Recurring themes you’ll come to recognize in this section…

• Splurge a little on your tools. You don’t have to go overboard, even a modest indulgence pays dividends. Good tools last years or a lifetime, and are a pleasure to use!
• Maintain those tools to maximize their life.
• Use each tool for its intended task(s) only.
• But do use them. The only thing sadder than a poorly-maintained tool is a pristine one still in the box because its owner fears that first scuff. A well-loved tool is a beautiful thing!

• Fabric scissors are only for cutting fabric (and people who use them to cut paper). Treat yourself to nice ones, and then a sharpener to make them last.
• But also keep around some junky dollar store utility scissors for dirty tasks like cutting adhesive-backed Velcro®.

• “Don’t buy the cheapest bike in the shop” — this is a metaphor about sewing machines and other tools. The “cheapest bike” is designed to hit a price point, that’s it. All other factors—durability, repairability, fitness for the task—are secondary. A cheap sewing machine easily breaks, and repair can exceed the original cost. Going up just a step or two gets a vastly better tool!

“But I made [item] using [bottom-of-barrel tool]!” Sure, happens all the time. Understand the difference between succeeding because of one’s tools and success despite the tools. Time is precious!

• Seems like every town has that one garage entrepreneur restoring and selling older sewing machines. Check Craigslist. Vintage machines—properly tuned up—are a delight! So they lack 100 computer-controlled stitches, but they cover the basics and are rugged, metal beasts that will sew through anything.

• Sewing clips (aka Wonder Clips) are a quick and less painful stand-in for straight pins…easily holds multiple layers of fabric.
• Binder clips (office supplies) are cheap and can work as sewing clips in a pinch, but risks scratching the sewing machine bed.

• Never use your soldering iron for burning or melting holes in things, or texturing EVA foam. Get a separate wood-burning tool for these tasks…or, if you’ve upgraded your soldering setup and have an old junker iron, use that, and don’t ever try to solder with it again. Exactly like the good scissors / bad scissors rule above.

• Silver Sharpie markers—great for craft foam and dark materials—should be stored point down for longest life.

• Use a headlamp (like for hiking) when hand sewing, especially dark thread on dark material.

• If it sounds too good to be true… “Eliminate the hassle of sewing!”, “An easy alternative to soldering!” Snake oil “alternative” products usually do a poor job. If they worked, they’d be how things get done, not alternatives.

Adafruit projects on this page: Talking Computer from Star Trek, 3D Printed Star Trek Communicator, Build your own Borg, Circuit Playground Combadge.