential items in your sewing kit, you’ll be well-equipped to mend and repair clothes, extending their lifespan and reducing the need for new purchases. This not only saves money but also contributes to a more sustainable approach to fashion consumption.