What can you ask for at Christmas if you love sewing?
Just a few more weeks to go, and he’ll be here! With his hood, his boots and his sleigh double-parked!
You can almost hear Rudolph, Tornado and the other 5 reindeer bellowing with anticipation!
If you sew and are passionate about this creative hobby, there’s a good chance you’ll want to be given something related to your hobby on December 25! Here’s a short list of gifts to suggest to your loved ones and to Santa!
Christmas essentials!
Christmas is a wonderful time of year: we eat more fat than ever, we party and we get presents! It’s like falling back into childhood for a few days…
It’s a lot of fun, but there are gifts to make (stressful) and gifts to receive (much more fun!)!
Even if this year’s New Year’s Eve and vacations are likely to be radically different from usual, don’t give up hope of being able to celebrate this date with your family, or at least in good company.
A new sewing machine / a first machine
The best gift we could give you this Christmas would be a new sewing machine!
More powerful / easier to use / more solid to pass through many layers.
A competitive machine that will allow you to launch yourself – at last! – into projects you’ve never dared tackle before. A sewing machine with dozens of stitches you’ll never use, but with which you can show off!
As a sewing machine is – in general – a good investment, calling on Santa Claus to finally make your dream come true is an excellent idea.
If you’re not sure which machine to consider, I’ve shot a tutorial to help you make the right choices.
How about a serger?
You already have a sewing machine that gives you complete satisfaction, so why change? But have you considered a serger?
This machine doesn’t replace the sewing machine, but it does allow other stitches and ways of joining fabrics in a professional way.
Whether you need to overcast fabrics, assemble them more quickly and neatly, or because you sew a lot of elastic materials such as jerseys or fleece, a serger can become an essential ally for your workshop!
Sign your artwork
If you’ve been sewing for a while, it’s likely that you’ll start receiving “requests” from friends and family: clothes, or accessories made with your own hands, to give as gifts later on.
How about “signing” your creations? A little label with your name as a seamstress or dressmaker, a nice little note (sewn by mom / dad / granny…) or even your own brand?
You’ll be even prouder to give them as a gift, and this little detail is sure to impress everyone around you!
But how do you get your own personalized labels? I’ll answer all your questions here!
Putting it all back together!
You’ve probably heard the saying: “good sewing begins with good ironing”! If you didn’t know the saying, now you do!
And if you want to iron properly without it being a chore, switch to a steam iron! I swapped my old 19€90 supermarket iron for a steam iron, and I’m discovering the joys of ironing!
The iron glides over the fabric, it’s incredible! And smoothing is perfect and fast. In short, we love it!
I talk about it here, with a few buying tips to help you make the right choice.
Cutting machines for sewing
Cutting machines, such as Brother’s popular Scan N Cut or the Cricut range, have become essential allies in the world of sewing!
They can cut a variety of materials, from fabric to iron-on flex, quickly and accurately.
Thanks to their ability to reproduce computer-designed patterns, these machines offer considerable time savings for complex projects, while guaranteeing consistent shapes and impeccable finishes. Whether for appliqué, patchwork or personalized accessories, they add a professional touch to your creations.
A pair of professional scissors
Indispensable for any seamstress, a pair of professional scissors makes all the difference when it comes to precision cutting.
Made from stainless steel and with ultra-sharp blades, these scissors guarantee a clean, sharp cut, even through several layers of fabric. Unlike standard models, a good pair of tailor’s or notcher’s scissors is more ergonomic, durable and allows you to work more fluidly.
It’s a quality investment, ideal as a Christmas gift, and will accompany you in your sewing projects for many years to come.
Self-healing cutting mat and rotary cutter
A self-healing cutting mat androtary cutter are a must-have duo for any sewing enthusiast. The mat protects your work surface while providing an ideal base for precise cutting, while the rotary cutter glides easily through the fabric, enabling effortless, clean cuts.
Thanks to its self-healing function, the mat regenerates after each cut, ensuring a long service life. Together, these tools provide real time and precision savings, making sewing projects even more enjoyable.
A great gift to improve your equipment and cut fabric faster and better!
For less fortunate Santas
I realize that getting a new sewing machine is a luxury. So for less expensive gifts, here’s a short list that should still make you happy at the foot of the Christmas tree:
- Bosses. We always need new patterns! To make progress, or simply to vary the pleasures! You’ll find plenty here for your children or grandchildren!
- A sewing encyclopedia! This was my second sewing book, and it’s the one that’s helped me the most! L’encyclopédie de la couture, published by Flammarion, is a real bible! The photos are beautiful and clear, the explanations precise. You’ve got to have it!
- Sewing consumables: needles, pins, quality sewing threads… The things you use every time you take out the sewing machine, and which get damaged over time! And it’s always a good idea to have a few ahead of time, so you don’t get stuck during a project. And it doesn’t cost too much if you don’t raid the store!
- A subscription to a sewing magazine. Burda Style, La Maison Victor, Ottobre, Coudre c’est facile… There are tons of them today, and they’re great for getting started or progressing at your own pace! Every month, you’ll receive new models to try out, new tips and advice of all kinds!
And to help you make up your mind, I’m regularly posting Sewing Press Reviews on Youtube!
Sewing lessons?
And why not opt for online sewing courses? Several designers offer training courses.
I myself have designed two training courses to learn how to operate 2 machines: one on the sewing machine, and the other on the serger.
These courses are perfect for starting out or perfecting your skills at your own pace, while benefiting from detailed, practical advice.
The major advantage of this type of training is that you can follow it whenever you like, from home, and return at any time to the points you haven’t fully understood. There’s no need to adapt to a course schedule – you can progress at your own pace, in complete freedom!
The drawback and limitation of the concept is that if you don’t manage to do something, or if your manipulation is wrong, no one will explain it to you and/or correct it!
You don’t need anything for Christmas…
If you don’t need anything, why not have your old pair of scissors sharpened?
If it’s been a while since you’ve had it done, then it should change your life! After cutting kilometers of fabric, you didn’t even realize that it had become frayed. That they didn’t cut as well as they should…
The problem is that getting them sharpened is rarely fun. First, you have to go to a haberdashery or fabric store that offers this service, and wait for the scissors to be sharpened. Even if this doesn’t take very long, the whole operation is tiring!
So this Christmas, entrust your pair(s) of scissors to a friend or relative who’s not too wealthy and who’s willing to treat you. Then, on December 25 (or the evening of December 24), you’ll find your precious brand-new scissors at the foot of the Christmas tree! Or almost brand-new!
To ensure that this operation doesn’t turn out to be a hassle for Santa, you can point him in the right direction to stores that offer scissor sharpening services. Most gunsmiths also offer this service.
Christmas fabric gifts
Why not ask Santa for fabric coupons? Although it’s always a bit tricky to send someone who knows nothing about buying fabric… In this case, how much to ask for, what materials, what patterns?…
So to make sure your Christmas gift doesn’t turn out to be a disappointment, get the person who’s going to give you the fabric interested. Explain what you’re going to do with it, how you’re going to go about it, and why you need such and such a quantity and type of fabric.
And if you really feel it’s going to be a mess, go with it! A trip to your local fabric store. Maybe this outing will bring in a new sewing enthusiast, who knows!
Sure, you’re killing the surprise, but you’re also saving yourself from disappointment! At least you’ll have exactly what you need at the foot of the Christmas tree!
That’s it! The deadline is fast approaching! Christmas 2020 is going to be all about sewing, isn’t it?
Perhaps you’d like to make a few things to give for the occasion? What could be better than a unique personalized gift made by your own hands? I’ve written an article about it!
And what about you? What are you going to ask Santa for?
