If I might suggest the Minimag. It runs on 2 AA batteries. Is bright enough to use around the house, and spotlight the yard, or woods. Easy to carry. Using AA is a real bonus. AA are used in a lot of other items so can scavenge from other items, and if you get rechargeable ones, you can recharge them with a genie, solar, etc... way easy. If you need your hands free you can stick it in your mouth, and if you're sitting in the bathroom it will stand up on it's own.
On the sewing it's not just the needles, its also the thread. To stitch up a tear in a pair of pants (I know it's fashionable to wear holy pants) it's not just pulling the two sides together and sewing it shut. Like skin. It's more in the way of darning socks. Meaning you will need to use a thread like they use in cross stitching, and make a weave out of the repair.
Maybe the ladies can give some advice on how to do that. I only remember my mom doing mine, when it wasn't fashionable to have holy pants. I know gasp, she even used patches over the hole.