What you NEED (and don't need) in a Missionary SEWING KIT

All full-time LDS missionaries need to pack a sewing kit...do you buy a pre-made kit? do you assemble your own kit from stuff you have around the house? do you even NEED a sewing kit? 

   

When looking for a sewing kit, we checked Amazon first. Seriously guys, we don't work for Amazon, I just prefer seeing a wide selection online (usually while watching Netflix), instead of driving around to 2 or 3 different stores to see if they have anything that will work. 

I found some decent looking sewing kits on Amazon for about $20, but I wasn't crazy about the price and there were a lot of items that I didn't think she would ever use, so we decided to wait. There is a wide range of sewing kits available online and in stores - you probably won't need a huge, elaborate sewing kit...but you also don't want to go TOO basic and not have what you need. 

Last time I was at Walmart, I thought I'd take a look to see if they had sewing kits. I've been to Walmart a million times, but I didn't remember ever seeing sewing kits. I wasn't sure where they would be - (probably the craft/sewing department?), but I checked the travel/luggage area on my way, just in case (nothing). Turns out, our local Walmart did have sewing kits- several simple types. One type of kit had a zippered case, the other was more of a hard plastic case. I looked them over and decided that the zippered case would be better. It was $5.00, so I bought it. Since then, I've seen basic sewing kits at several stores for between $5-$10 dollars. You don't need one that says "missionary" on it (like they sell at LDS bookstores and clothing stores), but if you really want one, go for it! 

We bought this sewing kit (in a zippered case) for $5 at Walmart and customized it

DO YOU REALLY NEED A SEWING KIT?
YES! Think about - If you are going to wear the same week's worth of clothes every day of your life for the next couple of years, what kind of repairs will you probably need to make on those clothes? Buttons get loose, fall off, or get lost. Hems (the bottom edge of pants, skirts/dresses, shirts) can start to become unstitched & hang down. You can get a rip in any item of clothing at any time (likely culprits are thorny bushes, bike chains, scraggly fences, dogs trying to bite you, etc). You MUST look professional and neat at all times. Missing buttons and rips are not professional. You will want to be prepared with supplies back at your apartment for any of these scenarios. 

WHAT DO I NEED IN MY KIT? 
When you have purchased your mission clothes, you can look at the items you've purchased (what colors they are, etc) and plan for what you might actually need in your own personalized sewing kit. That may sound lame and sewing kits might be the last thing you want to think about right now, but there is no point in taking a bunch of things you will never use. You are going to regret it if you arrive in the mission field without some things you really do need. So take a few minutes and make a plan! 

#1- THREAD 
If you are a future Elder who has purchased a navy blue suit and a gray suit, you will want to make sure that you have some gray and navy blue thread, plus a few other basic colors of thread like black. You will definitely also want white - for repairing or replacing buttons on dress shirts. You will probably need white thread the most - for sewing shirt buttons back on. You probably won't need a whole rainbow of different colors, but look at what you are bringing (including p-day clothes). If you have a red jacket, you might want red. But you may not need lime green or hot pink, unless you actually have clothes with those colors.

Same concept applies to future Sisters, though you will probably have a much wider range of thread color needs than Elders will. 

In my daughter's kit, we're including two extra bobbins (little wound up doodads of thread), one white, one black. These are usually used inside a sewing machine, but they have the exact same kind thread on them and they are conveniently pre-wound. You can buy a package of pre-wound bobbins the sewing section of any store.

#2- BUTTONS

For both Elders and Sisters, your clothes (suits, slacks, dress shirts, blouses, skirts, dresses, etc) may come with extra buttons when you purchase them (if they do, they are either in a little bag with the price tags or they might be sewn onto the tag inside (sometimes inside near the hem on dress shirts or pants). Don't toss these out! Save any buttons that come with your clothes and put them in your sewing kit. That way, if you lose a button, you'll already have a matching one ready to sew on. You might be able to buy new buttons in a store (if you have access), but you will have to buy a whole set when you only need one button (using more of your precious $). And sometimes if you lose a button, it's hard to find a replacement that matches exactly! During my mission I had to buy several sets of buttons because I couldn't find a replacement missing button for a dress that buttoned all the way down. It was cheaper to replace all of the buttons than to buy a new dress, but it still cost more than I could afford as a missionary! 

#3- SAFETY PINS 

Safety pins are great for temporary repairs, like holding a hem together until you can repair it properly. I used these a lot during my mission when I had a button-up blouse that was a little too low or would sort of gape open. Practice attaching the safety pin from the underside and try to only go through the lower layers of fabric (if possible) so that the pin doesn't show. It's good to have several different sizes. 

#4- MISC Other items that you'll want to have are: small scissors (if you don't already have a pair of scissors packed elsewhere), hem tape, sewing needles (several), and pins (to hold fabric in place while you are sewing).


PRE-MADE, CUSTOMIZED, OR MADE FROM SCRATCH?
We decided to go with a pre-made sewing kit and customize what was inside. If you want to totally make your own sewing kit from scratch, here is a good one form Missionary Mail blog:

Click here to link to the website with instructions

REMEMBER: 

Just as important as having the correct supplies is knowing how to use them. Make sure to practice threading a needle, sewing on a button, and doing a basic stitch before you go. If you don't have someone to teach you, you can find videos on youtube to help.