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10 Awesome Sewing Tools I Didn't Know I Needed
- Nichole Jensen
- Apr 5
- 7 min read
I’ve been sewing since I was a young adult, and I’ve learned a lot of things along the way, including what sewing tools I find the most useful. Now, you don’t really need a lot of supplies or tools to sew some pretty great things with a sewing machine. But I’ve stumbled across some items I didn’t think I needed, but once I tried them, now won't sew without. Here are my top 10 awesome sewing tools you should really try yourself.
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1. Your own tags
Having a tag with your name or logo on it really kicks up the polished look of a handmade item. They are easy to sew on and look so professional.
I have some I have purchased with my logo from an Etsy shop that are made with ultra suede that I sew onto practically everything. You can customize the size, color, and of course what the tag says. If you don't have a logo, you could order them to say "handmade" or use just use your name.
If you don't want to design your own tags, you could use metal tags that are already made and say "handmade." They look very classy and elegant.
I also use some woven tags with fun sayings that I sew inside seams on my handmade items. They say things like “You look really pretty today,” “Pretty as a rose” and “I know, I can’t believe I’m handmade either!”
These tags add a bit of fun and are a great way to include a little saying on your sewn item. I have put them in snack bags, pencil bags, and art portfolios.
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2. Suction handle on sewing ruler
I have always been nervous when using my rotary cutter and sewing ruler to cut fabric. I have had too many near misses when my blade has skipped up and over the sewing ruler and come close to cutting my hand. My sister-in-law actually did slice right into her thumb once doing just such a thing. Shudder. Makes me feel queasy just thinking about it.
This nifty handle attaches to the sewing ruler with suction cups and keeps your hand up and out of the way while you are cutting which is just fantastic. It also helps when you are applying pressure as you cut so your fabric doesn’t shift or move around. For me this means more precise cuts. Less danger, better fabric cuts - win/win.
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3. Tube turner
If you have ever made something small that needs to be turned right side out after sewing, chances are good you know how much of a pain in the butt it can be. I have actively avoided projects in the past that would require the turning of a fabric tube, but no more. This set makes it easy breezy to flip something right side out.
For example, a fabric headband. The portion of fabric that will cover the headband is sewn into a tube. And while you can turn it by hand, it will take quite a while. With this nifty tube turner, you can flip it in seconds.
You put the larger straw-like plastic tube from the set into the open bottom of your sewn fabric. Next just use the slightly smaller dowel-like stick to push the fabric out the other end of the plastic tube. It's just that simple. Seriously so much faster and easier. And the set comes with different sizes so you can turn allllll the tubes.
This little system makes it much more likely I will make things with fabric tubes on repeat because they are not nearly as frustrating and time consuming.
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6. Turning tool
I used a pokey little stick that came in a bag of Poly-Fil for years to poke out corners after sewing. I decided to try out this turning tool thinking it was pretty inexpensive and why not? I will never go back.
The pointy little end pops out those corners so much better and they really look
corner-y, versus looking like a little lump of fabric. And the flatter end of the turning tool is fantastic at pushing seams to the outside. Try it, you won't regret it.
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4. Sewing stiletto
I made it pretty far into my adult years before I was introduced to a sewing stiletto and now, I can’t believe nobody told me about them sooner. You know how sometimes when you’re sewing you need to hold the fabric in place riiiiiight up until it goes under the needle? Does that give anyone else heart palpitations? I definitely do not need to find out exactly how it feels to machine sew into my own finger.
With a stiletto, you can press the tip right down into the fabric to hold it all the way up until you’re actually stitching it. And because they are so pointy, they grip the fabric much better than your finger could anyway.
Another great use for a stiletto is picking off the backing to adhesive tape. It doesn’t seem like it would be hard to do, but I struggled with it until I got my stiletto. You can use the pointed tip to peel back the corner of the tape backing and then hold the corner of the adhesive itself in place while you remove the rest of the backing. It's another time and frustration saver for me.
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5. Seam allowance ruler
If you sew at all you need to be able to create seam allowances. My sewing machine has lines on the needle plate to help me sew the right size seam allowance. But have you ever noticed that if you go over those lines, you can’t see them anymore?! I know my seams tend to get a little "generous", but I typically don’t find out just how generous until I get further along in a project. A seam allowance ruler has been game changing for me.
This one has a bright yellow template you can use for setup. You find the hole for the correct seam allowance and put your needle through it and then and put down the pressure foot. Now you just clip the magnetic seam guide right up next to the template and you’re ready to go.
When you go to sew, all you have to do is keep the fabric lined up next to the magnetic seam guide and bam! Straight seams with the correct seam allowance. The magnet is pretty strong, so it doesn’t budge while you’re sewing, and it just slides off when you’re ready to change the seam allowance. Love it!
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7. Snips
One of basic supplies we all need to sew is a pair of scissors, or snips, to cut threads once we finish sewing. For many years I used a pair of snips with straight blades, and they worked great, but then I found something even better.
A pair of snips with curved blades gets very close to the material so you can remove stray threads all the way down to the fabric.
No tiny threads to stand up and scream “look at me!” Plus, you can buy them with different finishes like this pretty rainbow finish that I’m addicted to.
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8. Tabletop vacuum
Speaking of tiny threads you need to cut - after I finish a project by table tends to look like a hot mess. I have snipped threads and bits of fabric practically everywhere. If you aren’t a messy crafter, are you really even a crafter?
This tiny tabletop vacuum looks like a gag gift, but it actually sucks up all the little bits of mess and dust from your workspace and it’s cordless. I reach for it time and time again and it even removes glitter. It's pretty quiet as well. What more do I need to say?
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9. Sewing clips
Listen, a lot of my favorite sewing tools are ones that help me remain uninjured. I don’t know what it is about sewing pins but no matter how careful I am, I always, and I mean always, stick myself with one when I use them.
It’s usually when I’m in the middle of sewing and I am trying to remove one from my fabric before it goes under the needle.
Sewing clips are super easy to use and they don’t draw blood. And I find they hold my fabric just as securely, if not more so, than pins. Plus, they clip on really quickly. Time savings, useful, and less stabby – it’s an all-around win for me.
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10. Zipper pull jig
If you haven’t been introduced to zipper tape yet, let me rock your world. Instead of buying a zipper in standard colors in set size, you can actually buy yards of colorful, fun zipper tape you can cut to any size. And then, you can buy the most ridiculously cool zipper pulls to go with them. The only problem? Putting the zipper pull onto the zipper tape.
I used to spend sooooo long putting pulls onto zipper tape. The process is not hard necessarily, but it often felt to me that I needed a third hand to get it on straight and even.
And here is where a zipper pull jig comes in. You place a zipper pull into the jig and it just holds it in place while you put the zipper tape in from both sides at the same time. It saves so much time and frustration. and you get a perfect zipper!
You definitely need to try zipper tape and if you buy a zipper pull jig you will love it even more.
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Give some or all of these tools a try to level up your sewing game and make things easier for yourself while you're being creative and crafty.
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Happy crafting!
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