6 Important Sewing Machine Accessories You Should Have

It’s amazing the number of sewing machine accessories available to you. It’s even more amazing how few of them you actually need to get most of your stitching done.

The main accessories you need for your sewing machine are: The right presser feet. The right needles.

You can get just about any sewing job done if you get this combination right.

It is a good idea to have plenty of needles at hand. Change your needles so that they are always sharp. Sharp needles make cleaner stitches. Usually changing the needle every 3 – 4 bobbins of thread works well. But in case you are working with thicker fabrics, or multiple layers, you should replace them sooner.

Also, if you are working on particularly delicate piece, start with a new needle. You will get cleaner stitches with a lesser risk of putting in a tear in the fabric.

The needles you ought to have in your store are:

1. 14/90 microtek needles, 
2. 100/16 denim needles to work on heavy fabrics and thicker layers, and 
3. ballpoint needles for using on knit fabrics.

Choosing the right presser foot.

There are many kinds of presser foot available that serve different functions. You should get the ones that make your job easier. For example, let’s assume that you install a lot of zippers. For you a (4) zipper foot is a must. It allows you to sew really close without the danger of breaking a needle are losing sight of where the needle is.

Your machine will already come with a (5) standard foot that can be used for most of your stitching work.

Get a (6) walking foot. This foot deserves a special mention because it can make many sewing jobs easier. But many do not consider buying it.

The walking foot helps you sew several layers together with ease. Using a standard foot with layers is problematic because the layers tend to slip up underneath each other. I’m sure that all if you have experienced this problem. It’s hard to make accurate stitches any time you have more than 2 layers. A walking foot is a must when ever you are sewing multiple layers of fabric, batting or thick material. Quilters use it all the time. You can also use a walking foot to make other sewing jobs such ‘top stitching’ much easier to accomplish.

A walking foot reduces the overall strain on your sewing machine.

In the next post we will talk about other sewing accessories like thread and cutting tools.