LET’S BE INFORMED

Budget
A budget is the amount of money set aside for planned expenses. It is a plan specifying how much money
will be spent or allocated during a particular period.

Budgeting is related to the wise use of family resources. It is based on the system by which wages or
salaries are received and how these are to be spent by itemizing the needs of the family and how much
money is needed to meet such needs.

Components or elements of a family budget

1. Food – groceries, raw and cooked food, staples, condiments, and spices
2. Shelter – if not renting, includes taxes, repair, and maintenance
3. Clothing – uniforms, clothes, and accessories
4. Education – tuition fees, books, daily food, transportation allowance of children
5. Household operations – things needed in the house, beddings, curtains, furniture, and other
paraphernalia to make members comfortable
6. Utilities – electric, water, and telephone bills, gas, salaries of helpers
7. Health – medicine, check-up
8. Recreation – family outings, outside dining, watching movies.
9. Savings – the amount set aside or deposited in the bank

Factors affecting the family budget

The following are some factors that can affect a personal or family budget.
1. Amount of Income
2. Size and Composition of the family
3. Values of the family
4. Needs and wants of the family

Tools and Materials in Sewing:

Measuring Tools
1. Tape Measure – is a measuring tool used for taking body measurements to produce well-fitting
clothes and pants. This is usually made of cloth or plastic.
2. Ruler- is a measuring tool used to measure and draft lines on a fabric or pattern.
3. Metal Gauge- is a movable marker that measures short distances and correct thickness such as
distance between buttons, pleats, and hems.
4. Hem Gauge- is a measuring tool used to measure the correct hem for a piece of clothing or linen.
5. French Curve-is a measuring tool used in drafting curves in the pattern of the arm, neckline, and
crotch.
6. Meter or Yard Stick – this is used to measure fabric.
7. Tailor’s Square- is used for drawing straight lines and true right angles.
8. Curve stick-is used to have curved lines on necklines and armholes.

Cutting Tools
1. Embroidery Scissors- are small scissors designed for needle work.
2. Dressmaking Shears- is used for cutting heavy fabric. It has uneven shapes of handles.
3. Pinking Shears – are scissors with serrated blades or zigzag edges (similar to saw) used for cutting
the fabric edge and prevent it from fraying or ravelling.
4. Light Trimmer – is used for cutting small corners or portions of the fabric, this tool has one point
blunt to prevent the fabric from snagging.
5. Brent-handled Shears- Shears with straight blades and a handle that is off-set at an angle to allow
the lower blade to stay flat in a cutting surface.
6. Sewing Scissors- is a cutting tool used for trimming seams and facings.
7. Thread Clippers-is a small cutting tool used for snipping thread.
8. Seam Ripper-is a cutting tool used to open seams as well as other detailed work.
9. Stitch Ripper- is a small tool made of metal used to remove stitches.

Marking Tools
 1. Tracing Wheel- is a marking tool with saw tooth blade used to transfer the marks from the
pattern paper to the cloth.
2. Tailor’s Chalk- this is an orange colored hard square wax used for marking guidelines or
sewing lines in fabric.
3. Tracing Paper- this is used with the tracing wheel to transfer marks from the pattern paper to
the cloth.
4. Soft Pencil – this is used in drawing lines in pattern construction.

Sewing Tools
1. Needle-is a sewing tool that has one sharp end and a hole at the other end to make the thread pass
through. They come in different sizes and are used in sewing to pass the thread through the cloth
either by hand or machine. The three types of needles are sharps (longest with round eyes for
general sewing), crewels ( next in length with slender eyes for darning and embroidery), and
betweens (the shortest needles with round eyes for fine sewing in tailoring or dressmaking),
a. Long darners - Long thick needle suitable for mending holes in heavy fabrics.
b. Cotton darners (fine points) - Used for darning, suitable for delicate yarns such as cotton and
silk.
c. Beading needles - Very long and fine with a sharp point; used for decorative work,
particularly for attaching beads and sequins.
d. Curved needles - Needles used in sewing mattress and doing upholstery work.
e. Ball point needles (round point) - Used between knit yarn fibers.
f. Straws - Longer needles than betweens; used for tacking
g. Tapestry needles - Strong, thick needles that have a sturdy, blunt point; suitable for working
tapestry and needle point projects.
h. Embroidery crewel needles - Sharp, medium length needles with a long eye through which
strands of embroidery thread are needed.
i. Glovers/Leather hand needles - Sturdy three-sided needles with a round eye suitable for
piercing both leather and strong plastic fabrics.

2. Pins - Tiny sewing tools with a sharp pointed tip used for a variety of purposes such as holding
pattern pieces in place, fit fabric or garment on the body, hold fabric together, and secure lace,
sequins or beads.
a. Dressmaker’s pins - One and one-sixth inches long; used in all sorts of garment sewing.
b. Glass headed pins - Pins with colored ball shaped heads; used for marking or decorating
crafts.
c. Safety pins - Available in different sizes, these pins come with a safe cover for the pointed
part to prevent it from jabbing the skin.

3. Pin Cushion-it is used to keep needles and pins in place when not in use.
4. Emery bag-is similar to a pin cushion but with rougher content such as finely ground broken plate or
very fine dried sand to sharpen the tips of pins and needles and to prevent them from getting rust.
5. Thread- is used for stitching cloth either by hand or machine and comes in different colors and
thickness. It can also be used for surface decoration. Thread can be made of cotton, nylon, or silk.
Sizes may range from 40 (heavy sewing, thicker thread) to 100 (finer thread for sheer materials
such as silk or organza). Number 50 is commonly used for hand sewing. Threads are sold in skeins
(embroidery), cones, spools, and balls.
6. Needle Threader – aids in inserting the thread into the eye of the needle.
7. Thimble-a small, durable, protective cap made of metal or plastic, used to protect the finger from
being pricked when pushing the needle through the cloth.