Category Archives: Guides

Before blaming the pattern, check how you are reading the tools. Practical sewing advice, useful checks and related tools from Eight Needles.

A half-circle protractor measures an angle between two lines. Practical sewing advice, useful checks and related tools from Eight Needles.

A ruler that bends is useful when the line you need to measure bends too. Practical sewing advice, useful checks and related tools from Eight Needles.

Repeated measurements are where a small gauge earns its place. Practical sewing advice, useful checks and related tools from Eight Needles.

Online photographs help you recognise a tool, but they cannot answer every question about fit or function.

The end of a project is a useful moment to prepare the kit for the next one. Practical sewing advice, useful checks and related tools from Eight Needles.

Hand sewing includes many different activities, from garment repairs to quilting and embroidery.

A good beginner gift makes the first project possible. Practical sewing advice, useful checks and related tools from Eight Needles.

Someone who already sews may appreciate a thoughtful improvement to a familiar task more than a large beginner set.

Organising by task makes a tool kit easier to use than arranging everything only by size or colour.