Back when I first started sewing, I thought there were sewing machines, thread, fabric, pins and scissors. Little did I know I had hardly even dipped my toe into the vast world of sewing equipment. And now that I know about these things, my sewing world is completely and permanently altered. There’s no going back!

So today I present my sewing essentials list, other than the obvious. It’s not an insanely long list of items, but I use these things all the time, and consider them some of my best investments.

First up we have my newest baby, my Brother Overlocker, or serger. I had limited use with a serger before treating myself to this one (thanks to a fantastic Amazon Deal of the Day a few months ago), but literally only once or twice. Now, I can’t imagine my sewing projects without it. I am obsessed with finishing seams in a clean and neat way. I love how professional my finished garments look, and I look for excuses to use the serger more and more.

Before I bought the overlocker, I had a special machine foot that would do a mock overlock on the edges using a zig zag stitch. For the $6 I paid for it, it was amazing. Now that I have the actual overlocker, however, I’ve retired the foot. But I highly recommend it to anyone who can’t afford the big machine yet. It doesn’t do QUITE the same job, but it does a really good job and prevents the seam allowances from fraying. It’s a small but mighty little piece of equipment!

Though I don’t use my overlock foot so much anymore, I do rely on two very important machine feet: the buttonhole foot and the invisible zipper foot. For years I was terrified to make anything with buttonholes, because I thought I had to make them myself. In theory, I knew my sewing machine had a buttonhole feature, but I was terrified to try it… I know, crazy right? The day I learned how to make buttonholes with my sewing machine was the day my sewing life changed forever! It sounds super dramatic when I put it that way but it is 100% true. The same goes for the invisible zipper foot.

To finish off, I present my favorite hemming tool. It’s a metal ruler with various measurements, and it has a straight side as well as a curved side. I LOATHE measuring hems and this tool does it (almost!) perfectly every time. I also use it to help press by folding the fabric over it and pressing it down. And while I can’t say that this tool has made me love hemming, it definitely makes the job less of a chore knowing that I don’t have to constantly measure to make sure things are the same length.

I know that as time goes by, more will be added to this favorites list, but these are the things that make my projects go by in a snap! What are some of your favorite tools?