TLE Reviewer

• Sewing is an enjoyable activity if one tries to learn and put interest in it
• Knowledge about sewing tools and equipment is necessary to begin learning the skill
• Sewing Tools and Equipment


  • Needles
  • Needle Threader
  • Pins
  • Thimble
  • Pincushion
  • Emery Bag
  • Thread
  • Shears
  • Scissors
  • Tape Measure
  • Ruler
  • Gauge
  • French Curve
  • Curved Stick
  • Tracing Wheel
  • Tracing Paper
  • Tailor's Chalk
  • Pressing Equipment
• Needles


  Made of fine steel with sharp points and smooth and well-polished eyes. Sold in a variety of sizes, lower numbers indicate larger needles. Must be kept in the pincushion before and after use.
• Needle Threader


  Used to slip the flexible wire loop through the eye of a hand needle, feed the thread through it and pull the wire back out, bringing the thread with it.
• Types of Pins


  • Silk pins - finest kind, used for fine and delicate fabrics
  • Dressmakers pins - a little coarse, used for most fabrics
  • Bank pins - heavy utility pins used for papers
• Thimble


  Made of metal or plastic, used to push the needle through the cloth when sewing by hand
• Pincushion


  Used to place needles and pins, its covering can be made of velvet, felt or wool fabric which permits the pin to slip in and out
• Emery Bag


  Used to place needles and pins to polish them and prevent them from becoming dull
• Thread


  Sold in balls or spools, carrying 50, 70, and 100 yards
• Shears


  Used for general cutting
• Scissors


  Designed for cutting threads, trimming, and slashing. Smaller and lighter than shears
• Tape Measure


  Used for measuring materials like fabric when sewing
• Ruler


  Made of wood, plastic or metal, generally used for making straight lines
• Gauge


  Made from pieces of cardboard, simplify measuring hemlines and short distance
• French Curve


  Curved cardboard used for drawing curved lines like the arms eye, neckline, and crotch
• Curved Stick


  Used for accurate ruling of curved lines like the hemline and skirt side seams
• Tracing Wheel


  Saw-toothed metal disk used for transferring markings from the pattern to the cloth
• Tracing Paper


  Used with a tracing wheel to transfer markings from a pattern to the cloth
• Tailor's Chalk


  Comes in cake and pencil forms, used for marking directly on the wrong side of the fabric
• Pressing Equipment


  pressing is done during the construction of a garment to ensure a good fit and a neat appearance.