We always love gift guides, and giving presents this time of year, so here are some ideas for simple, inexpensive, experience-focused gifts for sewing friends—or friends who want to get into sewing!
fabric you’re done with
Clear out your stash and make a nice little stack of usable yardage to give to a sewing friend! Tie it all up with a scrap of fabric, a ribbon or some twine and you have a wonderful present.
Gift your scraps to your favorite quilter! Take a few minutes to sort your scraps to find a nice assortment of big-enough pieces. Maybe fold, and/or stack by color, make them into little rolls or bundles, or even fill up a cute basket or wrap them in a bigger scrap!
a hand drawn “coupon”
One of my family’s standby gifts is to make a hand drawn “coupon” to do something nice with or for the gift recipient. Write and draw on the thickest paper you can find: describe what will happen, write their name, and make some cute doodles. It can be extra fun to make it look like a fancy ticket, or raffle ticket, or trim it into some other fun shape.
Some sewing-related “coupon” ideas:
go fabric shopping together
help take each other’s measurements and/or project brainstorm sesh
they can choose of a piece of fabric from a selection of things you’ve noticed are unused in your sewing space
you’ll sit, drink tea, and help and/or chat while they clean and organize their sewing room (this is fun IRL or on video chat!)
a friend date to go to the library or a bookstore and look at sewing books together
invite them over to sew something with you
a good zipper pouch
Order five or ten nice zippers online, and buy a half yard of sturdy canvas or denim. (This etsy shop is our favorite place to buy sets of nice ykk zippers.) Good zippers and nice sturdy bag fabric are often tricky to find locally, so this is a great category to order enough to share. Once you have the supplies, so many zip pouches are possible!
Making zip pouches is a really good group activity + present — you could have a couple friends over to all make matching bags! Or prep a “sewing kit” with the zipper and pre-cut fabric rectangles (or half moons!) for everyone to sew their own at home.
a bag you’ve sewn, or a bag to sew
Speaking of bags… Sew a simple tote, zip pouch, or drawstring bag. (Somehow I never get tired of sewing and gifting bags. A bag for everything! Bags in bags!) A bag is a great gift on its own, or put other presents inside and the bag can be both wrapping and gift!
If you’ve always wanted to sew our free pattern, the full moon bag — sewing it with a friend is even more fun: print out out the pattern, prep the materials, and set a date to sew it together! Give them a coupon that’s an invitation to sew together for an afternoon or evening or two.
sewing books & prints
The children’s book Chirri & Chirra On the Town includes visiting a small shop with spools of thread and yarn in every color, and a weaver’s workshop (and a garden, and a neighbor for tea and soup…) it’s the sweetest adventure.
For a friend who loves sewing, and words: PDF digital download of the new All Well zine Patchwork Alphabet includes special print files that let you make your own booklet at home. Using colorful paper for the cover makes it even cuter.
For taping or tacking up on the wall above your sewing machine: a handy reference for how to sew flat bias binding. Or the all-printshop prints bundle could be gifts for several friends.
How to Sew Clothes, the book!
Pre order the new All Well book, How to Sew Clothes, and give your gift-ee a little hand written note that says they’ll get the book on release day, February 28th! The book has a lot about how to sew in general, in addition to full instructions and printed patterns for the All Well Box Top, Cardigan Coat, and a bunch of new bag patterns. We think it would be a nice present for a friend who has been wanting to learn to sew!
Also, no matter where you buy your books: save your receipt somewhere handy, because we’re going to have a fun digital download of the Daily Tote pattern to give to everyone who pre orders the book, no matter where you get it it! Find the link on the book page and fill out the form before 2/28 to get it!
Thanks for reading the gift guide! Hope you have a good few weeks as the calendar year draws to a close, with rest and reflection and people you love and good food. I’m looking forward to some sewing, taking walks with friends, reading books and drinking tea, and lighting a bunch of candles for the solstice. — Amelia