Sunday, December 17, 2017

What quilters want for Christmas plus a finish


First up... I have one last (?) finish for 2017. There are a couple of projects that are close to being finished and you just never know... I could get in a FMQ frenzy and finish them up. But this one above needed to be done because it's a gift for my sister for Christmas. My daughter designed the block with the pines and I added the present in the border. It's a 15" pillow but could be a wall mini since I bound it just like a quilt.

So on to what I want to talk about today... QUILTER GIFTS!!

Sometimes we have family that wants to buy us quilters something special but have no idea what. Well, let me put some of MY favorites out here. Not all of these will work for all quilters so read below each item to see if it sounds like the person you have in mind. 

#1 COTTON THREAD... A good quality selection of thread is always needed. My favorites are Aurifil, Guterman and Mettler. White, cream and gray are my most used colors. And speaking of thread, how about winding some bobbins for her. My daugher winds a bunch of white bobbins for me for Mothers Day and I LOVE it. 

#2 NEEDLES for her machine... Look to see what she uses and buy more. We often forget to change our needles... They get burrs and dull after a bit so new ones are almost always welcome.

#3 ROTARY CUTTER and/or BLADES ... Getting new blades for a rotary cutter is like getting a new knife in the kitchen. It cuts like butter and makes you wonder why you didn't do it sooner. BUT they can be expensive. I watch for 1/2 off coupons at the major fabric and hobby stores. Make sure you know what brand and size cutter she has because they do differ. Or just buy a brand new cutter for her.

#4 FUN AND HELPFUL TOOLS ... If she does her own quilting on a domestic machine she probably bastes her quilt. Some quilters like to spray baste...so there's a gift. And some of us pin baste. Pin basters need curved pins and this tool below is FANTASTIC. It doesn't look like much but it has saved my fingers. 

#5 GLASS HEAD ULTRA FINE PINS. These are super sharp and fine. I love pinning seams with them and they are so thin if I "accidently" run over one it won't break or bend my machine needle.

#6 CURVY LOG CABIN TEMPLATE.  Getting new templates and rulers is always appreciated. This is a fun one that can do traditional or modern blocks. Look on Instagram or Pinterest for ideas and patterns. There's a lot of fun templates out there. 

#7 LED SEWING MACHINE BULB ...I didn't even realize these were a thing but WOW what a great gift. If you can't find the right size bulb the quilt shops can get stick on LED lights. Or a light that clips on to a machine would be another nice gift. Many of us are older and extra light is always welcome.

#8 SEAM RIPPER Now this could be a fun gift if you can find a fancy one. ETSY has some pretty wooden or glass rippers. I have a nice brass seam ripper from a quilt shop. Ripping is a nessecary evil so if you have to do it, make it more fun with a pretty ripper.

#9 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO HER FAVORITE SHOP 

#10 CHOCOLATE Who doesn't need chocolate after sewing block pieces backwards. Actually, who needs an excuse. This is always the perfect gift.

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