Tools of the Trade

Even though a sewing machine speeds up the mending process, hand sewing is often preferred. This is because sewing performed by hand allows you to take the time to create wonderful and high quality handcrafted results. In many cases, the results speak for themselves, as you get to see the work of a person who applied finesse and patience to create a spectacular finish.

This is what you will be producing: works of incredible quality that showcase your skills.

When people think about the tools that are required for sewing, they often imagine the needle, thread, and scissors. While those are definitely the essentials, each sewing process requires a different set of tools. Take, for example, the process of marking the cloth. You have markers to show you where the pleat should fall on the garment, where the dart should be inserted, and so much more. Looking through the different markers, you have so many options such as water-soluble ink pens, the ever popular tailor's chalk, the tracing wheel, and a lot more. Those are just for the markers.

You have tools for ripping seams. You have special tools for opening buttonholes.

For the work that we shall be doing, we will dispense with the tools that are clearly meant for veterans of the art. We are not working with seams and buttons, so we won’t require any tools that attend to those parts.

What we have left are tools that are important for you. These are the basic tools that will help you perfect some of the techniques that we are going to focus on.

Before you can start working on your material, you need to organize your tools. It is always preferable to keep all essential tools near you so that you are prepared before you begin mending. One of the reasons for this is that while you are mending, you often lose yourself in the work. Sewing requires a fair degree of concentration, and you might not want to be distracted while you are engrossed in a particular stitch.

Here are the tools you may require:

• A sharp needle. Ensure that you are not using worn or damaged needles, as they might cause damage to the denim while stitching. For specific stitches or threads, make sure that you get the right needle. To highlight an example, sashiko thread goes perfectly with sashiko needles.
• Thread. The choice of thread is important because when you use a thread that does not match your requirements, it only creates a poor result. There are a lot of factors to consider such as elasticity of the thread, its seam strength, its chemical resistance, and more. So ideally, you should get a high-quality thread and the right one for specific stitches.
• Pins. For holding the cloth in pace. After all, you only have two hands.
• An iron to smooth out the fabric. This allows you to work on the denim more easily. Additionally, with an iron, you can remove any folds or creases that might hinder your work process.

When you are ready, let us dive in to the first stitch.