I often refer to BSK in my tutorials. BSK is basic sewing kit. I know I have talked about what it is. It is also in the glossary, but I thought I would write about my BSK and give you some visuals. Fabric is a given, so it is not included here.
I choose to have a basic sewing kit I keep at home and another one I use exclusively for travel. This way I don’t forget anything when I go on retreat and I have what I need when I am sewing at home. I did not go out and buy second items for my travel kit. I have collected the duplicate items over the years. I suggest you do the same as outfitting yourself or quiltmaking can be daunting.
A basic sewing kit for quiltmaking includes the following:
Sewing
Sewing machine
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- Sewing machines come in all price ranges and lists of features. It is important to buy a reliable machine. A new machine is not required. A used machine from a reliable dealer is a great option. I use Janome machines. I have friends with Berninas, Jukis, Pfaffs and Brother machines.
1/4 inch foot – find the one that fits your machine. I like one that has a flange.
Bobbins – I like to have plenty of bobbins. I don’t know what ‘plenty’ is. I wind about 10 bobbins at a time for my basic sewing color (Aurifil Dove, 2600) and maybe a half a bobbin for other colors. It depends on what I am doing. I try to walk the line between having thread sit on the bobbin for years unused and having a bobbin available so I can continue sewing.
Thread – I use Aurifil, but find a high quality thread that your machine likes. My go to all around sewing thread color is Aurifil Dove #2600. This color blends into a lot of fabrics. I don’t generally change my thread color when I change fabric, but might depending on how the thread looks. I do change the color of thread when I am top stitching, for the most part.
Machine needles – I like sharp needles. I don’t use universal needles.
Hand sewing needles – I like chenille needles in size 24 because they have a big eye, so are easier to thread, but the eye isn’t too big
Needle threader – I have lots of different ones and they all break at some point. I just keep trying different ones.
Pins – my favorite are Dritz 64 Pearlized Pins, Long, 1-1/2-Inch**. they are long and don’t bend as quickly as others.
Pincushion
Wonder Clips (especially if you are making bags) – I like both sizes, but use the small clips more often than the large clips. I buy only the Clover brand version as I go through the off brand versions like water. They break very easily with the smallest amount of stress.
Pressing
Iron – I have had good luck with inexpensive irons from stores like Target, Costco, etc. I had several
Ironing surface
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- I have a Polder ironing board which I received when I got married. It works fine and I have had no problems with it. I have had to buy new ironing board covers, which I have found at the Container Store.
- I also have a June Tailor Quilter’s Cut ‘n Press** for travel, Sew Days and retreats. It was very convenient when we were in Portland. It also fits in my ruler/mat bag along with my mat
Cutting
Scissors
Snips
Rotary cutter – I like the OLFA 45mm Ergonomic Rotary Cutter (RTY-2/DX) – Rotary Fabric Cutter w/Blade Cover & Squeeze Trigger** because the blade is protected unless you are squeezing it. It is not possible to leave it open. I have other types of rotary cutters as well, but this is the style I use the most. I use a 60mm rotary cutter when I am cutting foam, which means less re-cutting. I use the small size occasionally when cutting curves.
Acrylic ruler(s) – I have a quite the collection after so many years, but the following are what I consider the basics.
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- 4.5 inch x 8.5 inch Creative Grids Quilt Ruler 4-1/2in x 8-1/2in Rectangle – CGR48** is my go-to ruler for trimming and cutting small pieces. It fits well in my hand and is easy to manage.
- 8-1/2in x 24-1/2in Creative Grids Quilt Ruler 8-1/2in x 24-1/2in Rectangle – CGR824** is what I use when cutting strips
- Creative Grids Quilt Ruler 15-1/2in x 15-1/2in Square – CGR15** is what I use when cutting binding and large squares for bags.
- Creative Grids Quilt Ruler 6-1/2in x 6-1/2in Square – CGR6** is a smaller square that is really useful for cutting pieces in patterns and for scrap processing.
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Self healing rotary cutting mat
Unsewing
Seam ripper – I have a lot of seam rippers. I have them everywhere as I don’t want to go hunting for them. I like the Clover ergonomic seam ripper**, because it has a fat white handle. I received a Clover Grip Fit seam ripper** as a gift. Even though the handle isn’t as fat, it fits in my hand pretty well. I also have a couple of Kaffe Fassett seam rippers which have a super fat handle, so far very comfortable. the blade isn’t as thin and I can’t always get it under the stitches.
Marking and Measuring
See also: Cutting
120 inch measuring tape
Marking tools
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- Sewline Pencils
- Chalkoner
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Extension cord (good for quilt retreats/travel)
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- I like the one I bought in 2025 that has a whole bunch of outlets in a compact and not ugly case**.
Quilting
Machine quilting gloves
Walking foot
Basting pins
Optional
Pen
Notepad – I like graph paper notepads or journals so I can draw quilt blocks, if I need to
Bobbin boat/bobbin holder (something to keep your bobbins from rolling away)
Tweezers – I like the ones called Swiss Precision Angled Tweezers 4 1/2″ 507SP on the GEQuilts website. I use them for bagmaking and also sometimes for removing threads
Pinking shears
Applique’ scissors
Stiletto
Flatter
Travel iron
This is my first effort at describing a BSK so I may make updates.