Sewing emergencies happen. At the most awkward moments, life happens. A button falls off. A seam tears. A zipper gets stuck. The solution is for every home to have an emergency sewing kit.



You will need something to keep your sewing supplies together. Your need some kind of container that you can keep accessible at all times. Many people love those sewing boxes sold at sewing shops. Others prefer to use a fishing tackle box. It really does not matter much. Even an old shoe box in good condition will work. Having drawers or compartments in the box can be helpful in organizing your supplies. If you use your kit as part of your regular sewing, make sure to put your supplies back in your kit for unexpected emergencies.

So, what do you need to keep in your sewing kit?

Two scissors are desirable. First, you need a pair of sharp high quality eight inch bent handle sewing shears. Second, you will need a pair of trim scissors also known as embroidery scissors. Use sewing scissors only for cutting fabric and thread. Never ever cut paper or other things with your sewing scissors. Keep your sewing scissors in peak condition. It is also helpful to keep a pair of paper cutting scissors handy. Just avoid getting them confused.

You will need a good seam ripper. There are many different sizes and designs of seam rippers, but the important thing is to keep it sharp. The seam ripper should be made with a longer knife like finger and curved cutting surface and a beaded tip. The seam ripper is essential for opening seams and preparing the materials for sewing.

Optionally, you may want a pair of pinking shears to trim the edges of fabric in a zig zag cut to prevent fabric fray.

Keep several different kinds of needles in your kit. It is a good idea to have a set of smaller, medium, and larger needles with sharp or universal as well as sets of stretch or ball point needles. Always match the right needle with fabric and threads you are using. The right needle makes any task easier and with better results. You will also need a few hand sewing needles of different sizes and shapes for emergencies and hand sewing tasks.

Holding materials together while you layout and sew a project demands quality glass head sewing pins. You will want a couple of different sizes, but always keep a set of inch and a half pins handy.

You will need something to keep your pins and needles organized and protect you from their sharp points. Traditional pin cushions are made with soft fabric outsides and soft insides into which you poke your pins and needles. Alternatively, many people use magnetic pin holders today. They work essentially the same way as the traditional pin cushion, except instead of poking it into the cushion, the magnet holds the pins and needles on the surface. It is also helpful for picking up stray pins or needles from the table top or floor.

Your sewing kit should always have one spool of black fifty weight long staple black thread and one white. Use other threads as desired for general sewing.

A cloth sewing tape measure is a necessity.

A seam gauge is a basic sewing tool used to set hems and measure seam allowances. It is a six inch ruler made of metal and has a plastic pointer slide and is sometimes called a stitch gauge.

A fabric marker or marker pen is important for marking measurements. These come in water soluble, air soluble, and erasable models. Calk markers are also helpful.

At a moments notice, your emergency sewing kit is ready to solve sewing urgencies. Many other sewing tools and notions are helpful and useful to add to your kit as you have space. Keep in mind how important it is to maintain your emergency sewing kit ready at a any moment.