I’m sharing gift basket and small gift ideas for makers, such as stitchers, sewists, quilters, and artists. These ideas are great for Christmas, birthdays, Mother’s Day, etc. You can gift these ideas to makers, or perhaps add them to your own wish list!
Gift Ideas for Makers
I love so many creative hobbies that it’s difficult to choose my favourite. But having so many creative hobbies means that I use so many different tools and supplies. And when living on a budget, sometimes I find it’s hard to justify buying yet more craft or art supplies.
That’s why I always appreciate receiving gifts of tools and supplies for my creative hobbies for Christmas or birthdays. It allows me appreciate them guilt-free and always inspires me to get creative. But I’m also sure that any maker would love to receive gifts to spark their own creativity.
Today, I’m sharing some gift ideas for makers – primarily sewists, quilters, stitchers, and artists. You can give these items to creative friends and family members on your list. Or, perhaps you’ll want to direct your friends and family members to this list to shop for you. I hope there’s something to inspire you!
Just a note: All of these gift ideas for makers are favourites of mine. I only recommend items that I already use and love, or that I would love to give or receive myself.
Gift Baskets and the Blooming Along Basket
Any of the items listed in this gift guide below can be used as individual gifts or stocking stuffers. However, I always love both giving and receiving a little collection of curated gifts in a gift basket. This is a great idea, not just for Christmas, but for birthdays, Mother’s Day, etc.
One idea for an item to use as the basket is an embroidered felt basket, such as my Blooming Along Basket. You can find the PDF pattern in my SHOP and can customize the basket in any colours that you like. Then simply fill it with goodies that your recipient would like.
The basket was designed as a thread catcher basket to collect threads and trimmings while you knit, crochet, sew, stitch, quilt, or cut fabric. I now have three of them and I find them so handy. I can keep one at my cutting table, one at my ironing board, and one by my sewing machine. As well, I take one with me when I go to the couch to stitch, knit, or crochet.
You can also use the Blooming Along basket in a variety of ways. I have a whole series of posts about the Blooming Along Basket:
How to Choose A Felt Colour Scheme
Best Materials for Felt Embroidery
Alternative Uses for a Felt Basket
Gift Ideas for Sewists, Quilters, and Stitchers
Initially, I was going to separate these gift ideas into separate lists for sewists, quilters, and stitchers. However, there were so many overlapping items that can be used in more than one hobby, that I decided to list them all together.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I make a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Read my disclosure for more information.
“Perfect Scissors”
In a previous post, I wrote about how much I love “Perfect Scissors” by Karen Kay Buckley. I use these two pairs of scissors for a lot of different sewing, stitching, quilting, and crafting uses.
Their sharp, micro-serrated blades with pointed tips make them ideal for precise cutting. You can get them in various sizes (each a different beautiful colour), and also with straight blades. I would love to add more pairs of “Perfect Scissors” to my collection, and any crafter would love to receive them as well.
Check out my previous post for more information and examples about the scissors and why I love them.
Find “Perfect Scissors”:
3.75 inch, red, curved, micro-serrated
4 inch, lime green, micro-serrated
NEW: 4 inch, sea foam, straight blade
5 inch, orange, straight blade
7.5 inch, purple, micro-serrated
7.5 inch, pink, straight blade
You might also like to read about my favourite seam ripper, Cindy’s Seam Ripper.
Pattern Weights
Sewists who like to use rotary cutters to cut out their patterns will find a set of pattern weights a huge time-saver from using pins. They’re also helpful when you’re trying to avoid putting pin holes in delicate fabrics.
You can buy pattern weights, or make do with heavy items around your house. But making them can also be a quick and fun DIY project. I have a tutorial for making easy pattern weights with hardware store washers, felt, and quilting cotton. Best of all, you can customize them to your or your recipient’s favourite colours, and make as many or as few as you like.
Check out the Pattern Weight Tutorial.
Hem Clips
Another great tool for sewists are hem clips. I just recently discovered them and had to order a set for myself. I do a lot of hemming of pants, curtains, etc., and I find it a bit tedious to measure and fold up consistent hems. These clips hold the fold of your fabric in place, and have measurements on them so you can fold your hem to the same height along the length. (Note: My hem has already been sewn in the photo above).
There are lots of sets from different sellers (look for one with lots of reviews), and they come with different amounts of clips.
Wonder Clips
Wonder Clips are so fabulous for all sorts of crafty purposes, especially sewing on quilt bindings. I love using them in place of pins when I want to avoid pin holes, or when something is a bit bulky and awkward to pin. You can get them in different colours and set sizes. A small pack is definitely a great stocking stuffer idea!
Rainbow Pack of 50 Wonder Clips
Pin Cushion
I think I could find it quite easy to collect pin cushions as there are so many beautiful or adorable ones. Plus, it’s always nice to have pins within reach while you’re working – at the iron board, at the cutting table, and at the sewing machine.
I prefer making a pin cushion using some sort of vintage container, such as a little metal tart tin. Then I simply glue in a stuffed fabric shape to fit, as you can see in the next photo, below.
There are so many tutorials for making pin cushions out there, and delightful handmade ones that you can purchase. I’ve saved some of my favourite Etsy pin cushions which you can view here.
Small Ruler
A few years ago, I discovered ShopStitchBuzz on Etsy when I was taking a pattern drafting class. I ordered some fabulous tools to help me with that as the shop owner, Claire, is brilliant at creating tools to make sewing easier. But surprisingly, the thing that I use the most often is a little seam allowance ruler.
It is originally meant to help add seam allowances to patterns that you’re drafting or altering.
This little ruler is 6 inches long by 5/8″ wide, and it is marked every 1/8″. It is also a transparent neon yellow. I use it all the time for all sorts of uses such as when large quilting rulers are too big, or tape measures are too floppy.
What I like best about it is that it’s transparent so I can lay it on top of things that I’m measuring. Plus, it takes so little room to store and could be tucked in a pencil case of sewing tools.
You can get single mini rulers, or a set of 4 – how about sharing with all your friends?
Curve Runner Ruler
Another great item from ShopStitchBuzz that sewists will love is the Curve Runner Rolling Ruler. No more standing your tape measure up along curves and awkwardly trying to measure.
This curve runner can roll along a curve and give you a measurement, just like those large metre trundle-wheels that you may have used in math class.
Claire has several versions in different units and sizes:
Rotary Cutter Blades
Another gift idea that’s kind of utilitarian, but always useful, is giving rotary cutter blades. Everyone who uses a rotary cutter knows what a difference a fresh blade makes, but also probably doesn’t change them often enough. (Or maybe that’s just me!) You’d need to know the brand and size in order to gift the right ones, or communicate that information if you’re asking for them for yourself.
My favourite is the Olfa 45 mm cutter and a 10 pack of replacement blades.
Diagonal Seam Tape
Another genius invention that quilters will love is diagonal seam tape by Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew.
I shared in a recent post about resizing a quilt to pillows, that using the tape was a HUGE time-saver so I didn’t need to draw diagonal lines on hundreds of tiny pieces.
I use one length of it for each sewing project, and I can lift and re-stick it after filling the bobbin again. Simply stick it on the throat of your machine, aligned with your needle, and then line up the corner points of pieces to sew diagonally. Such a fabulous invention!
Check your local fabric store, but you can also find it in Allison’s Cluck Cluck Sew store, or on Amazon.
Charm Squares or Fat Quarters
Speaking for myself, I love receiving pretty bits of fabric and you can make a lot of creative items with fat quarters or even charm squares. Fabric can be a great addition to a gift basket to fill it up.
Thread Gloss
I’ve just recently discovered Sew Fine Thread Gloss, made by hand by Jenn in my hometown of Ottawa.
This all natural thread conditioner is made of beeswax and lightly scented in a wide range of yummy scents. It also comes in an unscented Natural. The Thread Gloss comes in little tins, and the wax won’t damage or stain your handmade items.
To use it, simply lay your thread end on top of the beeswax and press your thumb down on top of it to hold it in place. Then pull the thread through between your thumb and the beeswax to lightly coat the thread, and repeat again as needed.
Your floss and thread will be less prone to tangling, and you’ll get a mild scent as you work. I’ve only just started using Thread Gloss when I was stitching a felt Christmas ornament recently. But I enjoyed the festive mood that the Gran’s Kitchen scent put me in, and look forward to switching the scent seasonally.
You can order from the Sew Fine website, and Jen also lists other stockists where you might find her Thread Gloss closer to you. Check it out – but be prepared – you might have a hard time choosing a favourite scent because there are so many delightful ones!
Embroidery Needles and Floss
I’m like a kid in a candy shop when I get in front of the whole colour range of DMC floss. It’s a good thing I’m usually colour matching with felt, otherwise I might end up buying far too many colours because they’re so pretty. Why not surprise a maker with a little bundle of pretty colours and a package of new embroidery needles?
Felt
I also love all the yummy colours of felt and it’s one of my favourite materials to work with. There are so many fun crafts that can be made with felt, so gifting it can really inspire a maker’s creativity. A little bundle of pretty felt sheets would be a great addition to a stocking or gift basket. I like to get mine at Canadian Felt Shop.
Gift Ideas for Artists
Below I’m sharing some gift ideas for artists. There are many beautiful and useful tools and materials that any artist would love to receive and would inspire them to be creative.
Tubes of Paint
Tubes of paint are not inexpensive, and it feels like a guilty pleasure to add colours to my palette. Why not surprise your recipient with a small tube of some lovely shade?
Sketchbook
Any artist would love being gifted a sketchbook. There are various kinds and weights of paper that are suitable for particular mediums. So do pay attention to the medium that the recipient works in.
There are many other options with sketchbooks. You can find a whole range of sizes, orientations, and different numbers of pages. There are some beautiful ones with fabric covers, or leather covers. I also really like ones that are made from recycled vintage books, such as ones by A New Day Art Studio, or Apple Branches Vintage.
Brush or Water Holder
Another great gift idea for an artist is to give them a lovely handmade or personalized paintbrush holder, or a water holder. Alternatively, you can even use it for drawing pencils or pens as well. There are so many beautiful pieces to choose from on Etsy and I have many favourites saved in a list of Painting Tools and Supplies.
One of my favourites are these colourful ceramic brush holders by Ruth Pike Ceramics.
I like that you can choose the colour, and Ruth has several different styles and designs of similar brush holders in her shop.
I also love the idea of using something vintage – a little pitcher, mug, vase, or perhaps a piece of Ironstone. There are so many possibilities!
Brush Rest
I’ve only recently discovered the idea of a brush rest, and I’ve added one to my own Christmas wish list. Currently, I always lay my paint covered brushes onto the edge of my palette. But occasionally they roll around and get paint on the handles, and then my hands get covered with paint. I’m hoping a brush rest will help with that!
There are so many beautiful handmade ceramic brush rests on Etsy. One of my favourites is shown below, the Tiny Houses Brush Holder by Esmartistry Design.
Esma has designed such a charming little brush holder to hold brushes between the triangular roofs. And the best part is that she’s willing to customize the house styles and colours. This would be a fabulous gift idea or an addition to your own art space.
You can check out this Tiny Houses Brush Holder, or view a whole group of other favourite handmade brush rests on Etsy HERE.
Olive Oil Soap
Inspired by Miss Mustard Seed’s recommendation, I purchased some olive oil soap for washing my oil paintbrushes and I love it. It’s a nice scent and it gets them cleaner more easily than other products I was using. I bought really large soap blocks that have a divot in the top which makes it easy to twirl the brushes around. One of these blocks will last forever, but you can also get much smaller blocks.
Look for Savon de Marseille soap. I ordered mine from Au Savon de Marseille, a Canadian shop where the soaps are imported directly from Marseille. You can also find them in a variety of other shops, including from Amazon.
View Catcher
Another great small item that you could give an artist is a view finder/catcher. They are the little square or rectangular frames that can be held up to plan the composition of a piece of art, especially when painting a still life or en plein air (outside).
I don’t have one of these yet, but I would like to add one to my own little art kit. I found this View Catcher on Amazon.
Gift Ideas For Any Maker
Apron
One of my other gift ideas for makers is not so much a stocking stuffer idea, but a gift. While I use it as a painter, many makers would enjoy it, including crafters, bakers, and gardeners.
Before I started learning to oil paint, I sewed myself a Maria Apron by Maven Patterns. Below you’ll see some old photographs I took after completing it.
It was an easy to pattern to sew up, and I love the cross-over straps and the pockets. I used a light denim blue coloured rayon-linen blend that’s very drapey. And I added the gingham trim to the neckline and the pocket openings.
Whenever I put this apron on to paint, I feel like an artist and am instantly inspired to start creating. Plus, it protects my clothes. (Though surprisingly I’ve only got one spot of paint on it so far).
I think any maker would love to receive a beautiful handmade Maria Apron.
Gift Cards
The final idea in my list of gift ideas for makers is perhaps an obvious one. You can also include gift cards to your favourite art or craft store, fabric shop, yarn store, felt shop, Etsy, etc. so that the recipient can choose exactly the tools and supplies that they need. I love the possibilities that a gift card represents to choose whatever I like.
Small Gift Ideas for Makers
I hope you’re inspired to give some creative gifts to the makers in your life, or pass along a list of ideas to your own friends and family to shop for you. Giving art and craft supplies inspires creativity!
I want to hear from you. Do you use any of these gift ideas for makers and love them? Will you add any to your own Christmas list? What’s something you can’t live without, or would love to receive as a maker that could be added to this list? Let me know in the comments below.
All the best,
Danielle