Holiday Spirit

I'm starting to see signs of holiday spirit replacing the spooky decor around town. I'm trading in pumpkin spice and apple cider for gingerbread and peppermint. Along the theme of merriment, I found some adorable things that I may just gift myself. My favorites are below. Click the pic to link to the item.

What's on your holiday wish list? Have you found any irritable items? Share in the comments so I don't miss out.

Holiday Gift Guide for Quilters

Now is about the time I start figuring out holiday presents for family and friends, and pulling together my wish list. If you or someone you love is a quilter, I have some ideas (affiliate links included)....

Without thread, nothing is getting sewn together. That makes it a list topper here. I have a whole lot of Aurilove, so I'm recommending the Necessities Large Aurifil House Collection Thread Box for piecing. You really can't go wrong with Aurifil in any color of 50 wt.

Pressing is a major determiner in block flatness, so having a really nice iron makes all the difference. I treated myself to an Oliso a few years ago, and haven't looked back. I love that it pops up so there's no need to prop it up on its hindquarters between each and every block unit. No more scorched ironing board covers! Now there's an Oliso mini iron that even includes steam. The cord wraps neatly around its attachable trivet, and it can hang up when not in use. It's prefect for compact sewing areas and workshops. I did need to prime the pump for the steam feature. So on the first use, compress the steam buttons several times to get the water through the system. Oliso is running some specials so be watching...

Black Friday deals all running from 11/29 - 12/02 at midnightGet 40% off Vacuum sealers and SmartHubs with code: BLACKFRIDAY40! 
Get 30% off TG1100 irons (gray and orchid) with code: BLACKFRIDAY30! 
Get 20% off everything else with code: BLACKFRIDAY20! 

Cyber Monday deals all running from 12/02-03 at midnight 
Get 35% off Vacuum sealers and SmartHubs with code: CYBER35!
Get 25% off TG1100 irons with code: CYBER25!
Get 10% off everything else with code: CYBER10!

OLFA tools are Fat Quarter Shop's notions of the month and are priced 30% off in November. Hurry, because supplies are being depleted quickly with this sweet of a deal. I recommend the new navy mats (the bigger, the better) and a Splash 45 mm. For bonus points, throw in an Endurance Blade replacement.



Speaking of tools, you can even outfit your quilter while feeling quite handy. Harbor Freight gives you some great excuses to make cross-applications. Pick up a 4" Magnetic Parts Holder, and call it a pin dish.

Refer to the 20" Rolling Tool Bag as a sewing machine travel case.

Speaking of travel, I always take the Omnigrid Quilter's Travel Case. One of these outfitted with the essentials would make you a jolly right elf. Add the Ultimate Sewing Notions Kit along with a rotary cutter and some snips.

To up a quilter's Half Square Triangle game, the 6.5" Bloc_Loc and a rotating mat are key. They are a nice addition that makes life oh so much easier.

    


All quilts need batting. I'm a fan of The Warm Co. and their moderatly priced, quality products.

This one is a bit of a giveaway, but a nice machine is a real game-changer. When I started quilting, I thought more stitches must mean a better machine. Later on in my quilt life, I realized that what matters more is a beautiful straight-stitch, speed, an easy to acquire 1/4", and throat space to get a bigger quilt through. A knee lift, an automatic thread cutter, an automatic needle threader, and a large extension table are gravy. The Juki TL 2010Q is a favorite straight-forward quilting machine price under $1,000.

Janome makes a very reliable machine too.

Personally, I'm a Bernina girl. The 530 is a nice pick.

For those who want to edge into long-arm territory, Sewing Machines Plus has a November special (currently over 50% off) on the HQ Sweet 16 that includes the table overlay and Truestitch Regulator. They also carry full-fledged long-arm models.

If your quilter is all set with a great machine, the next step is furniture. Arrow makes a nice selection of choices including the Aussie II, which extends to 31.5 square feet of sewing space or can pack down into an inconspicuous cabinet.

As an educator, I'm all about the gift of learning. Consider wrapping up a year's membership to a local guild, or a subscription to a learning platform such as Creativebug or Bluprint.
Quilt shops tend to have awesome sells at the onset of the new year, so a quilter can stock up their stash if they are at the ready with a giftcard to their favorite quilt shop. Set them up for success in 2020, while letting them pick up whatever specific materials and notions they've been longing for. I'm on the look-out for a Fat Quarter Shop special on gift cards just before Christmas hits.

For the aspiring quilt designer, or really anyone who like to reverse-engineer or customize quilts, EQ8 is the go-to software. You can scan in fabric, draw up designs, calculate fabric requirements, print templates, and a multitude of other amazing functions. All my designs go to EQ8, where I make images I can pull apart in Inkscape to write my patterns. I really couldn't do what I do without EQ.

Those are my big ideas for now, but I'll update if I hear of more specials or come up with other great ideas.

2018 Quilter's Holiday Wish List

Here's your go-to resource for the 2018 holiday season for the quilter on your list (even if it's you 😉)!

Pink or blue? Nope, this isn't some sort of gender reveal party. Fat Quarter Shop has color-coordinated, ready-to-go gift sets, full of handy notions bargain-priced by the bundle.

Organization is a quilter's best friend. My new favorite storage solution is my Lexington 3-Tier Rolling Cart by Recollections from Michaels. It was $30, came in a light mint tone, and assembly was so easy that I could manage it in under 5 minutes with my three-year-old helping.

Oliso, the premiere iron brand for quilters, has come out with a compact, lightweight Project Iron. It has the same power as the full-size version, but the Project Iron is especially suited for travel to retreats and classes or for a beside-your-sewing-machine pressing station. Like the larger models, you can rest it in a face down position thanks to the solemate, which also allows the Project Iron to be stowed away safely. It has 8 -minute auto-shut off, a Diamond Coated Ceramic sole plate, detailer tip, and an 8-foot cord. The preorder cost is just $49.99 with free shipping! Choose from pink or yellow.

I often get asked what software I use to design my quilts. Even if an idea starts as a hand drawn sketch, I always use EQ8 to help calculate measurements and to see if the fabrics I've chosen will look nice in a finished quilt. EQ8 has a far more intuitive format that previous versions, and I very much appreciate the ability to print out paper-piecing units, fabric requirements, and appliqué templates.

A fun addition to the studio is a cutting machine. They're great for fabric, as well as other crafting projects.

The Sizzix Big Shot Plus Fabric Series Starter Kit comes in under $200.

The Cricut Maker has a rotary blade, a knife blade, and a scoring wheel.

Accuquilt has a fabric-centric die cut machine, the Go! Fabric Cutting System, with extensive block possibilities using Qubes.

 

What's the most important tool a sewer needs? Unless you are the foremost frontrunner of the slow sewing movement and hand sewing everything is your schtick, a dependable sewing machine with great features is going to be your #1.

If your sewing machine dreams have already come true, the next best thing is a table that allows your sewing machine tray to be level with the table top. This really helps ease the strain caused by the weight of a quilt pulling out of position during free-motion. The Olivia Cabinet with optional Quilt Leaf  by Arrow has got to be the cutest table I've ever seen.

Because I'm ever so practical, I've selected the Aussie II Cabinet. It has 31.5 square feet of sewing space when fully extended, but can pack down to 50" wide x 23" deep x 30" tall to look like an inconspicuous piece of bedroom furniture that can tuck your sewing machine out of view. This is ideal as I don't need every house guest to realize I've gone beyond taking over the dining room. 😳

Arrow shipped it straight away, and it arrived in five rather serious boxes. So far I've hauled all five upstairs with the help of my husband and opened one carefully packaged box. I will let you know assembly goes. I plan to keep their assembly video handy.

I adore a gift that keeps giving. A subscription box does just that. Another option is buying one month instead, which provides the advantage of having a gift curator who is well-versed in the latest fabrics and notions remove the anxiety of choosing.

Quilty Box has Classic, English Paper Piecing and Mini Box options.

Sometimes the best gift is one that you don't have to store. It's also nice to have some guidance when you want to grow a creative skill. That's why online classes are such a nice present. Just choose your platform: Creativebug or Blueprint (formerly know as Craftsy). Actually, you could just pick both, now that I think about it. Choose a single class, a single month, or an annual subscription for the best value.

That's all for now, but I'll keep this in the bar on the top of the page as I come up with new ideas.