Handmade Gifts for Friends who Sew

List of Handmade Gift Ideas for friends who sew or quilt - including pincushions, needlebooks, and thread catchers

As most of you know, as quilters yourselves, it’s a lot of fun to make a sweet little gift for other friends who sew. For a while now, I’ve been gathering a variety of handmade gift ideas ranging from large and elaborate for that special someone, to quick and simple that you can produce en masse for a group of friends at once.

This list is geared specifically toward other people who love to sew, but I have another list of Handmade Gift Ideas for anyone here.

Pincushion Tutorials

One of my favorite personal gifts to make OR receive is a sweet, custom handmade pincushion. Here are 12  of my favorite tutorials for unique pin cushions (clockwise from the top):

Gift Ideas for Quilters - Handmade Pin Cushion Tutorials

 

 

Sewing Machine Cover tutorials - perfect for a gift idea for quilters

Sewing Machine Cover (or Mat) Tutorials:

here’s a few different ones ranging from basic patchwork to much more elaborate (clockwise from top):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thread Catcher, pincushion and sewing organizer tutorials

Thread catchers and organizer tutorials

Thread catchers are always so handy for keeping things neat and tidy around your sewing machine. Here are a few tutorials and patterns (starting at the top and going clockwise):

Handmade Needle Book tutorials - perfect gift for a friend who sews

Needle books

Needle books are adorable and so fun to personalize. Here are a few tutorials (clockwise from the top):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other practical Handmade Gifts for friends who Sew

These Spool Key Fobs (or key ring) would be easy to mass-produce for friends who love fabric and sewing.

Magnetic pin bowls are so handy to have in the sewing room.  You can buy ready-made  magnetic pinbowls here or other custom pin bowl designs on Etsy (so many cute options!)

Or here’s a tutorial to Make Your Own Magnetic Pinbowl using any sweet bowl you have on hand. A cute vintage tea-cup or Asian rice bowl would work great. I found some cute mini bowls designed by the Pioneer Woman for a great price in the dishes aisle at Walmart.

Numbered Marking Pins tutorial - make your own - gift ideas for quilters

One of my favorite ever quilting-related gifts was a set of numbered marking pins. I use mine ALL the time for marking rows and keeping in order rows that need to be sewn together. Mine were made by Nancy and she has a tutorial for making these quilt row markers here. If time is not on your side, you can also buy a set of Marilee’s Numbered Pins.

Another useful gift for a quilting friend are these super handy mini design boards. My friend Emily made me some and I’ve LOVED them. They’re perfect of laying out quilt blocks, auditioning fabric, or just keeping your pieces in place until you’re ready to sew. Lori Holt has a tutorial to make your own Design Board (mine don’t have the decorative border, which is fine with me) or this video tutorial if you like the extra visuals. You can also buy Lori’s Design Boards ready made here in multiple sizes.

Another idea is to make (or buy) a full design wall. I LOVE and use my design wall every day. It has grommets and hangs next to my sewing table, but is easy to take down when needed. I have the Fons and Porter Design Wall which you can find at Joann’s or Amazon.

You could also make one yourself! Suzy Quilts has a list of great ideas for making your own Design Wall.

Ideas for last minute Handmade gifts to sew for friends and family

Click here you’re looking for more generalized last minute Handmade Gift ideas for friends, family, teachers, neighbors, etc

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