submitted by The Sewing and Vacuum Center
Holiday gift-giving time is right around the corner! Sewers, quilters, and embroiderers always enjoy finding notions, tools, or machines under the tree. We have some suggestions that would make your stitcher happy.
Many of our stitching friends would love to find that Santa has delivered a new sewing machine. If you are thinking about purchasing a machine as a gift, it’s a good idea to find out what type of sewing the user will be doing and what features he or she might like on a machine. For a beginner sewer, we have several machines under $400 that would work well. (Remember that the machine owner would also receive free lessons on how to use the machine if the machine is purchased at The Sewing and Vacuum Center).
For the quilter on your list, we have both Brother and Janome machines with 11” of throat space that will accommodate larger quilts for quilting. These machines come with various stitching combinations and accessories. Also new for the quilter this year is the Brother long arm frame to pair with the Brother quilting machine. The frame comes standard in a 10-foot length. Available to purchase is a 2-foot extension that can make the quilting table 12 feet in length for king size quilts.
The garment sewer just may have a cover stitch machine on their Christmas list. A cover stitch machine provides a beautiful hemmed finish on knits and other fabrics, just like you see on ready-to-wear. It looks similar to a serger but just does hemming. If you make a lot of your clothes or do a lot of alterations, this machine would be a great addition to your sewing room!
If you have a machine embroiderer on your gift list, thread is one item that your stitcher can never have too much of. Our Floriani thread brand has several thread collections this year including “Holiday Peace” which features five spools of metallic thread. Two other sets that are also popular are “Trending Colors: Fall & Winter” and “Holiday Basics.” Each set contains ten spools of thread. Adding a spool or two of embroidery bobbin thread would make your embroiderer very happy!
Stabilizers are another item that embroiderers would love to find as gift. We carry the complete range of Florani stabilizers that prepare the stitching area. We can help you choose the correct type of stabilizer – from a medium tearaway to the wash-away topping needed for pile/loopy fabrics such as towels.
Many machine embroiderers would like to have additional design software to expand their design library. We have Monogram Wizard and Brother BES Lettering program for those wanting to make large monograms and combine letters. Simple Applique is a new program for machine embroiders that contains built in applique designs/applique lettering that you can customize to stitch and also can be used with the Brother ScanNCut. These programs are PC compatible while the Brother BES software also has a version for the MAC user. Floriani software is also available for those wanting to create custom designs and logos. We do offer assistance and lessons on any software purchased from us.
A good gift for the sewer/crafter is the Brother Scan ‘n Cut 2. It will scan a design up to 12” x 24” (no need for an additional scanner!) and then cut it out in your preferred medium of paper, vinyl, or fabric. The Scan ‘n Cut 2 has over a thousand designs as well as 15 fonts built-in. This includes the 140 built-in quilt patterns ready to be cut and assembled into a lovely quilt. You can transfer designs to the machine via WiFi or USB drive. Using the machine requires no additional fees or subscriptions.
Still not sure about picking out a gift? A gift certificate also works well and would be appreciated by any sewer. If you are not sure what the sewer needs, this is the “safest” type of gift to give! Stop by and see us for help with your holiday gift needs for the stitcher.
