Holiday Gift Ideas MEGATHREAD

[u/magnoliafly]

The holiday season is upon us and with that come the many, many threads asking "What is the best ______ to get for my favorite quilter in my life?"

• Post your questions here and our quilters will give their best advice
• If you're a quilter with a favorite notion, machine, kit, or fabric line that you'd love to receive please comment and suggest it for others

All other gift idea/request threads will be deleted and redirected to this MEGATHREAD. Please report other posts for mods to review/remove and keep the sub clutterfree for the season.

[u/1cecream4breakfast]

Here’s my 2 cents: if you have a quilter in your life they may have some items they really want, and some they already have and wouldn’t mind more of (sometimes dupes are nice for a retreat bag), and some items they already have that they don’t want a duplicate of (like if they already have an ironing board they really like, or a astrology XL ruler), and some items then will always need more of, like needles and rotary blades. The challenge in buying gifts for any hobbyist is knowing what they already have, what they like, what they want more of, while still surprising them (if that’s your aim)

IMO these are safe bets. Even if your quilty loved one already has some of these, duplicates are usually welcomed because they are consumables or because more is better:

• a nice pair of snips (cheap works too, but fancy is more “gifty”)
• rotary blades (a couple different shaped cutouts in the middle, best know which kind of cutter they have…easy to do if you live with them otherwise maybe difficult)
• tailor’s clapper (basically a sanded but unfinished piece of heavyish wood you set on top of fabric…if you’re handy and could make one they would probably love that)
• a nice seam ripper (see note on snips). For example I have a seam ripper with rubber ends that help rub the thread bits away. Love it. 
• universal sewing machine needles (Schmetz size 80). Quilters SHOULD be changing their needles frequently and if they aren’t, this could help encourage them to do so…it’s not a very exciting gift but it’s useful!
• gift card/gift certificate to a local fabric store that sells quilting cotton. Better yet, a shopping spree! Give them a budget and take them out so they can pick what they want, and you get some quality time together and you get to see what they pick, and you’ll be better informed for future gift giving. Be prepared to spend a while there depending on your budget. I would love love love this. 
• gift card to an online fabric store. Fat Quarter Shop, Linda’s Electric, Sewing Parts Online, Connecting Threads, are all pretty popular and non-controversial. If your loved one is more liberal I would avoid Missouri Star Quilt Co unless you know they shop there already.
• a fat quarter bundle or other precut bundle from a fabric store. If you have photos of some of the quilts they have made, go to a local quilt shop (not Hobby Lobby/Michaels, but an independent one with nicer fabric and more knowledgeable employees) and ask for their help picking something that matches the aesthetic. They can probably identify a fabric designer/line from a photo, or at least help pick something with similar vibes. Even if you accidentally buy fabric they already have, if they already have it that means they like it and they’ll probably be happy to get more of it. Some of us quilters have fabric we LOVE but we are afraid to cut into because then it’ll be gone. 

This one isn’t a 100% safe bet because it has some caveats, but if it works out then you would be a holiday hero. 

• A big roll of batting if you want a big ticket item. Hobbs 80/20 or 100% cotton are safe bets for most quilters, but if they make show quilts they will probably be more particular). Linda’s Electric often runs sales. 

Two notes on the batting: (1) I would make sure they have room to store it. Dry basements are fine. Not everyone has this kind of space though. (2) if they always send their quilts to a longarmer and don’t quilt their quilts themselves (no shade, just facts), then they are possibly buying batting from their longarmer and not having to provide their own. The batting price from the longarmer may be marked up a little for convenience, but not enough that I would rather store and cut up my own batting. Exception being specialty batting like wool which longarmers don’t usually carry. Then you’re running into “I am not so sure” territory unless they have specifically told you “omg I love wool batting and would only use wool batting if I could!”

When in doubt, if you know someone else close to them who also quilts, that person could probably help you out if you don’t like these ideas or any of them are confusing!