These are the basic supplies, including sewing machines, that I would recommend for a beginner sewist. Note that my preferred supplier is WAWAK, a company founded in 1907 and headquartered in upstate NY with warehouses across the U.S. that provides shipping speeds that rival you-know-who.
Cutting mat. Buy the biggest cutting mat you can afford. I use a 24” x 36” mat.
Scissors/Shears. I love this lightweight 8” version from Gingher. *If you plan to cut a lot of fabric, it’s worth learning to (safely) use a rotary cutter.
Rotary Cutter. If you can master using a rotary cutter with a cutting mat, you will rarely use 8” shears.
Embroidery scissors. The 4” version is perfect for trimming threads and cutting delicate corners and notches.
Water-soluble ink marker. The marks disappear with a quick spray of water.
Quilting clips. I prefer clips over pins whenever practical.
Iron. I use this iron by Oliso. It was created with quilters in mind and has a strong following. Fun fact: the inventor of this iron lives in San Rafael.
Acrylic ruler. I recommend a 6” x 24” or 3” x 16”.
Washaway tape. A staple of my studio for securing fiddly bits like hems, basting quilts, creating mitered corners, etc.
Painters’ tape. I use this with my students to create clear seam guides, along with the help of this tool.
Sewing machine. There are many great brands of machines, but I use Janome in the studio. The C30, C30W, and MOD-30 are most similar to what I have in my studio and start at MSRP $349 and up. Here are the features that I can’t do without and are on all the machines we use in the studio:
Up/down needle button to prevent shifting of fabric when turning corners
Single step automatic button hole capability