May was my birthday month and I believe that birthdays should be celebrated! My family and friends did not disappoint me, although this year’s events won’t soon be forgotten….waiting for three hours plus in a hospital’s emergency room parking lot and KFC tenders eaten at a park. To top it off, I received an edger for the lawn from my husband! To be fair, I did ask for either a trip to Australia or an edger!
So, what do you give a quilter for their birthday or for Christmas? I have been ask by fellow quilters’ husbands and friends many times. The answer depends upon how long the person has been quilting—basic tools or extras?
First, check their “wish list”. Online, Amazon is a great source for tools, notions, and batting. Fabric.com is a division of Amazon and most of the fabric can be purchased through Amazon and your Prime membership can be used. But if you want to shop locally, most of the quilt shops will have a “wish list” for their customers, especially around the holidays. Just discover where your quilter spends most of their money and go there!
What would I like to receive? After 25 years plus I have the basic items that a new quilter needs. But there is always something new and exciting. The following items are “extras” that have made my sewing life easier. I will mention brand names–I do not receive free items or money for showing these particular brands. Probably many different brands are equal in cost and quality
Extra lighting is a must for quilters “of a certain age”. I have used a similar desk model for several years with the original bulb. I bought this one 50% off, so watch for sales. Hint, hint- a floor model would not take up valuable sewing table space.
Strip LED lights that are attached to the sewing machine are wonderful. Easy to position on the throat of the sewing machine–putting the light where you need it. I bought my for about $10.
A vital part of piecing quilt blocks is the pressing of fabric and seams. All you need is an iron and a padded surface..ie an ironing board. But these two items make the process a bit more satisfying.
The wool felt pressing pad retains the heat for a “professional” press. Seams are crisper and lay flat. Pro quilters have huge pads the size of the average iron board, but I use the standard 18″ x 24″. The mist bottle, on the right, sprays a fine mist and one squeeze results in a longer than average mist. Starch or water may be used; so two different bottles would be a luxury
My group of quilters call these Frixion pens by Pilot “magic” pens. After years of using chalk pens and tailor chalk, there is a better product! Developed as an erasable pen and to be used for everyday writing, sewers discovered other uses! Mark on your fabric, iron the fabric and it is gone!!! Great for copying embroidery patterns, marking center points and numbering rows. “Magic” pens are great stocking stuffers for quilters.
No matter how careful I am, I drop pins and needles on my floor. I hate the sound of a metal object being sucked up in the vacuum. Borrowing a tool from auto mechanics–a heavy duty magnet on a stick makes retrieval easier.
The following two items are pure luxury–but if you want to pamper your quilter, they will be greatly appreciated!!!
My son would say, “They had to go to the moon before they put wheels on suitcases”. I would adapt that to praise the person that developed the light weight cordless sweeper! I have not used a regular vacuum cleaner since I discovered them. I don’t care who you are, the floor in your sewing space gets tacky with snippets of thread and fabric. A clean floor is important to my feeling of well being!
My husband gave me bluetooth headphones for Christmas….the best gift ever! I listen to audio books while I sew. The sound of the machine does not drown out the words as they did without headphones–I don’t have to constantly turn the audio book off and on. Since they are wireless, I can move from the sewing machine to the ironing board to the cutting table. Long conversations on the phone are possible while sewing.
A “for sure”– “can’t fail” present is a gift card to a quilt shop. Your quilter can choose the exact ruler she wants –just because the quilter has one or two rulers doesn’t mean there aren’t five more that would be nice to own! Fabric is expensive–“free”(purchased with a gift card) fabric is great! Local quilt shops all have gift cards to purchase.
Extra hint–If you know your quilters’ interests, wrap your present in fabric. My daughter-in-law used Christmas theme fabric to wrap my gifts since I use holiday prints preparing for the Quilt Etc. Sale in Oct. Solids, stripes and dots are always welcome.
Our ancestors made exquisite quilts using only scissors and needles and in many parts of the world it is still done. But many tools and gadgets have been developed to make our sewing experience so much easier. Take advantage of all those ” Ah Ha” moments someone else had— resulting in “wheels on the luggage”. Your quilter will appreciate your gift.
Quilts, Etc. 