Start Sewing with Burda: Essential Accessories to Start Sewing

If you've chosen to start your sewing adventure with Burda patterns, you're in the right place!

Sewing can be a passion as enriching as it is creative, but like any new activity, it requires the right equipment! In this article, we will introduce you to the essential accessories to get started with your sewing experience using Burda patterns. Whether you're a fearless novice or an aspiring enthusiast, discover the must-haves that will ease your first steps into this creative world full of DIY possibilities!

The Essential Tools for Tracing

When it comes to tracing your pattern and marking the reference points on your fabric, you'll need the right tools to ensure everything goes smoothly. Here are some essential tools that will help you trace your patterns and prepare your fabric before diving into the sewing adventure.

A seam gauge is very practical for measuring short sections, marking buttonholes and pocket openings, and drawing on seam allowances.

A long ruler, set square, and French curve help you to copy pattern pieces from the pattern sheet. But you can also use them to adjust patterns to your figure!

Tailor's chalk, available in many colors, should be used exclusively for tracing on the wrong side of the fabric and only after performing a mandatory test on a scrap of your fabric to verify if it can be erased.

Tissue paper or a copying kit, which includes transparent plastic sheets and a special permanent marker for tracing pattern pieces from the pattern sheet, are other helpful items.

Copy-couture paper (carbon paper) and a pattern tracing wheel help transfer the pattern outlines onto the fabric.

Finally, in addition to tailor's chalk and pencils, water-soluble markers, air or heat erasable markers, and a chalk mechanical pencil are essential for tracing fine and precise lines.

The Essential Tools for Cutting

Now that you've traced your pattern and notches, it's time to move on to the cutting stage! For this, it's essential to have the right tools. Here are some indispensable items that will allow you to cut your fabric with precision and efficiency.

Scissors are a tool of choice for cutting, but be careful, not just any scissors will do! In sewing, we opt for scissors made exclusively for fabric. Using them to cut anything else could damage them, compromising the quality of your cuts, and potentially causing damage to your beautiful fabrics.

A rotary cutter used with a special cutting mat is suitable for both left-handed and right-handed sewing fans.

Caution: They are very sharp! They need to be, in order to cut through several layers of fabric at once along a straight or curved line. You can also use a quilting ruler to save time and effort, too.

The Essential Tools for Sewing

Now that you're ready to get behind the sewing machine, let's focus on the essentials: your sewing equipment! As with any activity, having the right tools is crucial for success. So here are the must-haves that will accompany you at every step, from assembling the pieces to applying the finishing touches.

Straight pins, whether they have metal or colorful ball heads, are indispensable for sewing.

With a sliding or moulded seam gauge, seam and hem allowances are easy to measure and mark. You can also use them to mark buttonhole positions, for example.

A thread snip or embroidery scissors are a practical, handy aid, ideal for clipping fabric, cutting off thread, and opening seams.

The name says it all: A seam unpicker or seam ripper opens up seams. Most new sewing machines come with one.

Other Useful Accessories for Sewing

Three useful aids for your sewing projects:

a thimble to put on your middle finger when sewing by hand
a pin cushion for storing sewing needles and straight pins
a soft, flexible (not stretchy) tape measure for measuring and checking the distance between the selvedges and the straight grain of the pattern pieces.

Pattern weights can be helpful for keeping the fabric in place when you are transferring the pattern. They also make it easier to cut out pattern pieces.

With a turning needle or turning set, you can turn narrow ties, loops, and belts inside out in a wink.

Small fabric clips are a practical alternative to straight pins, particularly when you are working with thick materials such as fake fur or imitation leather.

And there you have it! With the appropriate accessories on hand, you're ready to bring your first creations to life with confidence and enjoyment. Remember that sewing is above all a personal and creative adventure, so let your imagination guide you and have fun along the way! Whether your stitches are straight or zigzag, the important thing is to enjoy a creative moment.

Psst! Here, you can get all the sewing basics and patterns designed for first projects in a single magazine: