When I first started sewing I had one pair of scissors that I used for everything, from clipping threads to cutting out patterns, from ripping out seams to trimming my bangs.
Marking tools are one of the most useful pieces of a sewing kit, and there are so many different kinds! The marks they make can show you where to cut, where to fold or where to stitch. They can make a permanent or temporary line, and they're available in many different colors including yellow, blue, red, white and more. The secret to making your markers work for you is knowing which marker is the right one for your project. There is no such thing as the all-purpose perfect marker so it's important to familiarize yourself with the different uses of each kind. 
Tailor's Chalk is the most elemental marking tool and the one most people are familiar with. We carry it in 3 distinct colors, white, blue, and yellow. Which color you use depends on the color of your fabric. The darker the fabric, the lighter the chalk should be or if your fabric is light, use the darkest chalk. If your fabric falls in the middle between dark and light, use the color that is the most opposite to the main color of your fabric (for instance, on a yellow-orange fabric use the blue chalk, on a blue-violet fabric use the yellow chalk). Chalk makes a clear non permanent line that comes out by shaking it off and patting the fabric. If that doesn't get rid of the mark completely a trip through the wash will. Since chalk comes off so easily it's not appropriate for projects that will encounter a lot of handling or for those that need to keep their marks over a long period of time. Chalk doesn't make a very precise line so if you need to mark something highly detailed chalk is not a great choice. What it is ideal for is marking hems and alterations on garments, marking folds (as in this bag pattern) and marking positions for buttons and bag handles.
I have to admit that before Purl Patchwork opened I didn't have a clue about thimbles. They seemed quaint and old fashioned but I didn't really understand their use (... and I thought that you wore them on your thumb!) Now that I hand sew and embroider regularly my thimbles have become indispensable. I have different kinds for different uses and I thought I'd share with you what they're all for in case anyone out there is similarly clueless.
(The back ground fabric is Avalon from Alexander Henry, a new Purl Patchwork favorite.)
The goat leather thimble is my favorite traditional thimble and thus it's a good place to start. I used to think that thimbles were primarily used as protection from the sharp end of the needle. But in the case of traditional thimbles that's not true. You wear a traditional thimble (usually on your index or middle finger) to protect your finger from the eye-end of the needle. If you use your index or middle finger to push the eye-end of a needle enough times your finger will get hurt; that's where a thimble like this comes in handy.
I use my goat leather thimble primarily for hand quilting. The rocking motion of the hand quilting stitch would be very painful without it because you are constantly pushing the end of the needle with the tip of your finger. (For a more in depth explanation of hand quilting click here.)
You can also wear a thimble for hand piecing to help push the needle through as you do the running stitch.
I prefer the goat leather thimble to a more traditional metal thimble because it's flexible and feels like an extension of my own finger, but a metal thimble works the same way.
Some people prefer the metal thimbles because they don't cover the first finger knuckle. Also their indentations are useful in catching the eye-end of the needle. Our quiltmaking teacher, Cassandra, finds the leather thimbles bulky, while I find the metal ones too rigid. It's all a mater of personal preference and what feels right to you.
Make sure when you buy a traditional thimble, be it goat leather or metal, that it fits properly. It should be snug enough to not fall off your finger but not too tight that it hurts.
The Under Thimble is also primarily used for hand quilting. When I was taught to hand quilt I was told to push the needle through the quilt until it just poked my bottom finger.
I do still think this is a good way to initially learn because it helps to regulate your stitch size. However, now that I've learned the basic principle, the Under Thimble makes hand quilting much quicker, because I'm not so afraid of impaling my poor underfinger.
To use it you simply stick it on your index finger with one of the reusable stickers that come with the package. All of a sudden your under finger is invincible!
The thimble pad is something that I use for embroidery. It gives me a better grip when I'm pulling the thread through my fabric and prevents any irritation that might come from always gripping the needle in the same place. It sticks on and can be used many times. I have also heard it can be very useful in applique.
The thimble pad is a really versatile tool, there's no rules to it, it's just there to help. I was embroidering some napkins recently and I kept pricking myself over and over in the same place. I popped a thimble pad on and the problem was solved!
The Japanese Sashiko technique also has it's own Sashiko thimble, and it's worn in a very unique place on the base of the middle finger, protecting the top of the palm.
After gathering many stitches on the needle you push the needle through using the top part of your palm (protected, of course by your thimble!) For a more in depth explanation of Sashiko click here.
If you're hand sewing and your fingers are being in any way irritated, poked, pricked, or prodded, there is a thimble to help you.
I worked at Purl, our knitting store, for a few years before Purl Patchwork opened. One of the mantras I was always telling beginning knitters was, "don't worry you can always rip it out." In other words, there was no permanent mistake, everything could be easily unraveled and tried again.
However, I never thought of sewing this way until recently. I approached ripping out seams with brute force and no technique, sometimes using scissors, sometimes using the dull seam ripper that came with my machine. Every time I tried to rip out a seam I ended up with pulled fabric and a chewed up looking edge. For this reason the ultra sharp Clover Seam Ripper was a revelation. Joelle showed me the proper (and much easier) way to rip out a seam and I haven't looked back. None of my more ambitious projects would have come out well without it!
Follow the pictures below to see this totally simple, totally useful little tool at work:
Here is the offending seam.
Stick the sharp tip of the seam ripper under every other stitch along the seam and push through the thread, breaking it.
Once you've ripped every other stitch along the entire length of the seam simply pull the thread on the other side of the seam. It should come off of the fabric with very little pressure.
And Voila, the seam is gone. All you need to do is brush away the little bits of thread and try again. It's so freeing to realize that no seam is permanent!
ps- The fabrics used above are from Amy Butler's lovely and luminous new collection Midwest Modern! --Molly
March 11, 2009