Gifts for Crafty People
What to buy a crafty person
Most of my friends are the creative, crafty type and love nothing better than receiving a gift that lets them keep on making beautiful things. I'm pretty hopeless with a needle and thread and in complete awe of the gorgeous handmade items they can produce with a few bits and pieces.
What type of crafter are you buying for?
Over the years, I've discovered which Christmas and birthday gifts creative people really like to receive. The rule of thumb is that if you don't know what kind of materials and equipment the person you're buying for already owns, stick to gifts that will replenish their supplies rather than pricey gadgets that they might own already.
I don't think you can go wrong buying any of these super useful gifts for crafty people.
Gift ideas for crafty people
Gifts for Quilters
| Gifts for Sewers
| Gifts for Scrapbookers
| Gifts for Knitters
|
---|---|---|---|
sewing basket
| sewing basket
| scrapbooking kit
| project bag
|
thread gift pack
| thread gift pack
| cardstock
| yarn bowl
|
precut fabric squares
| precut fabric squares
| embellishments
| magazine subscription
|
wonder clips
| wonder clips
| stickers
| knit kit
|
Encyclopedia Of Classic Quilt Patterns
| buttons
| stampers
| needle organizer
|
fat quarter fabric bundle
| dressmaker shears
| die-cuts
| yarn ball winder
|
Gifts for sewers and quilters
Sewing baskets come in handy
One of the best gifts you can give to a sewer or quilter has got to be a sewing basket. These super handy baskets can hold all the bits and pieces a crafter needs. Now I know what you're thinking. Surely the majority of crafty people own a sewing basket already. Chances are they do, but believe me when I say that serious craft enthusiasts can never have too many sewing baskets. Some crafters likes to keep different baskets for different crafts and have separate sewing baskets for quilting, embroidery, costume making, cross stitching, etc...
A friend of mines makes clothes and likes to separate her threads and fabrics according to themes. She keeps all of her vintage bits and pieces in a beautiful vintage style sewing basket and has different storage spaces for all of her other themes too. Talk about organised!
The vintage sewing basket she owns is this gorgeous Dritz St Jane sewing basket on the right. I just love it and if I was a crafty person, this would be the one I would buy for myself.
This large oval sewing basket has generous proportions, a stylish metal handle and a handy tape measure trim around the edge. It also has a lift-out tray to store all of your smaller items and a pincushion and pocket cleverly incorporated into the lid of the basket.
I think any crafter would be over the moon to receive a beautiful yet functional gift like this.
Good quality thread gift set
Sewers can never have enough good quality thread. Mettler and gutterman are the gold standard threads that crafters use for all sorts of projects including quilting and dress making. These threads are strong, shrink-proof and highly elastic and can be used with all types of fabric.
Now I know that a few spools of thread doesn't seem much of a gift to non crafty people. But I have given threads to a few friends in the past and they have been absolutely delighted. I hate the thought of giving a gift that is stuffed to the back of the cupboard, never to be used. You can be sure this won't happen if you buy a useful gift like this.
Good quality thread makes a super useful gift for a crafty person
Amazon sell a set of quality Mettler threads packaged up nicely in a gift box.
The Metrosene Thread Gift Pack contains an impressive twenty-eight spools, each with 150 metres of thread. That would last for a very long time and help that creative person in your life complete a whole lot of lovely projects.
Precut Fabric Squares
There isn't a crafter in the world that doesn't adore all types of fabric. It never ceases to amaze me how long my craft loving friends can spend browsing in fabric shops, deliberating for hours over which fabrics to buy. You can actually buy assorted fabric sets, precut in 5 inch squares. This would be a dream gift to quilters and sewers alike. They are just the right size for quilting, but also have a hundred and one other uses.
Moda have an impressive selection of these fabric collections to choose from and Amazon sell them at a very reasonable price starting from $10. They have themes ranging from the ABC Menagerie collection to the Sweet Serenade Charm Pack.
I especially liked the Moda Potluck Charm Pack which has an array of lovely colourful fabrics. These would be perfect for any patchwork project and I think quilters, sewers and scrap bookers would be delighted to receive a gift like this.
Gifts for scrapbookers
Scrapbooking kit
Scrapbookers are constantly having to replenish their supplies so will always welcome a gift that includes scrapbooking albums, embellishments, cardstock and stickers. You could pick up bits and pieces to make up a lovely gift pack. However, if you don't have the time or inclination to do this, you can easily find something that's already packaged and ready to give as a gift.
Scrapbooking kits come in all sorts of themes that range from childhood years to family and friends. I think a good kit to gift to someone would be a travel themed kit as that would suit just about everybody. The Me & My Big Ideas Our Travels Scrapbooking Kit is an ideal gift for a scrapbooking enthusiast and comes with the album, papers, ribbon, embellishments and stickers, all wrapped up in a lovely gift box.
Assorted Cardstock
Ask any scrapbooker what they can never have enough and their answer will be cardstock. The only problem you'll have is choosing which cardstock to buy as there are so many colours and designs available. Given the potential number of themes and projects that scrapbookers could cover, you can't really go wrong here. It's sure to come in useful for one project or other.
Cardstock is available in nature themes such as spring and autumn to more personal themes like baby or friends. Or go for glitzy glitter or textured jewel cardstock designed by Die Cuts With A View. I also really love the Stardust Paper Stack (pictured on the left) by this company. The quality of the paper is exceptional and the designs are really classy and could be used for multiple projects.
Stickers for scrapbookers
Stickers are used extensively by both scrapbookers and card makers. There are all different types of stickers, from die-cut stickers to rub-on stickers.
Look for designs by Tim Coffey, Karen Foster and Tim Holtz. They produce unique, high quality designs that scrapbookers and card makers just love.
They're available in a huge range of designs and themes and rather than list them, I though it would be easier to display some of the beautiful designs available. Click on the thumbnail pictures on the right and browse through them. All of them are available from Amazon and other online retailers .
Gifts for knitters
Project bag for knitters
Just like sewers, knitters can never have enough project bags as they often have multiple projects on the go at any one time. This gorgeous JanetBasket eco tote bag is the ultimate project tote with multiple pockets to store the many items that knitters use for their projects.
One of the best things about the Janet Basket is that it's both a basket and a bag. It has an internal metal frame which means it opens wide and stands upright like a basket, allowing the user easy access to materials.
The Janet Basket also folds neatly closed, making it ideal for carrying your latest project around with you.
This would really make the perfect gift for knitters, sewers, quilters, cross stitchers and embroiderers.
A handy yarn bowl
Yarn bowls help knitters keep their wool in one place and stops it getting tangled. These bowls have a handy guide which the wool feeds through.
Knitters who have tried yarn bowls swear by them, saying they couldn't do without them now. They're especially useful if you have a pet cat or dog (or young toddler) around as it keeps the wool out of their playful paws.
Best knitting magazine subscriptions
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeCraft magazine subscription
A one year magazine subscription for a favourite publication would be a gift well received by most. If the gift is for your nearest and dearest you'll probably know what magazines they especially like and would be grateful to receive.
Some of the most popular knitting magazines are Interweave Knits, Knit Simple and Knitters pictured on the right and all available on Amazon.
Otherwise, play it safe and give a gift card so that the recipient can make the choice. Amazon has a wide selection of magazines available on subscription that the recipient can choose from.