Thursday, March 28, 2013

In My Embroidery Toolkit

My Embroidery Toolkit

Since we've talked about various tools recently (scissors and needles and thimbles, oh my!), I thought it might be fun to share what's in my embroidery toolkit. I know I keep a few items handy that aren't obvious embroidery tools, and I bet you all do, too!

So, here's my toolkit all dumped out for you (pictured above):

- a few thin strips of a plain cotton, for hoop binding,
- a Pilot Frixion heat-erase pen, which I use to mark (only) white or light-colored fabrics,
- my trusty Sajou embroidery knife,
- a mini-screwdriver from a sewing machine maintenance kit, for tightening hoops and saving my poor fingers!,
- sewing pins for holding excess fabric out of my way,
- a tiny crochet hook, to help weave in those ends at the back that I left a little too short,
- a mini-hole punch and scraps of heavy paper, to make simple thread-keepers on the fly,
- and the usual small needlebook full of an assortment of needles (not shown).

And I keep it all in a little paper pieced zipper pouch I made just for this purpose! It's a little geeky, but I like to know I can just grab the pouch and have all the tools I'll need, rather than getting up every 5 minutes to hunt down something I've forgotten (which is how I used to work!). These tools represent little tips I've picked up from all over the place - from professional embroiderers at a workshop to bloggers and just things I thought might come in handy.

I want to know what tools you like to keep by your side, or what your favorite tool is, but not just yet! We're going to have some exciting competition news very soon and details on how to share - keep your eyes peeled for further instructions!

14 comments:

  1. Great post, I was making myself a list yesterday to put together a stitching toolkit and this has added to it! The mini screwdriver is a great idea :-)

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  2. Before I read what you wrote ~ I was wondering what that screw driver was doing in the mix of embroidery tools ~ it's a great idea ~ tho I almost never use a hoop. I find them cumbersome.
    I've got a little sewing book I use ~ it's got my scissors, a little cloth needle case, some pins, a threader (for those small holed needles), and of course, needles. Oh, a thread picker outer just in case.

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  3. I was also confused by the screwdriver but I am now going to go find myself one and save my fingers too! x

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    1. You can purchase small ones in tool departments in home improvement stores, computer stores, or in optometry departments in glasses repair kits. :-)

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  4. People who see my tool kit rarely believe it is only for embroidery.....

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  5. oh, very intrigued as to what's coming next.

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  6. The crochet hook is such a good idea! It would save me a huge amount of frustration (especially when I can't rethread my needle at the back coz the strands have al separated and the thread is too short).

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  7. The crochet hook is brilliant! Do you know what size it is?

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    1. I just double-checked for you and it's a 1.5mm hook! I'm so glad people are finding useful tips from this post already!

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  8. One thing I use quite regularly is 'thread heaven' conditioner. I have a whole mixture of different floss brands on the go, and some are better than others- hence the conditioner. But you my dear are super organised! I don't have half the knick-knacks you have ;-)

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  9. A couple of tools that I keep in my embroidery kit are:

    1. Velcro tabs -- I use them to help separate or strip strands of floss;

    2. Cuticle cream -- I have a tube of cuticle cream because nothing is more bothersome than floss that snags on dry or ragged cuticles.

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  10. That crochet hook idea is so smart, I'll have to remember that! I don't have a kit, per say, but I have a little, fabric work tray that I use when I've got a project going on, in it I always keep my magnetic needlebox, the threader which sticks to the back, my scissors, and probably the only thing I haven't seen mentioned already, a tiny pot of Thread Heaven to smooth out misbehaving floss. I try to keep it pretty simple or I'll find myself dragging the whole craft room out to the couch :)

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  11. The little knife looks very pretty! Would love to see more of your little pouch you keep it all in. I'm a thread heaven fan too, and I have several pairs of embroidery scissors, one for gold work, one tiny pair that are good for removing stitches, and my trusty stork scissors for everything else.

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  12. I love the idea of a crochet hook for those short threads and the cloth to wrap the hoop. It is always great to learn from other stitchers.

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