Sewing Kit

I spent part of Sunday mending clothes, including another round of the hems that got me to thinking about sewing to begin with. I am grateful to my dear friend Carrie, who allowed me to use her new sewing machine. Though I enjoy mending by hand, I have to admit that the machine made short work of the task. After I measured seams (twice, to ensure that the measure was true), marked the spots on inseam and outseam with tailor's chalk, pinked the fabric, and then ironed and pinned at a half-inch under a half-inch, I was rewarded with a French hem ready for a zip through the machine.

I was also reminded of a necessity for every home: a sewing kit. They can be stored in a small space but they solve big problems when the need arises. My recommendation for a home sewing kit is below. Cigar boxes are a classic vessel for sewing kits, but I have seen them housed in everything from plastic storage boxes to Mason jars. I keep my sewing kit in a leather storage box deep enough to hold good scissors and shears along with the clasp envelope in which I keep fabric samples and scraps.

The sewing went so well that Carrie and her family joined us for an Italian dinner and a movie. To honor his memory, we watched a John Hughes movie. I was in college when his films hit their high water mark. This is also when I first started sewing. So if I'm hip enough to remember John Hughes, do I still sound like a maiden auntie if I suggest that, as college kids pack for school, a basic sewing kit is as important in a dorm room as it is in any other home?

Basic Sewing Kit

One pack of needles in assorted sizes
One pack of straight pins
One pack of safety pins in assorted sizes
Thimble
Pin cushion or pin magnet
Needle threader
Seam ripper
Good scissors
Tape measure
Thread: black, white and beige
Buttons: matched to clothes, plus a card of small white shirt buttons and one of black all-purpose buttons
Elastic: one card of thin width and one of medium width
Fasteners: one card of snaps and one of hook-and-eyes
Patches: one card in assorted fabrics to include black, navy, brown, beige and denim

To supplement this basic kit, add:
Heavyweight needles (sometimes identified as tapestry or coat needles) for mending jackets, coats and household textiles
Tailor's chalk
Pinking shears
Thread: navy, red, yellow and brown
Buttons: beige, making sure that some are heavy-duty

Finally, it is good to include a mini flashlight and either reading glasses or a magnifying glass. And don't forget to include a manual. I've written before about the Better Homes and Gardens Sewing Book, but for mending and simple household purposes, the Singer Guide to Simple Mending and Repair is excellent.