Two Hara Doki tape beginnings, shown side by side. Hara Doki’s history begins with a licence to make bamboo measuring instruments in 1906. Its founder, 原吉太郎, built a measuring-tool business that later worked in textile tapes and metal rules as well. 1. Bamboo, textile and metal The company chronology records textile-tape manufacture beginning in 1925 […]
Category Archives: Sewing Tips & Tool Advice
Eight Needles · Choose, use & care
Sewing Tips & Tool Advice
Find the right tool, learn how to use it and keep it ready for your next project.
Choose a topic below to browse our 100 practical articles.
Fabric markers & chalk
Choose a visible mark and a removal method that suits your fabric.
- Tailor’s Chalk, Fabric Pencil or Marker Pen?
- How to Test a Fabric Marker Before Sewing
- Marking Dark Fabric: Contrast and Removal
- Air-Erasable or Water-Erasable Fabric Markers?
- A Hera Marker: Making a Crease Instead of an Ink Line
- Keeping Tailor’s Chalk Sharp and Its Lines Clear
- Chalk Wheels and Chalk Pencils: Different Ways to Mark
- Choosing Refills for Sewing Pencils
- Tracing Paper for Fabric: Checking Both Sides
- Marking Delicate Fabric Without Guesswork
Hand-sewing needles
Compare needle sizes, eyes and uses.
- Choosing a Hand-Sewing Needle for the Fabric
- Long or Short Hand-Sewing Needles?
- Round and Grooved Needle Eyes: What to Compare
- Hand-Sewing Silk: Selecting a Needle and Testing the Stitch
- Canvas Hand Sewing: Choosing Without Forcing the Needle
- Wool Needles: Match the Yarn as Well as the Fabric
- Sashiko Needles: Choosing a Length and Checking Pack Contents
- Beading Needles: Check the Bead Hole Before Buying
- Patchwork and Quilting Needles: Read the Application
- Needle Threaders: Matching the Threader to the Eye
Threads & sashiko
Choose thread, cloth and a first stitching project.
- Regular or Thick Sashiko Thread? Choosing the Line
- Sashiko Thread Cards or Skeins: Choosing a Format
- Single-Colour or Variegated Sashiko Thread?
- Choosing a First Sashiko Sampler
- White or Navy Sashiko Cloth: Choosing Contrast
- Preprinted Sashiko Cloth or a Grid: Which Suits Your Project?
- Visible Mending: Assemble a Useful Sampling Kit
- Basting Thread: Why Keep It Separate from Decorative Thread?
- Naturally Dyed Thread: Choosing Colour with Care
- Keeping Thread Labels and Leftovers Useful
Measuring & patternmaking
Use rulers, tapes and tracing tools with confidence.
- 20cm, 50cm or 60cm: Which Pattern Ruler?
- Bamboo, Brass or Clear Plastic Sewing Rulers?
- Tape Measures with an End Gap: Where Does Zero Start?
- How to Measure a Curved Seam on a Paper Pattern
- French Curves, Armhole Rulers and D Curves Explained
- Pattern Weights or Pins: Choosing How to Hold Fabric
- Draping Tape: Choosing Between 1.5mm and 3mm
- How to Keep Draping Tape Organised Between Projects
- Tracing Wheels: Sharp, Blunt and Flat Edges
- How to Transfer a Paper Pattern Without Losing Details
- Half-Scale Pattern Rulers: Study Tools, Not Full-Size Patterns
- Seamline or Cutting Line? A Patternmaking Distinction
- Measuring Wheels for Patterns: What to Check First
- A Beginner’s Patternmaking Tool Kit
- Flexible or Straight Ruler? Choosing for Sewing
- A Sliding Gauge for Repeated Sewing Measurements
- How to Read a Half-Circle Protractor for Patterns
- L-Shaped Rulers: Checking a Right Angle in Patternmaking
- Why Two Rulers Can Give Different Sewing Measurements
- Compact Measuring Tools for a Small Sewing Space
Scissors & snips
Find the blade and size for the work in your hands.
- Mini Scissors or Thread Snips?
- Straight or Curved Embroidery Scissors?
- Choosing the Length of Tailor’s Shears
- Left- and Right-Handed Scissors: Check the Exact Model
- Bent-Handle Shears: Keeping Fabric Close to the Table
- Long- or Short-Blade Thread Snips?
- Keeping Fabric Shears Separate from General Craft Tools
- Choosing Scissors for Small Appliqué Details
- A Portable Scissor Kit: What to Pack and Protect
- When Sewing Scissors Stop Cutting Cleanly
Rotary cutters & mats
Match the cutter, replacement blade and working surface.
- 18mm, 28mm or 45mm Rotary Cutter?
- Rotary Cutting Small Curves and Pattern Details
- Straight Rotary Cuts: Ruler, Mat and Alignment
- Choosing a Cutting Mat for Sewing Projects
- Buying the Correct Rotary-Cutter Replacement Blade
- Perforation Cutter or Standard Rotary Cutter?
- Paper and Fabric Cutting: Organising Separate Tools
- Cutting Slippery Fabric: Stabilise Before You Choose a Blade
- Storing Rotary Cutters and Spare Blades Safely
- Why a Rotary Cutter Leaves Uncut Threads
Hole punches, awls & seam rippers
Make holes, open seams and shape small details.
- Nonaka Screw Punch: Body Only or with a 3mm Blade?
- Choosing a Screw-Punch Blade Size
- Preparing a Surface for Screw-Punch Work
- Screw Punch or Hammer-Driven Hole Punch?
- When a Screw Punch Does Not Make a Clean Hole
- Awl or Eyelet Punch: Opening a Gap or Cutting a Hole?
- Buttonhole Cutter or Seam Ripper for Opening a Buttonhole?
- Using a Seam Ripper Without Rushing the Fabric
- Turning Fabric Corners Without Pushing Through Them
- Sharp, Smooth and Ball-Point Awls: Choosing the Tip
Pins & small sewing tools
Explore the small tools that help with everyday sewing.
- Bodkin or Safety Pin for Threading Elastic?
- Loop Turners and Bodkins: Different Jobs in Narrow Channels
- Sewing Tweezers: Length, Access and Gentle Handling
- Choosing Pins for Draping and Delicate Fabric
- Pincushion or Magnetic Pin Holder?
- Wrist Pincushions: Keeping Pins Close While Draping
- Needle Minders, Needle Rests and Pin Holders
- Choosing a Thimble for Sashiko Practice
- Thread Wax: Check Suitability Before Treating Thread
- Sewing Tool Sets: How to Check What You Actually Need
Sewing kits, storage & gifts
Organise your tools or choose a useful sewing gift.
- A Sewing Kit for Classes: Pack by the Lesson
- Sewing Pouch, Tool Roll or Structured Bag?
- A Small Sewing Station on a Shared Table
- Organising Sewing Tools by the Job They Do
- Paperweights at the Pattern Table: What Matters?
- Gifts for a Sashiko Beginner: Build a Usable Combination
- Gifts for Dressmakers Who Already Have the Basics
- Choosing a Gift for Someone Who Sews by Hand
- How to Compare Sewing Tools Online Without Guessing
- The End-of-Project Sewing Kit Check
Renko Kondo with Emiko Narumi, pictured in Narumi’s teaching history. Photograph: JOCHICAJEL. A curve ruler is a flat object made for thinking about a body. In Renko Kondo’s work, that relationship between the flat pattern and the three-dimensional garment was central. To understand the ruler, it helps to begin with the teacher—and with the people […]
A worker checking blade engagement in the shigumi stage. Photograph: Hasegawa Cutlery. Two sharp blades are only the beginning of a pair of scissors. They also have to meet properly. At Hasegawa Cutlery in Seki, that final relationship is adjusted by hand—a small movement at the end of a much longer manufacturing story. 1. From […]
Kiya’s buildings before the 1923 disaster, as identified in the company archive. Photograph: Kiya. Kiya’s story begins with a new shop and an unusual condition: the apprentice opening it must sell something different from his former employer. That choice led towards cutlery. More than two centuries later, the connection reaches a pair of shears carrying […]
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Sep
Discover the people and history behind the Nonaka Japanese screw punch, with workshop photographs, our Meet the Maker film and a practical guide to using the tool.