I love giving (and receiving) gifts that are activity based; go somewhere, learn something, have an experience! When it comes to learning a craft, like sewing, this may or may not come with some tools of the trade to wrap up for your loved one as well!
So if you know someone who wants to start sewing, or expand on their skills here's a few ways you can give them the "Gift of Sewing".
1. Register them for a class (which are all on sale through tonight by the way!!). At Hartford Stitch we provide all the machines, tools, patterns and instructions needed. For many classes the materials are also included, or can be purchased at the studio. It's easy! No other investment is needed so your loved one can dip their toes in the sewing waters before they get hooked. Check out our Kids 101 Workshop or Adult Machine 101 class for true beginners (these aren't our only beginner classes so make sure to take a look around!).
2. If you're not sure of their schedule, or sewing interests, consider a gift certificate! Order by December 10th and we can mail you a physical gift certificate to present for the holidays. They can use it on classes, workshops, parties or retail. (Orders after December 10th will have an e-certificate emailed to you. It's not nearly as pretty but it works!)
3. Then of course we have all of those wrap-able goodies! Around this time of year I get lots of questions about what machine is good to buy and what supplies are needed to kickstart a sewing stash. So deep breath and here we go!
Tools and Notions
Did you know we have retail? It's a small retail section to be sure, but when the studio opened we wanted to make things as easy as can be for you! Even though the studio isn't open for classes we are selling these starter bundles and will ship them directly to you! Bundles must be ordered by December 10th. Oh yeah, and everything is 15% off the retail price!
All the Basics:
This bundle will get your sewist off to a running start and includes: Fiskars shears, stork snips, seam ripper, tomato pincushion, straight pins, one spool each of black, white, and natural Coats + Clark thread, marking pen and pencil and seam gauge. This bundle is available for $37 in our online shop!
Sewing with Knits:
If you're looking for gifts to take your recipient's sewing to the next level check out our Sewing with Knits bundle. Wonder tape (for the perfect hem!), ballpoint pins, jersey/ball point needles and stretch twin needle and they will have all the tools they need to tackle knits. This bundle is available for $17.
Add a registration in our Intro to Sewing with Knits class (also available as a private lesson) and you have the complete package!
Fabric Bundles: Once they have all the tools they will need some fabric of course! Each of these bundles features 1/2 yard each of 4 prints. All the fabric is premier quilting cotton from Art Gallery Fabrics (what does premier quilting cotton mean? It's a midweight woven fabric with vibrant colors, sharp images, and a very smooth feel). Each bundle is available for $18.70.
Click on the links above or click here for all of the bundles!
The Machine
I highly, highly, highly recommend the Singer Heavy Duty 4423. (All of these links are affiliate links. Please see below for the legalese with this!).
The Pros:
-These are the machines that we use at the studio and after a year and a half of use I can promise you that they are WORKHORSES-- which to me is more important than the bells and whistles. My machines have been put through the ringer: when my teaching was nomadic I was schlepping them in and out of cars and classroom spaces multiple times a week. They've been used by countless beginners and children who are learning a "gentle touch" with a machine. They've been used to sew everything from leather to knit to paper. Out of the 5 machines we use I've only once had to make a minor repair and it was only just recently. It was easy and inexpensive to purchase the part online and we're back in business.
- It's easy to learn. This comes with the lack of "bells and whistles" but threading is easy, stitch selection is easy and sewing is easy.
- I personally trust manual machines more as I find they malfunction less frequently than computerized machines.
- It has a great price tag at around $140 (Amazon fluctuates frequently).
The Cons:
- There are no bells and whistles. I know, that's what I like about it, but there are two things in particular that the machine below has that this one doesn't.
- I've had pretty bad luck getting the decorative stitches to function. This isn't a big deal to me, and many of my students, as there aren't that many to begin with and they don't serve any purpose but decoration
Some people just want a computerized machine and for them I suggest the Brother CS6000i. While I personally haven't owned this machine, so I haven't put it through all the scrutiny as the Singer Heavy Duty, I've had many of them come through the studio door for private lessons.
The Pros:
- Here are the two things I love the most about this machine: The speed control slide. This machine lets you pick a slow, medium or fast speed. Set to "Slow" and press the pedal to the floor-- you're still going VERY slowly. It's an excellent feature for beginner sewists, especially children, who have a lead foot.
- It won't allow you to sew with the presser foot in the raised position. It's a common beginner mistake to leave the presser foot up and start sewing which results in a huge mess of thread. This machine will beep at you if the foot is up. It's a little thing but it's a sanity saver.
- The price tag is right around the same as the Singer Heavy Duty.
The Cons:
- In my experience computerized machines malfunction more frequently and are more costly to repair compared to their manual counterparts.
Legal Stuff: Hartford Stitch is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
If you have any questions about any of these gifty items please email us!
Happy Stitching!
Laura