¶ Introduction
'Notions' is the general word for all of the extra tools that sewists use to make their work go faster and their lives easier. Notions covers everything from scissors to rulers to sewing machine attachments and marking tools.
Open Works provides some notions in the Textiles room, sewing kits for borrowing at the front desk, and as always recommends bringing your favorites from home if you have them.
¶ Shop Access
A membership or day pass is required to access Textiles.
The Shop Safety Class Sewing 1: Shop Safety is required before using the Textile Shop.
¶ Shears and Fabric Scissors
Best for: cutting fabrics freehand or along marks drawn on the material.
Keep your fingers out of the way of the blades.
Do not cut pins.
¶ Maintenance & Troubleshooting
When dull: sharpen.
- Use a scissor sharpening block.
OR, if the blades of the scissors come apart:
- Take the scissors apart.
- Set up the sharpening stones. Starting with the coarse one:
- Smooth the flats of the blades, 5-10 strokes.
- Mark the edge/bevel of the blade with a marker so that you can see which parts have been sharpened.
- Align the bevel flat against the stone. Smooth with 10-20 strokes across the stone.
- Repeat steps 3-5 with the fine sharpening stone.
- Repeat steps 4-6 for the other blade of the scissors.
- Clean blades and reassemble scissors. Put away sharpening stones.
OR, if just touching up the edge
- Fold a piece of aluminum foil in half several times
- Cut the foil the full length of the blade 10-20 times
¶ Snips
Best for: cutting threads and hard to reach corners of seams.
Keep your fingers out of the way of the blades.
Do not cut pins.
¶ Maintenance & Troubleshooting
When dull: replace unit.
¶ Rotary Cutters
Best for: long straight cuts against a ruler or other guide.
¶ Usage
- Set up guide.
- Release safety on handle by pushing the lever on the spine with your thumb.
- Keeping fingers on opposite hand out of the way, run the blade along the guide while pressing down.
- When finished, engage safety by pressing the small button on the side of the handle.
Do not cut pins.
¶ Maintenance & Troubleshooting
When dull: replace blade. Make sure that there is an identically sized replacement blade available.
- With safety engaged, loosen and remove knob opposite the blade. The assembly should come apart.
- Remove the blade from the assembly and put it in the red sharps container located on or near the black toolchest.
- Put new blade into the assembly and assemble in reverse order.
¶ Seam Rippers
Best for: undoing seams and other unwanted stitching.
¶ Usage
Separating two or more pieces of fabric that are seamed together:
- Get the guarded point (red ball) of the seam ripper between the two piece of fabric
- Carefully slide it along the seam, making sure that the crux only cuts the threads of the seam and not the fabric.
Removing stitching from the surface:
- use the point of the seam ripper to lift threads away from the surface of the fabric.
- break them using the crux of the seam ripper.
- be careful to not grab threads from the fabric.
¶ Maintenance & Troubleshooting
When dull: replace unit.
¶ Rulers and Cutting Guides
Best for: measuring and cutting
¶ Usage
Place on material and use a marker or rotary cutter. Be careful to hold the guide firmly in place while marking or cutting.
Do not cut the guides.
¶ Maintenance & Troubleshooting
¶ Chalk and tailor's pencils
Best for: temporarily marking fabric
¶ Usage
Like any other pencil or chalk.
¶ Maintenance & Troubleshooting
¶ References
¶ Video Walkthroughs
Embed videos directly into the Wiki, do not link.
¶ Resupply Form
Click here to report any consumables needing to be replenished within the [Shop Name!]