CUTTING TOOLS PINNING TOOLS

Tailor’s scissors - Pin Cushion - a cotton-

have tapered, stuffed cloth cut and
pointed blades. sewn in many different
shapes to keep the pins
in place. It will help you
Bent Scissors - these work conveniently when
scissors have a bent placed on your waist.
lower blade, which
keeps the blades
parallel to the table Pins - used when
as you cut the fabric, assuring more cutting and sewing
cutting precision. material. Helps save
time in basting. Dull-
Rotary Cutter - a rotary pointed and rusted
cutter is made with a pins should not be used because they
circular blade affixed to will destroy the fabric.
the handle. If you wish
to work with silk, a
rotary cutter will give Needles - comes in
you superior results when cutting your three sizes: small,
pattern pieces. medium and large.
Small needles are
Pinking Shears - used on light and
have saw-tooth soft material, while big needles are for
blades and are rough, thick and heavy materials.
designed to cut the Needles are used for basting, sewing
edge of woven buttons on and when mending torn
fabrics in a zig zag clothes.
pattern, to prevent excessive fraying. I
have a pair that I never use. I usually Thimble - made of either
finish the edges with a serger, but if you plastic or metal material
don’t have a serger or overlock w/c is used to protect
machine, you can use pinking shears. the finger from being
pricked by the needle
Thread Nippers - when sewing. A fitted
used to nip the thimble will help you
loose threads after sew comfortably especially when you
you finish stitching. are not used in sewing with a thimble on
It’s faster to grab your finger.
this tool than reach
for scissors.
MARKING TOOLS
Dressmaker’s
Tailor’s Chalk - used to carbon/tracing
transfer stitch lines, paper – used to
darts, and other transfer the
markings from your tracing wheel’s
pattern to your fabric. line to the
Tailor’s chalk comes in wrong side of
various colors, and as the fabric.
a pencil or a chip with tapered edges. Select a color close to your fabric, yet
visible enough to see.
Disappearing Ink - You
can find disappearing
ink pens in crafts
stores. The ink will
disappear by
evaporating after a
certain time, or you can
remove it with a damp
cloth. Test the ink on your fabric,
especially on silk.

Tailor’s Tacks - This

is an old technique,
but it’s very efficient
for marking darts and
transferring other
information from your
pattern to your fabric.
Simply hand-sew a loose loop of thread
to mark a spot (use a thread in a
contrasting color). Once the dart is sewn
in, just pull the loose thread out.

Tracing wheel –
available in a
serrated or smooth
edge. The serrated
edge is used to
make a dotted link
marking in most
fabrics; however it
may piece delicate ones. The smooth
edge makes a solid line marking and is
used for delicate fabrics such as silk and
chiffon.
Trixie Joy Armandico
8 - Peace
MEASURING TOOLS It is a great tool to help make accurate
measurements for seam allowances,
Tape Measure - hems, pleats, buttonholes, and for
measures about various alterations.
60inch long and
5/8inch wide. It is French curve - when you
reversible with inches must lengthen or shorten
on one side and a pattern, you must
centimeters on the blend-in the lines. Using
other to help take a a French curve allows
more accurate you to draw a perfectly
measurement. It will not stretch and it smooth curve.
can easily be rolled up when not in use.
Button Guide - this
Yard Stick - have is a nice tool to find
both inches and out the size of a
centimeters and button. It’s not
comes in handy to absolutely
measure the grain essential, but if you sew a lot of pieces
line of the fabric with buttons.
when laying out the
pattern. Hem Guide - A
practical guide to
quickly measure the
hem depth and
curve on your
garments, it is
Clear Ruler - square shaped with
measures about a curved edge. You
12” or 18” and can press the seam allowance by
allows you to see placing the guide between the fabric and
your previous the rolled hem.
markings. It is
great for marking straight edges and L-square - It is
parallel lines, button holes tucks and useful in
pleats. constructing
perpendicular lines
Seam Gauge - with divisional parts
is a small ruler located in longer
about 6” long and shorter arms.
with a sliding
marker. It has
inches on one
edge and
centimeters on
the other edge.