What Do I Need to Start Sewing? The Beginner Supplies List

To start sewing you need fabric scissors, all-purpose polyester thread, hand-sewing needles, straight pins and a seam ripper, plus a tape measure and something to mark fabric with. A sewing machine, machine needles and an iron come next, when you move from hand sewing to machine sewing. Everything else on a typical "sewing essentials" list can wait until a project actually asks for it.

This page is the whole list, sorted by priority across the five jobs sewing involves: hand sewing, machine sewing, cutting, marking and pressing. Two sibling pages cover the narrower questions:

• Want one order and done? The beginner sewing kit picks the five day-one essentials for you, with a dated catalog total.
• Deciding on a machine? The best beginner sewing machines under $250 compares five, and the Machine Finder narrows them to three.

The full list at a glance

The table at the top of this page names our researched pick for each must-have we carry.

Gear mentioned above

What we'd buy for this

One pick per category, chosen from the research pages linked in this piece. Borrow before you buy — nothing here is required to start.

• 
  Fabric Scissors

  Proshear$8.99★ 4.8 out of 5 stars · 4,040 ratings

  The least expensive pick in this category, which makes it the low-risk way to find out whether you'll keep at it; the handles are the ergonomic style, which matters more than it sounds once you are cutting out a whole garment.

  Why this oneBuy on Amazon
• 
  Thread

  Coats & Clark thread$8.50★ 4.7 out of 5 stars · 4,705 ratings

  Why this oneBuy on Amazon
• 
  Hand-Sewing Needles

  jekiinova$3.99★ 4.7 out of 5 stars · 2,011 ratings

  Why this oneBuy on Amazon

Researched from listings, specs and owner feedback — never hands-on testing. We may earn a commission; it never changes a pick.

Must-haves for day one: hand sewing, cutting and marking

You can do real sewing with only this section: practise stitches, take up a hem, put a button back on, mend a seam. That is Level 0 of The Pattern, Curious, and the free mending course is built entirely on these tools.

Fabric scissors

The one tool to spend a little care on. Keep them for fabric alone: paper and tape dull a blade fast, and a dull blade chews and stretches the cut edge. Our pick is the Proshear 9-inch tailor scissors; the listing specifies high-carbon steel blades and a bent handle, which lets the lower blade run flat along the table. Tie a ribbon on the handle so the rest of the house knows.

Thread

Buy all-purpose polyester in one or two colours you will actually use, not a rainbow. Polyester has a little give, so seams survive being tugged. Our pick is the Coats & Clark Dual Duty black and white pair, 400 yards a spool according to the listing. Old thread from a relative's tin is the exception worth replacing; it tends to go brittle.

Hand needles, pins and a seam ripper

• Needles: a mixed pack, so you are never stuck with the wrong size. Our pick is the JekiiNova 30-needle assortment in six lengths, which includes two needle threaders.
• Pins: glass or ball-headed straight pins are easy to see and pick up. Our pick is the DTDNZKN pack of 300.
• Seam ripper: buy a small set and keep one wherever you sew. Our pick is the Ortarco ripper and thread-remover kit. Unpicking is a normal part of sewing, not a sign it went wrong.

A tape measure: Dritz 836

A flexible 60-inch tape is the standard: long enough for a hip or a fabric length, and soft enough to wrap round a body. Our pick is the Dritz 836 tape measure: 60 inches long and 5/8 inch wide, with metric on the reverse, and Dritz says it reads from either end. Any basic sewing tape will do the same job. Check the first few inches against a ruler.

Something to mark fabric with: Dritz 748 chalk

You need to draw cutting lines, hem lines and button positions that come off afterwards. Tailor's chalk, a chalk pencil or a washable fabric marker all do the job. Our pick is the Dritz 748 tailor's chalk, which sits in a plastic holder with a built-in sharpener. For finer lines, the Dritz 673-60 dual-purpose marking pen has a blue end that Dritz says wipes away with a damp cloth and a purple end that fades in air. Whatever you buy, test it on a scrap of the same fabric first, and keep air-erasable and heat-sensitive pens away from the iron until you know how they behave on your fabric.

Must-haves when you add a machine

Hand sewing first is the cheapest way to find out whether you enjoy this. When you are ready for a machine, three things join the list.

The machine: start with the Brother XM2701

Our top pick for a first machine is the Brother XM2701. Its listing specifies 27 stitches, a free arm, an automatic needle threader and a drop-in top bobbin, and says it comes with six feet and four bobbins, so you are unlikely to need extra feet or bobbins straight away. A working machine you borrow or inherit is fine too; an older metal machine plus a service can be a better deal than a new budget one. The full comparison, including a computerized option and heavy-duty picks for denim and canvas, is in the beginner machine guide. Once it arrives, how to use a sewing machine takes you from the box to a first seam.

Machine needles: SCHMETZ Universal 130/705

Needles are a consumable, not a part of the machine. A dull or bent needle causes skipped stitches and snapped thread, and gets blamed on the machine. A universal point suits ordinary woven cotton. Most domestic machines take the 130/705 H system; check that your manual names it before you buy. The needle size guide covers which size for which fabric.

Bobbins: only the type your manual names

Bobbins come in classes that look alike and are not interchangeable. Read the bobbin type in your manual, then buy that exact one. Our bobbins category carries class 15 sets for machines that take them. The bobbin guide explains why a wrong-class bobbin causes maddening, intermittent faults.

Pressing: the step that makes it look finished

Pressing every seam as you go is most of the difference between homemade and handmade, so an iron is on the must-have list as soon as you sew seams. The one you own is a fine start. If you are buying, a steam iron with clear heat settings helps; our pick is the Beautural 1800-watt steam iron, whose listing specifies fabric presets and a ceramic soleplate.

For a pressing surface, a full ironing board is nice, a folded towel on a heat-safe table works, and a small tabletop board such as the KINGBOARD folds away where space is tight.

Nice-to-haves for the first month

None of these are needed to start. Each one fixes a small annoyance you will meet early.

• A pincushion. Somewhere for pins that is not the arm of the sofa. The classic tomato is in the pins and clips category.
• Sewing clips. For thick layers, vinyl, laminates and anything pins would mark.
• Needle threaders. The SINGER three-pack in our hand needles category works for hand and machine needles, according to its listing.
• Thread in a few more colours, bought for projects you have chosen, not for a shelf.
• Pinking shears. A fast edge finish on firmly woven fabric that barely frays. The guide to finishing seams without a serger explains where they are enough and where they are not.

Later: buy these when a project asks

• Rotary cutter, mat and ruler. A system of three purchases that pays off when you cut many straight strips and squares, which mostly means quilting. The rotary cutter vs scissors guide helps you decide.
• A walking foot. For quilt layers and other thick stacks that shift under a standard foot.
• A presser-foot set. Your machine's box usually covers the first year. Buy a specific foot when a project needs it.
• A serger. A second machine for someone who already has a first. Read serger vs sewing machine before buying one.
• A dress form. Useful when you are fitting garments, which is a long way past your first hem.
• A sewing table, thread stand or storage system. When the shoebox is genuinely full.

Fabric for your first projects

Quilting cotton is the beginner's fabric: it does not stretch or slip, it presses crisply and it is inexpensive. Leave knits, satin and chiffon until a straight seam feels boring. Whether to wash it before cutting is its own question, answered in should you prewash fabric.

A sensible order to buy in

1. Now: scissors, thread, hand needles, pins, a seam ripper, a tape measure and a marker. Make something by hand: a button repair or a felt keyring is a good first evening.
2. When you choose a machine: the machine, a pack of the needles it takes and, if you do not own one, an iron.
3. In the first month: a pincushion, clips or threaders, whichever annoyance you meet first.
4. When a project asks: everything in the "later" list, one purchase at a time.

A tidy empty sewing box has never sewn anything. Buy the next tool when the next project needs it, and the projects library will tell you when that is.