Gifts for quilters?

November 22, 2010 10:17 AM

Perfect gift for middle aged step-mother who is really, really into quilting?

Coming from a 30-something male gen-Xer, I know nothing about quilting.

Currently my step-mother owns a computerized embroidery sewing machine with all the accessories, pretty much all the tools she needs, and other things.

My question: what is a great gift that can save her time, or give her more creative output while she works on her quilts? Any gadgets, books, or anything else would really help me in finding a perfect gift.

posted by Vicarious to Home & Garden (17 answers total)

How about a selection of fat quarters? New fabric that she might not have bought for herself might be fun and inspirational.
posted by pickypicky at 10:21 AM on November 22, 2010

In my experience, quilters can be really picky about their gadget supplies and books.

I would suggest fabric. Go to somewhere like Joanns and pick out a selection of fat quarters and maybe tuck a gift card in with them.
posted by HMSSM at 10:29 AM on November 22, 2010

My mother, the quilter, absolutely delights in gift cards from JoAnn's. I know it's not very creative, but it seems that quilters do tend to be picky, and they tend to already have a lot of stuff they need. The gift card helps them get stuff they actually want.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:33 AM on November 22, 2010

Going outside of the quilting box, as someone who sews (and my mother is a quilter) I'd say something like a really good massage (shoulders can knot up leaning over the frame if she hand quilts), or looking into a good sort of lotion or hand treatment - for me handling a lot of fabric or fiber dries out my skin.
posted by librarianamy at 10:36 AM on November 22, 2010

The gift card idea's a sound one. JoAnn, or if there's a nice local quilting shop, that would also be a good bet (especially since the latter's unlikely to have 50% off coupons in the mail every few weeks.)
posted by asperity at 10:38 AM on November 22, 2010

Best answer: Fabric yes, but Jo-Ann's no! Chain fabric stores often have cheap fabrics; dedicated quilting/home decorating shops have the good stuff, and a hardcore quilter will appreciate the difference for sure. For starters take a look at Fabricworm and Hawthorne Threads. Or look for fat quarters at a brick&mortar place; don't know offhand about quilting shops where you are, but I bet there are several.
posted by clavicle at 10:43 AM on November 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

Quilters always need rotary cutter blades.

Also, white, gray and black thread.
posted by morganannie at 10:46 AM on November 22, 2010

Best answer: To attach to the gift card, should you go that route: brass thimbles.

Is she a reader? The Quilts of Gee's Bend is a lovely, lovely book. (DVD and postcards also available.)

Maybe labels that she can personalize and attach to her projects? Or personalized labels?
posted by MonkeyToes at 10:50 AM on November 22, 2010

Keepsake Quilting. Gift certificates, fabric packs, books, equipment, etc.
posted by catlet at 11:11 AM on November 22, 2010

If she's really into quilting, might she like quilt-themed items that aren't actually used for quilting? For example, wood inlay boxes with quilt patterns (other artists make these as well -- this site has pins and ornaments as well); a book on using quilting motifs in paper crafts; a quilt-block-a-day calendar. If she makes traditional quilts using classic blocks (as opposed to crazy quilts or art quilts) she'd be more likely to enjoy these kinds of things, I think.
posted by pluckemin at 11:13 AM on November 22, 2010

Best answer: Check out the Purl Soho site for some great ideas and beautiful fabrics. There was a post last year on their blog about perfect gifts for quilters, which you can see here. The shop is nice because it carries special/unusual fabrics, and while I like and use JoAnn's, a bundle of unique fabrics from Purl Soho would be really fun to work with.

As for books and gadgets - you could gift her a copy of a quilting zine like Fat Quarterly, or a copy of a 2011 quilting calendar like this one at Clotilde. Something inspirational but a little different, maybe, than what you can find at the local bookstore.
posted by hms71 at 11:31 AM on November 22, 2010

Gift-certificate to a quilt-finisher, the people with the 8ft platen sewing machines.
posted by rhizome at 11:47 AM on November 22, 2010

2nding Purl Soho. My aunt, the quilter, LOVES this store. She lives on the other side of the country but often sends me in to pickup items for her. They have a decent website and also do gift cards. In addition to usable quilting tools, she loves antique haberdashery, beautiful old wooden spools, antique darning eggs, mother of pearl hatpins, silk ribbons... that sort of stuff.
posted by Siena at 11:55 AM on November 22, 2010

Is there a local fabric store she really digs? My mother sews and will drive 25 miles to the really awesome omg so much gorgeous fabric store when JoAnns won't do. A gift certificate to such a place might be nice.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 12:19 PM on November 22, 2010

If you think she'd like a book, I've recently read Quilts 1700-2010: Hidden Histories, Untold Stories by Sue Prichard (she;s with the V& A), and while it's about British quilts rather than American ones, it's lovely. I wish I could have seen the exhibit she mounted.
posted by Ideefixe at 1:19 PM on November 22, 2010

I liked being given fabric when I had time to quilt. Fat quarters (or similar) are good because if it's a pattern I don't like, eh, no biggie -- and quilters swap them, anyway.
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:03 PM on November 22, 2010

I also like listening to spoken word podcasts while sewing. So... some technology to enable that? (I used to love my wifi radio for that purpose, but the BBC went and ruined everything.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:04 PM on November 22, 2010