MEN SEWING: The Toolbox

...that's right, I don't have a sewing basket. I have a tackle box. And I have unusual tools in it.

CIGAR LIGHTER
I work with a lot of polyester, and my frog buttons are made out of shoelaces, which are in essence plastic. The only way to keep the ends of synth fiber from fraying (aside from an assload of FrayCheck) is to melt the end, for which you need fire. And I find I need it so often I have to keep one in my tackle box.

HEAD LAMP
Yes, I have a red flashlight on a headband, yes I wear it while sewing, yes it looks ridiculous, yes it helps a lot. My asinine appearance is, in the male mind, completely offset by the fact that it works. I literally can't sew without it. Someone actually kicked me in the shin for wearing it at an event once, even though it matched my zuchetto.

CHOCOLATE [depleted]
To lure chicks. Every male pursuit is a bid to get laid. Sewing presents the male as "open-minded" and "relatable," conditions that make females vulnerable to Toblerones.

GUM
In case the chocolate works

CONDOMS
In case the gum works

RANDOM NUTS & BOLTS
I bring my tackle box to heavy combat practice in case my shirt rips, and after practice I go around picking up all the screws people drop and let them go through my collection later.

BRIBES
By which I mean favors, by which I mean keys. If I have a enough of aforementioned shoelace I can quickly whip up a Key-To-My-Black-Heart charm, which is when you throw in the chocolate.

BAND-AIDS
For "pinjuries" and scissor wounds. It helps reconcile sewing with one's masculinity by pointing out that like any "manly" craft, this one has tools, some of which are quite hazardous and sharp. My Ginghers literally have my blood on them, and I have the amazing talent for finding sewing needles with my feet.

BUSINESS CARDS [pending]
Obvious, commerce and so on.

EXCESSIVELY LETHAL TAILORING SCISSORS
Gingher scissors make a good off-and weapon, and I've seen tailoring shears with blades as long as 12", perfect for fending off ambushes when your enemy thinks you're vulnerable because you're stitching up your gambeson. Function similarly to a main gauche for catching and disarming rapier and dagger blades. Tailoring scissors with a loosening bolt in the middle are the most professional because the blades can be sharpened individually after a fight (or a sewing project I guess).