Tools

• 
  Awl

  A pointed hand tool for marking dart points and buttonholes through pattern and fabric, making eyelet holes, coaxing out collar corners and guiding fabric under the needle - how to use it and which kind to buy.

• 
  Domestic Sewing Machine

  Choosing a home sewing machine for dressmaking - mechanical vs computerised, which features matter, essential feet, threading and tension basics, and the cleaning routine that fixes most stitching problems.

• 
  Industrial Sewing Machine

  What sets industrial machines apart from home machines - single-purpose design, speed, servo and clutch motors, the main machine types - and whether one makes sense in a home sewing room.

• 
  Measuring Tools

  The tape measures, rulers and curves used for taking body measurements, laying out patterns and drafting - what each one is for, which to buy first, and how to measure accurately.

• 
  Pins

  Choosing the right pin for the fabric - silk, glass-head, ballpoint, quilting and appliqué pins, plus clips and pattern weights - how to pin a seam so you don't sew over pins, and storing them safely.

• 
  Serger / Overlocker

  What an overlocker does and doesn't do, 3-thread vs 4-thread stitches, rolled hems, differential feed, threading and tension tips, and how to start, finish and secure overlocked seams.

• 
  Sewing Shears

  Choosing, using and caring for dressmaking shears - blade length, bent handles, left-handed shears, pinking shears, rotary cutters and small scissors, cutting accurately, and keeping them sharp.

• 
  Tracing Wheel

  Transferring pattern markings with a tracing wheel and dressmaker's carbon - serrated, needle-point and smooth wheels, which carbon to use, the right way to set up the layers, and alternatives for delicate fabrics.