10 Sewing Supplies You (actually I, really) Can't Do Without (and where to get them)

*This is a repost*

First of all, let me tell you that I know that this is a *trick*. Internet gurus tell me that people like lists.  Personally, I tend to ramble. 

 Why 10 things?  10 is as good a number as any... right?

Right?

10 Sewing Supplies You Can't Do Without

1. Household sewing needles, not just ORDINARY sewing needles.  These curve, stab, and manipulate strange terrain.  (Similar ones are linked here, available at Manhattan Wardrobe Supply) - The curved needles help repair a sofa, carpet, bind a book, seal a pillow, sew a slipcover, fix any awkward and unweilding shape or tough fabric!

2. Great scissors - I really love my own scissors, and can't be convinced otherwise, but the right scissors for a dedicated sewing enthusiast is like the right pencil for an artist, or instrument for a musician.  Frankly, though, I wouldn't say there are too many great choices.  There are only poor, mediocre, good enough, and PEERLESS!

Mine are about 30 years old, but they are still magical!

Where to get them: The advice on this is more than just a list of store names.  See this post for more information.

Also, know where to get them sharpened.

3. A ham

A necessity for sewing curved and hard-to-reach areas.  A good ham is a solid, heavy, densely packed tool that will last a lifetime.

Where to buy one: Steinlauf and Stoller

4. Silamide thread - for hand sewing and beading, especially.

Where to buy it: Manhattan Wardrobe Supply

5. A dress form (or, in my case two)

Where to buy one: Look at this post for suggestions.

6. A great (not good, but GREAT) mirror.  
You should be able to see your (or your intended wearer's) full body clearly in it.  Bonus points for portability and ability to tilt, like a cheval mirror. Added benefit; you can capture BOTH the front and back of a garment from the right angle in a well-positioned mirror.

This one is similar to mine, which is about 15 years old now.

Where to buy one:  This is an extreme solution, I know... but King David Gallery is the best place to get the best mirrors EVER.  Find your mirror, but it, the grab a taxi or have someone drive in to meet you to pick it up.  The prices are good, (so is the customer service) so you should even get a not-so-fancy mirror here, because it will be the BEST not-so-fancy mirror.

7. A good (but great is better) iron.  Depending on your space, you can get a fancy-schmancy gravity feed, or work with a lovely Rowenta or other quality brand.  It should steam well and with considerable "oomph", and it should have a pointy tip, perfect for getting into corners and difficult spots.

My own Rowenta - the third one I've owned in 25 years or so.

Where to buy one: Manhattan Sewing Supply (basic or fancy),  or City Sewing (fancier)

8. Quality muslin for test garments. What, you don't do this???  (LOL, I know we've all skipped this step when we can afford to)  But if you drape your own designs or test out your design before you sew with pricier fabric, your muslin needs to be on grain and mimic the weight and behavior of the fabric being sewn.  When working with woven fabric, and accuracy is important, quality muslin is a must.

Sturdy, medium weight muslin from S&S

Where to buy it: Steinlauf & Stoller or Guide Fabrics (larger quantities)

9. Quality interfacing.  Fusible, woven, black, white, heavy, light, tailoring canvas... you need the right interfacing to sculpt the shape you need, and stay strong throughout the life of the garment.

Where to buy it: Steinlauf & Stoller

10. Revolving leather hole punch.  This works for tough fabrics and leather!  I use mine "awl" the time!  And not just to sew - Sometimes a belt needs another hole, or I want to install grommets in something, or I have to attach leather tags to stuff to prevent it from being lost- I've used this contraption a million times for a million different reasons!

Where to buy one: M&J Trimming


So fine, yeah... in reality, there are more than ten supplies you'll need, but we've gotta start somewhere, right?

Right?

A Fitting Solution

Updated - 3/6/15

This post is not about brick and mortar stores in the garment district; rather, it focuses on the fitting systems used by industry professionals to make garments that fit. These are names known and trusted by many of the firms you will find in the garment district. You can go to brick and mortar stores to get dressforms, but you'll want to do some homework first. If you sew for yourself, you may find that fitting yourself is a great challenge. Most of us don't have access to qualified, patient friends to help us with fitting.

So... what can you do? Here are some options: Find yourself a dress form. The most affordable, which you can use for fitting, but can be problematic for design work or anything more complex, is the Twin-Fit brand, which you can find, among other places, at SIL Thread. At this moment, you may expect to spend somewhere near $200 for one. Not the best choice, but a workable one. If your weight remains relatively stable, and you would like to make the investment in a form you can sink your pins into, and use for draping, get one directly from Wolf Forms, Ronis Brothers, Sewmark, or Andy's. Expect to spend $600 or more, depending on your needs. Wolf (mentioned above) can make a custom form for you, based on your measurements, but it will take time, and a visit to their New Jersey facility to have this done. If you have a significantly unique figure, anatomical challenge, and a healthy budget, this could be a good idea for you. Expect to spend in the vicinity of $1200 for a half body, or $2000 or so for a form with legs, custom made. Considering that people will pay this much for a custom garment, this is actually a pretty good bargain.

If you make things to photograph and sell, you can't beat Bernstein Display. You buy a great display form, and actually make your form part of your decor, if you get one from this company. So let's say you can get your hands on a used form, or you already have one that isn't exactly your size (hopefully smaller in some places than you are). 

Consider Fabulous Fit, a Brooklyn-based company you will only find online. With the help of some wonderfully shaped pads, you can build up the chest, waist, hips, rear end... wherever you need to add. An extremely affordable solution. (about $90)

You can certainly buy used forms, but there are some deal-breakers to be cautious of... A for that has sustained water damage A form that has been overused, and is now fragile, ripped up, or concave in places. A broken or off-kilter base. (because no one wants to fix them) A very old form (because the proportions are for a woman who wears very restrictive undergarments - unless you still do that...in which case, I am both impressed, and maybe a bit concerned for you...) Finally, of course you can make your own form, as shown on YouTube videos (easily searchable), but it is not easy, and will require some materials... so I would say it is at least $200 worth of effort... so why not buy a Twin-Fit instead? Armed with this info, I wish you all a very happy fitting experience.

City Sewing - industrial machine rental... and more!

I'm not going to bury the lead of this story.  They repair machines.

They repair lots of kinds of machines.

Yes, they repair machines.

Parts, needles, tools, shears?  No problem.

Okay, on with the story.

"Let's say you are a designer getting ready for fashion week.  Everyone is frantically sewing.  A sewing person gets sick or can't come in.  what does that mean?  Someone else is gonna have to sit at that machine and get it done, even if that person is the designer him/herself."

I nodded.

"But... let's say a machine goes down.  The work comes to a screeching halt.  Doesn't matter who sits there.  During fashion week especially, we are all working 24 hour days.."

- Robin Rosado, Manager City Sewing Machine Corp.

If you've been in the garment district and strolled along 38th Street between 7th and 8th, you may have seen a "City Sewing" sign, pointing into what looks like an industrial loading space, full of machines.  You might have wondered about it, but likely never wandered in.

After some recent conversations with sewing professionals I know from my freelancing design and sewing life, we started to wonder about renting machines.  I mentioned that I once worked with a designer who rented the machines we were using, so I knew one could do it, but I really didn't know the logistics and cost. So... in question asking mode, I called City Sewing to ask about renting industrial machines.  I was greeted on the phone by the friendliest voice, who, after a brief discussion, enthusiastically invited me to come in and visit. And what makes him particularly wonderful, was that he was willing to patiently answer all of my questions, whether I intended to rent a machine or not.

So I went.  Turns out, what I had been wandering past, was just the service center.  The sales office is an organized, tidy, welcoming space just west of 8th Avenue.  Robin Rosado, the manager and certified repair technician, stopped frantically answering phones and emails to explain just how it all works.

For pictures of the showroom/meeting space, click here.

He has got a vast supply of fully up-to-date, well-maintained machines.  About 70 or so of them are currently on loan to various clients. Many of these clients are among the biggest names in the industry. He has complete knowledge of these machines, and how to fix them.  For example, you know how when you take your car to be inspected, they hook it up to a machine that diagnoses the problem?  That's what they do with the sewing machine.  Robin showed me how the computer gives him an incredibly detailed picture of the machine's health and indicates exactly where the problem is.

And it gets even better.  They are currently working on a new website that they plan to have up and running within the next few weeks, complete with demonstration videos. Robin's enthusiasm about his job is contagious.  He is a strong advocate of renting out the straight stitch workhorse machines, without all of the bells and whistles and complicated features. "You can sew leather on these.  You can use thick thread, thin thread, you won't need to keep changing needles - we've got all the supplies right here. Easy"

Not only can you rent machines, you can rent dress forms.  And by you, I mean YOU, ME, ANYONE.  About $200/month, generally speaking, which, for the right project(s) can make complete financial sense. It certainly makes sense for new designers and especially the well-established ones, who routinely rent 40-50 machines per company at various times during the course of a year.  Even with so many machines out on loan right now, he has plenty more.  This is particularly great for big interior design or fashion show jobs that need to be done on-site.  Makes the undoable... doable!

Licensed and insured, they pick up and deliver the equipment within the garment district. Any questions, you'll find them here:

City Sewing Machine Corp.

300 West 38th Street

NY, NY 10018

212-268-0408 or 0409