Everyone who comes to visit me at my pro fashion and costume design house space, always wants to know where I get all my cool stuff!
Cordless Rotary Cutters are the bomb, whether you are doing a single project or production cutting, I have 2 of these set up in each of my cutting rooms and they rock! We used them for a 400 costume production run and they worked like a charm with zero problems!
Well here are links to some of my favorite things including books, equipment, materials and supplies from Amazon and Beyond!
Click the underlined text for pricing and links to buy!!!
Folding Cutting Tables, When space is at a premium and you need the versatility of a folding cutting table, I love these for light duty!
If you need something more industrial I love my steel folding work tables from Uline because they are easy to transport, move, set up and store when not in use! They have a removable shelf on the bottom and I got the ones with wheels!
Mine are 60″ long to fit a full roll of fabric by 36″ wide and I line them up 2-3 at a time, depending on what I need to cut or work on. They can be clamped together and I top them off with a cutting mat!
Sullivans 36″x59″ Cutting Mat for Home Sewing and Hobby Tables, White
I became addicted to using this number grid marked pattern making paper, it makes my hand drafted patterns so much easier to read, grade and edit!
You can get it by the roll from GoldStar Tool!
Manila Pattern Paper. Used by Professionals to Preserve Sewing Patterns. (Roll of 10 Yards X 48″) – by IDS, International Design Supplies
I like to use mannequins with heads and arms when designing costumes with hoods, hats and sleeve details. This style is very affordable, a little on the “handle with care” side, but definitely helped display and illustrate the design concept when needing approvals for fit and style.
<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09T99RQHX?&linkCode=li3&tag=ginavincenza-20&linkId=47b39d4aaa1a818cc6bdb4c6d1a0f4b7&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B09T99RQHX&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ginavincenza-20&language=en_US" ></a>![""](http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ginavincenza-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=B09T99RQHX")
<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://<iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=ginavincenza-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B07VQLNJLS&asins=B07VQLNJLS&linkId=afdba6702497710619b8f16f770adc13&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true">Male Full Body Posable Manequin are one of the other styles I use.
I have purchased mannequins and dress forms on Amazon and you can also find them on Etsy.com.
Rulers!
Here are some of my favorites! I prefer quilting and clear rulers because you can see through them for marking seam allowance, drawing curves and more!
This is literally one of my favorite rulers, I use it daily, it has holes down the center to make circles and makes it easy to draw out seam allowances.
This is my other most favorite ruler, when I go on mobile sewing gigs, this and the blue one always come with me!
Dritz Styling Design Ruler, Clear
Giant Metal Ruler!
Why? Sewing Hack, use a long ruler like this to brush over unruly fabric layers to get them to become wrinkle free before cutting!
Your Welcome!
Pacific Arc Stainless Steel Ruler Inch and Metric, with 32nd and 64th Graduations, 48 Inches
KAI 7000 Series Professional Tailor Sewing Shears Scissors #7250 are one of my favorite sewing scissors!
I also buy the black sheers regularly from Guggenhein and I have an assortment of fabric cutting “implements of death” from Wolff Industries!
Janome Portable Sewing Machine has an actual bobbin case and is made of real metal parts! It’s my favorite mobile gig sewing machine!
Rolling Sewing Machine Bag (Available in other colors) I love these bags for my mobile sewing gigs and remote fittings!
Juki MO644D Serger, I love this machine for portability, there’s even a rolling bag you can buy for it!
They do exist! A Rolling Serger Sewing Bag (available in other colors!)
If you ever find yourself needing more light in your sewing area, these strip lights are super cool and you can stick them right inside the neck of your sewing machine!
Madam Sew Sewing Machine Light Strip, 12” USB LED Light Strip with Clean White Lights
I use this moveable, bendable lamp over my pattern making table, cutting table and around my sewing machine as needed!
Super Bright Dimmable Led Floor Lamps for Sewing Room, Custom Color Temperature with Remote Push Button, Adjustable gooseneck!
Who doesn’t need a giant light weight full length mirror for fittings! 65″ x 24″ Full Length Mirror Hanging Standing or Leaning, with Alloy Frame, Black
I have to admit, I totally stole this idea from my hair stylist, but this is the most awesome mirror I have ever owned. I have it set up next to my make up table and it is delightful!!! Let your clients take a gander at your creations in this beautiful, well lit mirror!
Full body vanity mirror with lights 60 x 23 – Made in the USA
Commercial Grade Rolling Z Rack with Nesting Base
For the big jobs, go with heavy duty!
J-2M Jiffy Garment Steamer with Metal Steam Head, I like this one because its much easier to fill and empty out compared to the on board tank models!
My new favorite portable steamer for mobile sewing gigs!
Fashion Portable Handheld Garment Steamer, 0.8lbs Lightly, 15s Fast Heat-up, 10 Minutes of Continuous Steam, Light Mini
This was literally one of the coolest things I bought last year for my studio space!
Viper Tool Storage V1804PUR 16-Inch 4-Drawer 18G Steel Rolling Tool/Salon Cart, with Bulk Storage, Purple (comes in other colors!)
For Mobile Gigs, my rolling supply organizer!
Sewing Train Case, Rolling Trolley, Organizer, Travel Case w/ 4 Wheels, Purple
Muslin is something I go through tons of when prototyping patterns for fashion and costume so you dont have to use your actual fabrics until you get everything sorted out with the fit of your design. I usually buy it 10 or more yards at a time!
DUCK Canvas is a bit more heavy weight than muslin, I usually buy this by the roll and use it for prototyping heavier items like jackets and pants than need a little more structure and weight to the fabric.
I love these donut pattern weights, because life is too short for boring stuff!!!
Need some bigger guns? I love to use these barbells for pattern weights, way more than the traditional flat black metal ones, they are more fun and cost less!
What are my hardware devices? I love Mac products because they are industry standard to creatives, everything talks to each other and I have zero virus problems!
Apple 2022 MacBook Pro Laptop with M2 chip: 13-inch Retina Display, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD Storage, Touch Bar, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera
Paired with a Apple 2022 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 1TB
I very much love my custom PURPLE Wardrobe road cases from RoadCases.com
Have passport, will travel!
What’s on my design house bookshelf?
Fashionpedia – The Visual Dictionary of Fashion Design, this book is a great way to learn the names of everything from necklines, sleeve styles and more! A must have for anyone taking fashion seriously.
Men’s Fashionary – The name FASHIONARY comes from Fashion + Dictionary + Diary. This sketchbook is combined with extensive fashion information and blended figure templates. It is the perfect tool for brainstorming, fast sketching and quick referencing. Unlike the traditional templates, the blended templates are formed by dotted line and are barely visible; you can draw on the templates pages like you do on blank papers.
Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book, Second Edition (An invaluable resource containing 125 fabric swatches)
The Pattern Making Primer: All You Need to Know About Designing, Adapting, and Customizing Sewing Patterns
Here’s a list of websites where I regularly shop for thread, elastic, snaps, zippers and all kinds of other random things!
Other Apps, Websites and Programs
- Invoice ASAP
- Pret A Template – The Ultimate Sketching Tool!
- Cochenille Design Studio – Garment Designer Software
- JotForm – for making all kinds of free survey’s and online forms!
For a complete list of wholesale fabric vendors, see my other post with massive disclosure on the industries biggest suppliers HERE!
I don’t think I was the first person to say this and I won’t be the last, but…
“Life is too short to have boring stuff!”
And YES, most of my stuff is PURPLE!!!
Gina Vincenza Van Epps
Gina Vincenza 
Leave a comment