Holiday Gift Guide For Those Who Sew

A couple years ago my boyfriend’s mom (also a sewer herself) smothered me in awesome sewing supplies for my Christmas present. It was awesome!

Remembering that got me thinking – what are some good gifts to give to someone who sews? Especially if the gift giver isn’t that familiar with sewing?

I hope this little guide might be helpful to those who want to wish a very inspirational and creative Christmas to someone special!

Let’s lay some ground rules first – like buying clothing, personal style and preferences of the recipient can be hard to predict unless you know the person really well. So I don’t recommend buying fabric, trims or patterns for the sewer on your list. Neon green floral poly satin may not be her preferred fabric choice.

But every sewer will love useful tools and refilling her stock of supplies!

Try parking yourself at the notions aisle of your local sewing store and create a grab bag of items like multi size packs of universal machine needles, packages of elastic, zippers in different lengths and colors, snaps, bias tape, all purpose thread, etc.

Some supplies she may already own but it never hurts to have more than one around – especially when you’re knee deep in a project and you just cannot find that darn seam ripper! A magnetic pin cushion, rulers, thread clippers, really nice scissors, and of course, seam rippers make great gifts.

But wait, all these utilitarian products aren’t making you excited about shopping? Trust me, sewing enthusiasts would love to have all of those little things but if you want to go above and beyond here are a few ideas that will really make her happy –

• A top of the line cordless iron. Sewers are always ironing and having a great one can really make the process easier.
• Ginghers. This company makes very nice (but also expensive) cutting tools. The dressmaker’s shears are a classic.
• A gift certificate to her favorite fabric store. Sure, gift cards aren’t the greatest but if you get one to a local indie store rather than the big box places it will be more special.
• A gift certificate to get her machine serviced. You’re supposed to get your machine serviced and cleaned up once a year but I know that I often don’t get around to it, partially because of the cost. This is a thoughtful idea for the budget sewer.

Want some more creative gift ideas?

“How Much Fabric”? Reference cards. These pocket size cards are on a ring and are easy to carry around in a purse. The charts estimate how much fabric you might need for a given style of garment. These are especially useful when a sewer is at a store, spots the perfect fabric for that pattern she just bought but can’t remember how much fabric the pattern called for.

Mind Your Own Beeswax Thread Conditioner. This company molds its conditioner into fun little shapes. You run your thread across the little beeswax shapes to make hand sewing smoother. Good for hand basting, slip stitching, catstitching and more. You can order it here but you can probably find it cheaper from other websites. You might also find it in independent sewing stores.

Vintage Patterns and notions. If the recipient likes vintage style this could be an option. Check out estate sales, antique stores, ebay, and etsy. You can often find patterns for under 3 bucks a pop. Don’t know her size? That’s ok, it is expected that the sewer will have to make adjustments with old patterns. Just pick a few that you like for some instant sewing inspiration.


Hey, what about books?

Books are a great idea for gifts and are easy to find. Here are options for different levels of sewing experience.

• For those who like to sew crafts and gifts: One Yard Wonders
• For beginning clothing sewers: Colette Sewing Handbook
• For those who like to make their own designs: BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook
• For the advanced sewer looking for new techniques: Couture Sewing Techniques
• For the sewer with a unique sense of style: Japanese Pattern Books. You can find these on etsy and ebay. Japan Lovely Crafts carries quite a selection. Popular books include Drape Drape and Pattern Magic series.
• A general reference guide: The Sewing Answers Book

Well, that about sums up my little holiday gift guide for sewers. Please, help me add to this list by commenting with your own ideas of what sewing presents you would want for Christmas?