Help! I Don’t Know What To Buy Them! A Comprehensive Gift Guide For Sewing Lovers

Do you have someone in your life that loves to sew? Have you ever wondered, “What in the world can I get them for birthdays, Christmas, and other celebrations?” I know it can feel incredibly intimidating to purchase gifts for people that sew, but with this gift guide, shopping this holiday season will be a breeze. 

In this post, we will look at specific gifts you can get for quilters, seamstresses, and those sewists who like to dabble in all sorts of sewing areas. 

What Do You Get a Sewer For Christmas?

This is the universal question for, “I have no idea what they could need or want. Help!” I get it. There are hundreds if not thousands of random sewing notions that claim to be life-changing for the modern sewist, so how do you know what would be a wonderful gift and what is a less than stellar choice?

Well, one great way to tell is by checking out the reviews of sewing-related gifts. The internet is a fantastic tool where you can find reviews of any sewing item with a few clicks of your mouse. 

Another sneaky approach is to tag along with them next time they venture out to their favorite arts and crafts store. Notice what they stop and look at, ask them questions (without being too obvious, of course), and sneakily take pictures or notes with your phone. 

If the person you are shopping for doesn’t mind knowing what they are getting, go ahead and ask them for a specific list of items they would like to get. Even better, personally take them to their favorite store, give them a budget, and watch them gleefully shop for their new favorite notions or fabric. 

When all else fails, and you can’t come up with unique gifts for sewers on your own, you can always give a thoughtfully written card with some moolah inside. We, sewists, know we can be challenging to shop for, and you may not have any idea of what we may like or need for our sewing projects. Donations to the sewing fund are always appreciated, and you can’t go wrong with a gift card to their favorite craft store. 

If you want to learn about some sewing tools necessities, check out my sewing tools series here. 

What To Buy Someone Who Makes Clothes?

When trying to figure out what to buy a seamstress, it seems they probably have everything they need. However, like most people who sew, there are always those sewing notions they’ve held off on purchasing for one reason or another. 

If you know their personal style and what type of clothing they like to make, a thoughtful gift could be to find a pattern or two that you know they would love to make. Follow the fabric requirements and purchase the necessary fabric for the pattern if your budget permits. This will show that you put effort and thought into their gift. 

Another fun idea is to purchase a bundle of notions like zippers, buttons, and trimmings to add to their collection. 

Something else that would be a fantastic gift for sewists, no matter what kind of sewing they do, is organizational items. Sewists love to have their notions and tools organized and easy to find. It may sound a little silly, but trust me, the best gifts for people that sew are usually the more practical items. 

Here is a unique gift idea for seamstresses: pay for them to take a sewing class either online or in person. Maybe there is a specific skill they would love to learn but can’t figure out. It would be a beautiful gesture to offer to pay for them to attend a class to hone their skills. 

What Do You Buy Quilters?

It’s no secret that buying gifts for sewists, especially quilters, can get pretty pricey. I know because I am one! LOL! Here are a few ideas you can use next time you want to buy gifts for quilters.

• Start shopping ahead of time. Quilt shops (online and brick-and-mortar) have sales throughout the year. Often, fabric and notions will go on sale for at least 20%.
• Find out their favorite fabric designers. There are hundreds of fabric designers specific to quilting cotton. Many have their style and color palettes they stick to, and many quilters only purchase from their favorite designers.
• Find out their favorite quilt pattern designers. A quilt pattern is made up of instructions on how to create a specific quilt design. Again, many quilters have designers they like better than others and want to purchase their new quilt patterns yearly. 
• Gift cards. Giving a quilter a gift card to a quilt shop is like giving a kid a blank check to a candy store. They will LOVE it!
• Ask them if there are any rulers they would like to have. Quilting rulers can be a bit expensive, and sometimes, we can’t justify purchasing one for just one project. But deep down, we reeeeeally want it. For some reason, it’s much easier to accept one as a gift than to purchase it yourself. 
• Thread is always a safe bet. A quilter can never have too many spools of thread, and they make super cute stocking stuffers (hint hint to my family…ahem.) Ensure it is a thread meant for quilting, and you can’t go wrong. 

• Precut fabric is a winner. Quilters love having those perfect coordinating fabric bundles, whether fat quarters, layer cakes, charm packs, or jellyrolls. Find a bundle that reminds you of them, and they’ll love it.

Where To Buy Gifts For Sewists?

Now that you know what kind of gifts for sewing lovers you can buy let’s discuss where to buy them. All of the sites and stores I will list here are places I have personally shopped and had a great experience finding sewing-related items. I am not affiliated with any of these sites; I just like them and want to share!

• Amazon The powerhouse online shopping site, has all kinds of gifts for people that sew, from fabric to patterns to sewing notions. 
• Fabric.com This site is owned by Amazon and has thousands of fabric options for any kind of sewing imaginable. They have sales often on popular fabric types like quilting cotton and apparel fabrics. 
• Joann Stores Joanns is a well-known arts and crafts store here in the US. The best advice I can give you? NEVER pay full price for anything there. They are constantly running sales and have coupons galore all year round. This is a great place to find garment sewing patterns and tools for a great price. 

• Hobby Lobby Hobby Lobby is another one of those stores where you shouldn’t pay full price for something unless it’s fabric. All their sewing notions and tools are 50% off every few weeks. You’ll need to check their weekly advertisement to see when things are on sale. There is also a 40% off coupon you can use on one item each week. 
• Etsy Etsy is the largest marketplace for handmade items, but it is also a massive marketplace for creative people. You can find all kinds of sewing notions, fabrics, and tools in Etsy shops. The best part is if you order from a shop on Etsy, you’re also supporting a small business which is always a great thing to do. 

I hope you learned something about buying gifts for people that sew today. Whether the person you are shopping for is a beginner seamstress or a decades-long professional quilter, this post will help you buy the perfect gift for your loved one this year. 

Happy Shopping!