Happy Holidays!
If you happen to have costumer, designer, sewist, or tailor in your life, and are thinking about picking up last-minute gifts, here’s my quick list of studio essentials. I recommend shopping in local stores and specialty sewing and craft stores to support your community. But if you can’t readily find these things in your area, I have included links to Amazon. Note: As an author, I have an ongoing relationship with Amazon and these links are affiliated, and these links never add to cost for the buyer.
Gingher 5″ Craft Scissors
Over the course of my sewing career, I’ve two pairs of these amazing little scissors. They are the perfect size for wearing around the neck. Unlike embroidery scissors, these have a longer, stronger blade. I use them for trimming, grading, and notching seams. But they will take care of any thread. One of my plans in 2022 is to make myself a new design pouch. You know there will be a special pocked for these beloved scissors. Find it on Amazon.
Dritz Quilting Needle Puller
When you feel like you’re losing your grip while hand sewing, these needle pullers will save the day. Made out of silicone, this 3 count package provides you with enough to put in your hand sewing kit, your emergency mending kit, and even near your sewing machine. I like this brand for its slightly thicker, textured circular shape that gives you plenty of grip for even the shortest and thinnest of needles. Excellent for costume makers who are doing a lot of beading! Find it on Amazon
Omnigrid 3″ by 18″ Ruler
As a pattern maker, I find it essential to have a good ruler. Over the years, I have found that the most sturdy, durable, and practical ruler is this model by Omnigid. Thicker than other brands, and an inch wider than most gridded rulers, I find this model really suits my workflow and design methods. Find it on Amazon
Bobbin Saver
My favorite studio organizing tool is the Bobbin Saver. This little silicone donut is perfect for controlling my stash of filled bobbins. It stores more than 20 bobbins, covering nearly all of my thread color needs. The bobbins stay in place, and the threads don’t unwind. I like to put a pin cushion in the central hole. Because my cats love to swallow a thread and pluck pins from a cushion, I keep the Bobbin Saver and pincushion combo in a covered sewing box safe from curious kittehs. Find it on Amazon 
Tailor’s Chalk
Whether I’m making fitting marks on almost finished garments or I’m transferring cutting lines onto cloth in the early stages of sewing, I reach for a piece of tailors chalk. For centuries, perhaps millennia, tailors have used chalk to make marks on wool. In the fullness of time, everyone who made clothes started using chalk to make critical marks on the cloth. There are many offbeat and generic collections of chalk that seem to include the same four colors. I like this triangle shape for its size in my hand and its easy grip. Find it on Amazon.