oh, there are so many pretty, sparkly, exciting, tempting things out there to lure in and mesmerize someone who sews (a sewist, you might say). it’s a little dazzling for the spouse who hasn’t a clue and fears missing the mark. is that you?….or someone you know? never fear! the holiday round of ‘dear spouse‘ has come to the rescue!
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dear spouse,
your sewist will be amazed by:
1. an inspiring magazine such as Mollie Makes. it’s a tad expensive but beautifully made and filled with fantastic project ideas as well as information. there are a lot of ho-hum crafting magazines out there, trust me, I have tested many of them and come away disappointed. mollie makes is not a disappointment.
2. while we are talking about magazines, if you are looking for a true treat (and splurge) for a daydreaming crafter…look no further than uppercase mag.
3. as dull as it may sound, dear spouse, sewists want fabric. and they want a lot of it and they want to choose it themselves. because pouring over the options and weighing different ideas is a source of joy and of inspiration. so, DO NOT FEAR THE GIFT CARD to a scrumptious place like hawthorne threads, sew mama sew, fabricworm, pink chalk studio, superbuzzy, purl soho, or even an etsy gift card (you can find lots of fabric shops on etsy, some have discontinued or obscure fabrics, too).
4. do you have a textile designer and fabric dreamer? head over to spoonflower (or as I call it swoon-flower) and do not pass go. spoonflower is a magical land where you can design your own fabric or purchase fabric in a myriad of different fabric weights from thousands of talented designers. plus, for the holidays they are offering a $60 ‘welcome pack’ that comes with a heather ross book, swatches of their fabric (and wallpaper and wall decals!) in various weights along with a gift card to get you started.
5. many, many online sewing and crafting classes are cropping up these days and while a real-live class is nice so is a sewing class you can take in your pajamas at the kitchen table at 2 in the morning. consider craftsy, or creative bug gift cards.
6. if you have a serious sewer, especially a quilter in your life, then they are longing for (do not roll your eyes) seriously good thread. yes, thread. the good stuff doesn’t break or leave lint all over the machine and it’s a splurge. trust me a little here and get them some fancy aurifil thread like this stuff here.
7. give the gift that spells love…time. and by that I mean, the time to peruse a beautiful, well stocked local fabric boutique. a gift card from a local shop means you are inviting your spouse to spend some time fabric shopping without any encumbrances, like little people. so, take the wee ones for an afternoon and send your spouse off…in new jersey that means a trip to rock, paper, scissors; in new york it means b and j fabrics among others; and in brooklyn try brooklyn general.
8. want to really make a splash in the ‘awesome spouse’ department? then think big and send your spouse off to the makerie retreat. it’s a long weekend of sewing, yoga, hiking, organic meals and classes taught by some of the most well-known designers and teachers out there…all in the mountains of boulder, colorado. consider it a bottle of happy mixed with, well, even more happy. is it cheap? no. but, then again, you are going for awesome spouse, right? right.
9. does your spouse have an insatiable love for creative challenges? then, give them a subscription to whimsey box. whimsey box is a monthly subscription (you can choose how many months you want to subscribe) and a box filled with a project and all the needed supplies arrives at your door. just waiting for your spouse to dive in, like a 5 year old with a new box of crayons.
10. and, last but not least. if your sewer lives in central jersey they might want to take some local classes from me! a whole new class lineup is in the works and gift certificates are always available. and, sometimes, a gift card is handy…for example, when a class is really popular your sewer only has to say the word to get into a class rather than risk missing out while they get their payment to me. email me ahappystitch[at]gmail[dot]com and I will get cracking on your gift card!
and, there you have it. these are my top ten for the season! good luck!
p.s. just so you don’t feel suspicious, I wasn’t paid to recommend any of these things. it’s my personal opinion based on my daydreams and experience. you would know if I was getting paid for anything, trust me.
Beautiful… I want it all. How much fun.
Beautiful, how much fun to make something amazing.
Seriously, a sumptuous gift card to Hawthorne or Purl Soho or even Etsy (yay!) is never a bad idea.
Also, I’d add – quality tools, the very highest quality and the kind one hates to spend the money on oneself. Gingher scissors, one of those rotating rotary mats, a fancy thread organizer.
Agreed!! Beautiful supplies are so scrumptious. My family always thinks I’m nuts for asking for these ‘boring’ things but I’m helping them understand just how fantastic it is!!