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Come along with me today as I visit the hardware store and pick up 10 affordable sewing supplies at Home Depot.
I’ll walk you through each tool and how you might use it for your sewing projects.
Watch the video to see me go shopping, and I’ll show off everything I bought. I also included notes below so you can make a shopping list.
My Sewing Treasures From Home Depot
Rubber Mallet for Setting Jeans Hardware
A rubber mallet is your secret sewing weapon for setting hardware you’ll use for making jeans and bags, like snaps, grommets, and rivets.
Since the mallet is softer than a hammer, it won’t damage your materials.
It provides a gentle yet firm strike, so you won’t knick your hardware, but you’ll insert it securely.
Be sure to use it over a hard surface that won’t get damaged. You can also find cutting mats and wood blocks at the hardware store.
We also have a tutorial for installing denim hardware here.
Budget Eyelets, Grommets, and Snaps
The hardware store sells eyelets and grommets, often in little kits. You can even find snaps!
These notions can be much more affordable than the hardware you buy from a fabric store, especially if you are sewing in bulk or enjoy a utilitarian look.
I found them in kits with everything you need, including snap setters, anvils, and other setting tools.
Need help setting snaps? Read our Comprehensive Guide to Set-in Snaps for step-by-step instructions.
Easy-to-use Velcro Strips
Velcro is such an underrated sewing notion. You can use velcro for closures on bags, costumes, or on children’s wear.
At the hardware store, you can find strips of velcro in various widths and even in little circles.
Magnets for Catching Pins
It’s also easy to make a magnetic pin holder. Just glue magnets to the bottom of a pretty bowl or dish.
I actually found a magnetic bowl designed to hold small metal parts like screws. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s great for pins.
I have several magnetic pin holders all over my sewing room so I can toss pins around without worrying about them getting on the floor.
Oh, and this magnetic bowl was much cheaper than the magnetic pin cushion I bought at a sewing shop.
Masking Tape or Painter’s Tape:
I always have a roll of masking tape or painter’s tape in my sewing space.
Here are just a few of the ways you can use masking tape in your sewing space.
- You can use it to mark wide seam allowances on your sewing machine.
- It can temporarily hold fabric pieces in place without leaving a residue.
- If it’s hard to tell the right and wrong sides of your fabric, write a note on a piece of tape and secure it to all your pattern pieces.
- You can also label directional prints with an arrow.
- Take a tip from quilters and use it to create straight lines on fabric when you need a guide.
Washers for Pattern Weights
These big washers are my favorite pattern weights. They're the perfect pattern weights. You can get a whole handful for really cheap!
They’re heavy enough to hold down fabric and pattern paper. You can space them out around the entire pattern piece the way you’d like so none of your edges curl up while you’re cutting.
They’re also easy to grab and store nested in a little container on your cutting surface.
Clamps
Clamps are incredibly useful for holding random things in place while you’re working. And if you’ve been sewing for a while, you know that sewing involves a lot of random things.
Use clamps to:
- Hold fabric or your cutting mat in place while you cut.
- Hold pattern paper in place while you trace or make fitting adjustments.
- Attach lights to your sewing space and move them around as needed.
- Secure your ironing board cover if it tends to slide around while you press.
- Mount backdrops for taking pictures of all your projects.
- Clip them around your power cables from all your machines so they stay out of your way.
Pegboard for Storing Supplies
You’ve seen all the inspiring images of sewing spaces that have walls covered in pegboard that are covered in tools and notions.
If you mount some pegboard on your wall, even just a small piece, you’ll have a great place to organize your tools and project plans.
- You can hang thread, scissors, and other tools.
- Clip your patterns and project plans so they’re easily visible.
- You could create a sewing queue and move your projects along a timeline from start to finish.
- You can also use it to mount lighting (with some clamps!) if you don’t have a lot of overhead light in your sewing space.
Speaking of lighting...
Plenty of Lighting
The hardware store might be one of the best places to find lights to shine on your sewing space.
Look for LED strips you can mount on your pegboard or shelving. You can also find bright work lights that will clamp to desks and shelves.
You can find headlamps, which are helpful if you are sewing on the couch during a movie or taking your project on the go.
Heat-Shrink Tubing
Ok, this notion is a little niche, but see how creative you can get with all the hardware goodies? Heat-shrink tubing comes in handy if you sew a lot of loungewear or activewear.
You apply heat-shrink tubing to finish the ends of cords and drawstrings.
Slide the tubing over the end, apply heat, and it will shrink to provide a neat, professional-looking finish that prevents fraying. It also makes it super easy to thread the drawstring.
Be sure to read our Guide to Drawstrings for even more tips.
These 10 tools are really affordable at the hardware store, but all of them are super useful.
And actually, I found one more bonus thing when I was shopping that wasn’t even on my list.
I found these huge canvas dropcloths and picked one up to see if I could use the fabric.
This is a really nice sturdy canvas, and because they come in big sizes, it’s really inexpensive.
It would be great to use these for bags, or even for curtains where you need a lot of yardage. You could also dye them, print them, or even paint them.
If you want more ideas for tools that can improve your sewing without spending much money, you’ll probably love this video we made on sewing tools under $10. Read and watch Sewing Tools Under $10 That Will Change Your Life.
Have you ever scored some sewing supplies in unexpected places like the hardware store? Comment and share your tips!
