My oldest daughter is out on her own and living in the big city. As many 20 somethings, she lives in a small city apartment with two roommates. While this set-up has many benefits, one of the challenges can be space. Leaving your latest sewing project out on the table doesn't go over well with the roommates if the table is the only place for food prep or for eating once that food is prepped! It also isn't too good for the sewing project!
My daughter is fortunate that her bedroom is large enough to accommodate a desk as well as a bed and dresser. So off to Ikea she went and now she has a sewing station! As she was putting together her sewing station, she realized that while she had that most important item (the machine), she didn't' have access to mom's many sewing notions that would enable her to put that machine to good use. So, her request for Santa this past Christmas, was a basic sewing kit! As resident Santa, it was my job to put together that kit, all in an easy stowable package that would enable her to keep her supplies together and room picked up (Mom can hope).
So here is what I put together for her. First up is this June Tailor Cutting and Pressing Mat.
This mat is a cutting surface on one side and a pressing surface on the other. This was the "splurge" of the kit. You can purchase just a mat that will be less expensive, but with space at a premium in the apartment, the pressing surface means that my daughter will not have to pull the large ironing board out each time she sews (or foregoes getting the iron out all together, which we all know is a sewing disaster waiting to happen!) I followed that same two in one logic when picking out the ruler. An 18 inch clear ruler is an item I use daily as I sew, so I picked an 18 inch long, 2 1/2 inch wide cutting ruler by Omnigrid, and a basic rotary cutter. The ruler also includes the 45 degree marking, so she has that to help her cut fabric on the bias when and if she needs it.
A great pair of cutting shears is important, and I have been using my Ginghers for years. (You can ship them back to Gingher and get them sharpened for a few dollars - it is totally worth it!).
A sewist needs a way to mark on fabric, and this pencil from Sewline is my favorite. It comes with two colors: gray and white, along with a blank roller for tracing. (Always test to make sure you can remove the mark from the fabric).
Next up is a Grabbit magnetic pincushion and Glass Head pins. Although a sewer often ends up with multiple pin cushions, the magnetic pin cushion that "grabs" those pins and needles, and hopefully minimizes the number of pins that end on the floor, just can't be beat.
The Grabbit pincushion comes with pins, but Glass Head Pins are worth paying for - no fear of melting and ruining the sole plate of your iron!
A package of universal machine sewing needles, a selection of hand embroidery needles, some basic thread colors, and a tape measure finish up the kit. For storage, everything fits in this two compartment tote (except pressing/cutting mat and ruler) which I picked up at JoAnns (but you can get here).
While there are many other items that I love and use regularly when I sew, this should enable my daughter to get started with her first sewing project in her apartment!
Disclosure: I don't participate in affiliates and am not receiving any compensation for my recommendations. These are products that I chose for my daughter and am recommending because I like them and think they work well.