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Drafting Supplies

ALWAYS use tools when drafting and tracing patterns.

  1. An ice tube is essential if carrying patterns back and forth to class.
  2. The pattern wheel is used to perforate patterns that then can be used to chalk mark sewing lines on cut fabric pieces.
  3. The armscye curve makes marking curved lines easy. The armscye curve is approximately 9 inches long.
  4. The Fairgate Vary Form Curve Rule.
  5. The 20 by 12 inch L square.
  6. The 18 inch transparent ruler is essential. Buying two or more makes drafting easier.

Click image to enlarge.

Sewing Supplies

Sewing, Machinery, Sample Book & Pressing Supplies

  1. Five yards of muslin, approximately, to test patterns’ fit. Do NOT wash muslin. Muslin fabric has had sizing added to give the muslin more body, needed during the fitting.
  2. Sewing box or container for supplies.
  3. Shears or scissors to cut fabric (illustration 1).
  4. Small scissors with sharp points to trim threads and fabric.
  5. Stitch ripper – often called a seam ripper.
  6. Awl – (illustration 2).
  7. Pins
  8. Box or magnetic pincushion to hold pins.
  9. Hand needles — in assorted sizes.

1. Design personnel generally prefer to use 12 inch shears to cut fabric. The shears are slid along the table from right-to-left, if right-handed so that the cutting is parallel to the eye.

2. Sample makers often use awls to help with guiding the fabric under the sewing machine’s needle.

Machinery

  1. A basic lockstitch sewing machine. A sewing machine with a bobbin that sews straight stitches (illustrations 1 & 2).
  2. A straight-stitch pressor foot and straight-stitch plate, if available to prevent jamming in the sewing machine’s race (illustration 3).
  3. A zig-zag foot and plate if using a zig-zag machine (illustration 4).
  4. An adjustable zipper foot, and straight-stitch plate if available (illustration 5).

1. A bobbin.

2. Only a basic lockstitch sewing machine is needed. A treadle sewing machine could be used.

3. The straight-stitch foot and plate.

4. The zig-zag foot and plate.

5. The adjustable zipper foot and straight-stitch plate.

Optional: A four-thread overlock that can be adjusted into a three-thread, or two-thread overlock for finishing seam allowances. Home sewers refer to these machines as sergers.

Seam allowances can be finished with machine zigzagging, hand overcasting, or binding. Encasing the inside of a garment with lining eliminates the need to finish individual seam allowances.

Sample Book

  1. Loose ring binder with 2 inch binding or larger for the sample book.
  2. Cardstock to mount the samples on before putting into the sample book.
  3. Optional – Plastic 8 1/2 by 11 inch pages with pockets to slip mounted samples into (illustration 1).
  4. Muslin or fabric scraps to make samples.

Open sample book with plastic pockets.

Pressing

  1. Iron (illustration 1).
  2. Ham (illustration 2).
  3. Sleeve roll (illustration 3).