If you have a beginning sewer on your Christmas list, your gift-giving just got a lot easier. The truth is that beginning sewers need a lot of items for their upcoming projects, so coming up with gift ideas for the beginner sewer is a lot easier than you think. And this is true even if you’re not a sewer yourself!
Beginning sewers need more than just thread and a good pair of scissors because there are a lot of knick-knacks that they’ll get a lot of use out of. Once you become familiar with some of these gift ideas, you can feel confident about purchasing products they’ll be able to use for a very long time.
Christmas Gift Ideas for the Beginner Sewer
Below are 10 Christmas gift ideas for the beginner sewer that they are certain to appreciate and use for years to come:
Tailor’s chalk is usually available in pencil form, which makes it super easy to work with. The chalk is also available in rectangle-shaped pieces that look similar to erasers, but these aren’t nearly as easy to use. And since sewers use tailor’s chalk for just about all of their projects, a good supply of them always makes a great gift.
When you’re looking for Christmas gift ideas for the beginner sewer, you can’t go wrong buying tailor’s chalk. Since it is used constantly because it places pattern markings right on the fabric, they’ll eventually run out of the item, which means that the more you buy, the longer the sewer can go without having to buy more. Feel free to buy them in various colors just to keep things interesting if you like.
A sewer needs something to keep all of their supplies and tools in, and a sturdy sewing basket is the perfect solution. They’re not expensive, and if you like, you can buy a rather large one because chances are good that most beginning sewers will start out with something smaller than the one you buy for them.
And since most sewers quickly outgrow their original sewing basket, they will very much appreciate having a larger basket that allows them to put even more sewing goodies in. Sewing baskets also come in many colors, sizes, and materials, so you’ll always find a lot of them to choose from. You can purchase an empty sewing basket, or some have sewing notions included in the basket.
All sewers need a good pair of dressmaking shears, and none of them will complain if they end up owning more than one. If you’re looking for Christmas gift ideas for the beginner sewer, a good pair of cutting scissors is something that they’ll use for many years to come.
When shopping for sewing shears, make sure you get a pair made by a reputable company, such as Fiskars, Singer, or Kai. They may cost some money (although they’re not unreasonable), but they’ll last for decades. Oh, and remind the beginner sewer never to cut paper with their shears because this will dull the blade.
Beginner sewers need a lot of bobbins because they use one for each color thread they own. Fortunately, bobbins are cheap and can be found in packages of 12 and sometimes 50, which means that you can buy your favorite sewer a good quantity of bobbins without spending a lot of money.
The only tip to keep in mind is that you’ll have to know what type of sewing machine the sewer uses because each machine uses a different type of bobbin. That being said, there are only a handful of bobbin types on the market, including Class 15, Class 15J, and Class 66 bobbins. The chances are good that the sewer is going to need one of these three bobbin types.
Irons are not expensive but are considered priceless for sewers because they are used on creases, lining materials, edges, and so much more. Even if the sewer on your gift list already has an iron, it may not be the best iron for sewing purposes.
When shopping for the iron, look for one that has a self-cleaning feature, an automatic shut-off feature that includes a beeper to let you know what’s going on, a retractable cord, and the ability to resume heating once you pick up the iron again. Considering how often a sewer will be using their iron for each and every project, this is a very practical gift indeed.
Sewing machines must be oiled regularly in order to last, so purchasing a can or two of sewing machine oil is a gift all sewers will appreciate. Fortunately, sewing machine oil is both inexpensive and easy to find, so you shouldn’t have any problems finding the item to give to your favorite sewer.
This isn’t exactly a glamorous or even a “fun” gift, but it is in fact a necessity. People who are serious about protecting their sewing machine realize how important sewing machine oil is, so if you want to go the extra mile, buy two or three cans of the oil and give it as a gift or even a stocking stuffer.
Many sewing machines come with no case at all, so a sewing machine case that rolls is even more convenient for the beginning sewer. The case makes the sewing machine super easy to transport from one location to another, making it extra convenient when they’re taking a sewing class.
These cases also do a great job of protecting the sewing machine so that it lasts a lot longer. And when you consider how expensive many sewing machines are, it is easy to understand why this is so important. A good rolling sewing machine case shouldn’t cost you a lot of money, but it is a priceless gift to the recipient.
Unless you’re a sewer yourself, you may not know what a point turner is. This device is used to make sure that all corners on pillows, collars, and even pockets are crisp and have perfect edges. When you’re shopping for a point turner, you’ll find ones made out of both plastic and bamboo, and the latter will simply last much longer than the former.
The fact is that a good point turner also saves the sewer a lot of time and stress because the corners of the piece will be perfect without having to constantly go to the ironing board for a good ironing. With point turners, you can even use the sides to make a crease in the fabric quickly. And bamboo point turners can last for decades if they’re properly cared for.
When working on anything that has elastic in it, such as a waistband, a bodkin is used to pull that elastic through that tiny opening in the fabric. It is rather odd-looking and won’t be recognized by just anyone, but they are true miracle workers for any sewer who intends to work with elastic a lot.
Without a bodkin, many beginners especially will use the familiar safety pin trick to pull the elastic through the fabric. But since this can cause the safety pin to get stuck, it can actually make this task a lot more difficult than it needs to be. The best part is that a good bodkin is dirt cheap — usually around $5.00 to $10.00 — yet it is a priceless item that all beginner sewers will love and appreciate.
One thing is certain: when you’re looking for the best Christmas gift ideas for the beginner sewer, thread is never a wasted purchase. Each project the sewer starts will require different colors of thread, so they’ll need as many spools of thread as possible in the long run.
If you’d like to give them something practical, buy threads in the basic colors, which include black, white, off-white, navy blue, and maybe even red, blue, green, and yellow. A good polyester thread is usually considered all-purpose thread, but of course, you can buy quilting thread if you know that they’ll be using their talents for quilting and not regular sewing. Even if you just purchase three or four of the basic colors, the gift will be much appreciated.
Great Christmas Gift Ideas for the Beginner Sewer: Other Tips to Keep in Mind
There are other gift ideas for the beginner sewer that they are certain to appreciate, including straight pins, a rotary cutter, hand-sewing needles, various sizes of rulers, none of these things will go unappreciated. If you consider any of these sewing notions too small to include as a gift, just put them in their stockings instead.
One thing you’ll want to avoid is buying that person an actual sewing machine. Many sewing machines are simply too fancy for beginning sewers, and besides, a sewing machine is a very personal item. Most beginning sewers simply won’t need a lot of the features that are included in the average sewing machine.
Let the sewer pick out the sewing machine him/herself and concentrate instead on the many items that are certain to be needed in order to produce the works of art you know the sewer will be making for many years to come.
