I often get this question: “I’m new to sewing. What do I need?” So in the coming weeks, I’m going to offer up some simple items that I think are essential in a first-timer’s sewing kit.

Today we’re going to start with sewing needles.

When I buy hand-stitching sewing needles, I typically purchase a set that includes multiple sizes. But the bigger ones in these sets are often left in the pin cushion for a very long time.

So I recently tried buying Dritz Quilter’s Betweens Hand Needles, Size 10, and I discovered that these aren’t great for stitching doll clothes because they’re really, really small. However, they’re fantastic for sewing little tiny doll buttons onto garments!

Remember these teeny tiny buttons?

The Dritz Quilter’s Betweens Hand Needles, Size 10 are PERFECT for miniature buttons!

Now if you just happened to stumble across my website, you may have noticed that this website has a whole huge load of free doll clothes sewing patterns. I design doll clothes patterns — both for myself and commercially — so I may be partial when it comes to this next statement, but…

Sewing doll clothes is a fantastic way to learn the art of sewing!

For millennia, this is how humans have taught the next generation to sew — by making little cloth dolls and dressing them. So if you’re brand new to sewing, consider using some of my free doll clothes patterns to give yourself a quick and easy starter project.

Go buy yourself a cheap doll at a second-hand store, and use this video to help you locate my free patterns for your doll on this website. And honestly, don’t buy yourself a $500 sewing machine if you’re new to sewing. You may not enjoy sewing at all, so don’t waste your money!

But no matter what, if you’re making your own doll clothes, you’re going to need to have some sewing needles.

The nice thing about doll clothes, is that you can sew them by hand in a very short amount of time.

If you already have purchased yourself a sewing machine, you didn’t do the wrong thing, but if you’re thinking about buying a sewing machine, I want you to read a quick little story…

My beloved sister, made the same mistake a lot of people who are new to sewing make… She went out and bought herself a new sewing machine, thinking she’d love sewing.

She’s a second grade teacher, and for her first sewing project, she decided to make her classroom of 24 students one tote bag each. Tote bags seemed like a simple enough project, right?

But after sewing half a dozen tote bags, she decided she hated sewing, and she went to her local Dollar Tree and bought her students a bunch of cheaply made-in-China tote bags instead.

I would venture to guess that her sewing machine is still growing dust in her closet!

She would have saved herself a lot of trouble if she had started with a smaller project and a few hand-stitching sewing needles.

You may be thinking, “But I hate threading needles! It’s hard!” Next week I’ll talk about how easy it is to use a needle threader…

And now I have a question for all of my regular followers…

If you were putting together a “learn to sew” kit for a child, a grandchild, or a friend, what sewing needles would you include in your kit? Or would you prefer to have them start with their own sewing machine? And what brand of sewing machine do you recommend for people who are just starting out?

Please leave comments! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one…

Would you start them on the sewing machine right away, buy them a used sewing machine, recommend that they buy a brand new sewing machine, or would you start them with a needle and thread before investing in a sewing machine?

If you enjoyed this blog post, and you’d like to see my videos, you might want to navigate over to my YouTube channel, ChellyWood1 to look through my playlists.

If you would like to make a donation to this free doll clothes pattern website, please click here. There’s also a “Donate” button in the main menu.

For anyone who would like to expand their dolls’ wardrobes, you should really check out my “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” course and my “Design Your Own Doll Pants Patterns from Scratch” classes on the Creative Spark online learning platform. Here’s my bio page on their website, where you can learn more.

For any class on Creative Spark, you don’t have to follow a schedule. Just sign up when you’re ready.

It’s a one-time fee for the course, and there’s no specific time limit to finish your course. You can just take your time and learn at the pace that suits you. So go check out my paid courses on Creative Spark, using this link.

As always, feel free to pin, like, or tweet about my free patterns and tutorials.

To read more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.

Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:

*Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, JoAnn Fabric, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page.

Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with any of the doll or toy companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly enjoys designing her doll clothes to fit a variety of dolls. To learn more about the doll companies mentioned in today’s post, please visit the doll or toy company’s website.