Scissors, various sizes and "pointiness" - check (although i think the $2 imitation Fiskars work just as well. PLUS i don't cry when i can't find them. :lol: )
Seam Un-Sewer, also various sizes and "pointiness" - check. (daaaaaaahling ... we never rip. We re-engineer. :lol: )
TWEEZERS ... to pick out the rogue little pieces of thread left over from re-engineering or for giving it the final precision haircut when it's done. (what? you've never failed to clip a slightly frayed edge before stitching and ended up with whiskers on the top? :lol: )
Ruler that gives you lip - check (unless you're already getting enough lip from the husband or kids because they no longer have 150% of your undivided attention. :roll: )
Needles: omigosh!!! so many needles for so many purposes. take a dramamine, honey, cause you will get dizzy. :lol:
http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00185.asp
http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/sewing-tips.html
http://www.denverfabrics.com/pages/sewinginfo/hsc-sewing-hints/sewing-mach-needles.htm
http://www.shiboridragon.com/NeedleInfo.htm
(somebody pass the smelling salts and let the poor kid know that a size 11 or 14 standard needle or quilting needle will work just fine in most cases. :wink: )
thread? wars have started over which threads are worst and best. :lol: i have one machine in which i can use just about anything. I have another that throws tension trantrums if i don't feed it what it wants. oddly ... one of its favorites is the dirt-cheap poly blend from wally world. which, naturally, i didn't discover until i'd spent a fortune testing higher end stuff. :lol: :lol:
point being ... don't run out and buy a whole lot of anything. buy one each of a variety of whichever brands and types you can afford, then feed your baby what it likes best. :wink:
the same goes for fabric. i will be the first to admit that i now have a preference for the brands you can buy online but i still shop at walmart, too. except for their muslin and a few things from the dollar table, none of it has ever shrunk on me or bled. also, since i experiment a lot, my failures don't cost me a fortune. :wink:
and i CAN'T believe nobody else recommended the SINGLE most important item in the kit: CHOCOLATE!!!!! bags of it; boxes of it; buckets of it. to console yourself when a seam won't go right; and to celebrate when it does. :P :P :P