What?! She is keeping a blog!

Do you have any gift ideas or suggestions of what to get someone who sews?

Hell yeah. Probably going to be a really long unoriginal answer but here we go.

Big Gifts:

I think a sewing machine or serger is a really fantastic present if you are willing to spend around a hundred dollars. I can’t vouch for any sergers but i’ve owned the Singer Heavy Duty 4411 before and it’s a great machine, especially for the price. An embroidery machine would also be a great gift for someone who already has a sewing machine but wants to do more detail work.

Amazon reviews are the best way to pick a machine, I think.

A dress form can be a good option too, but there are a lot of different types so unless you know what they want it might not be the best choice. This website sells everything from professional forms to $120 adjustable ones. The dress form I use was about that price and is from here. 

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It’s not very exciting but things like measuring tapes, clear rulers, thread (make sure it’s for sewing, not rayon embroidery thread), needles, pins, hooks, seam rippers etc. are all things someone who sews will have, but those are also the things you lose. Having backups can be really handy and something any person who sews would appreciate.

Nice scissors! A good set of metal sewing shears can be bought for about $20 from amazon. I have a pair of 8” ones from Gingher which I adore. They are a really handy thing for someone who sews to have, and aren’t something they would necessarily buy themselves.

Pinking Shears tend to be more expensive, but a solid metal pair of those would be well appreciated too.

They make super cute thread clippers with decorative handles which would make a nice gift, and are usually under $10.

Speaking of decorative scissors, since sewing has been around for so long there are a lot of vintage items in that area. Especially when it comes to scissors. There are tons or gorgeous ones on etsy that range from ten bucks, like these, to ones that are almost two hundred dollars, like these.  

There are actually a ton of vintage sewing items in general. You can buy machine accessory boxes from the 1950s, prints of advertisements, or even actual sewing machines from the same period. Etsy’s sewing/antique tag is a lot of fun to browse.

Now if you want to get trim and fabric, here is some stuff to keep in mind.

-If the person has never sewed before try to stay away from very sheer or stretch fabrics, they tend to be the most difficult to work with.

-If you’ve seen them sew before/their past projects try to recall the colors the gravitate towards. (I would use up red fabric way faster than bright yellow, no matter how nice the material is.)

-Get them a usable amount (more than one yard). The more you get, the more options they have for using that fabric. With only one yard you are limited to making a bodice or corset. Two yards is enough to make a skirt, a long sleeved top, or pants. Three yards is plenty for a cute dress or very full skirt.

It’s not very sexy, but a bolt of muslin, yards of fusible interfacing, and polyester lining (in a light color) are all really practical handy things to have around. Those are the things I hate buying because you don’t see them in finished costumes so it feels like a waste. But I would love to get them as a gift because I can guarantee they will get used.

And of course there is the option of a gift card to Joanns (or Michaels for a cosplayer/crafter) or some other fabric store. Some people think this is a lazy gift but most people that sew really love shopping for fabric. And giving them the opportunity to do it for free is great. You’re letting them do something they love, to buy something they love, that’s pretty special.

I was totally right this is super long but I hope it helps!