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Sew! Let’s Get Dressed – Gifts of the Season

What are the best gifts for sewing friends and family?  I suspect many of us would say “having the time to sew”.  That sounds pretty wonderful.  Carrie and I are gifting ourselves the first week in January and the first week in February to sew together.  We plan to stitch up some jackets we have been designing in our heads for over a year.   We will be gifted with time together, our new jackets, and the satisfaction we feel when we complete a long anticipated project.  Organize a sewing date or offer fitting help to your sewing friends as they begin working on their Fit for Art projects.

If you are looking for something you can purchase and wrap up, consider a Tabula Rasa Knit pattern, a knit bundle, a Tabula Rasa Jacket pattern or one of the TRJ variations. Quilting friends will love the Quilting Tips book to take their Tabula Rasa Jacket up a notch.  Sewers always like new tools, so how about a fashion design/styling ruler, a decorative pair of scissors, a box of glass head pins, or some antique buttons?

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Washed wool flowers

If you want to make a fun gift, wash up some old wool scraps and sweaters and make some felted wool flower pins.  The directions for felting wools can be found in our Tips for Handwoven and Handcrafted Fabrics.  The directions and pattern for felted flower pins is just a click away, one of our free downloads.  Last week I delivered a pin to each of my friends at Sass Salon, where I get my hair cut. Next week in this blog space we will bring you the pattern and directions for a large organza flower pin.  It makes a very special gift, so reserve a few hours to stitch one up for yourself or a friend “who already has everything.“

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Mekong River Fabrics to compliment a Laura Murray panel. Chosen for a friend’s jacket.

Sewers always like lovely fabrics.  Carrie and I had the pleasure of attending an open house at Mekong River Textiles last weekend.  We had so much fun choosing fabric gifts for friends; we forgot to take any photos to post on Facebook.  Visit your local specialty fabric shop or vintage store to choose a gift and support a local business at the same time.

Give the gift of knowledge by purchasing a membership to a sewing organization you enjoy.  Many memberships include a newsletter or magazine to inspire and educate.  The American Sewing Guild, Studio Art Quilt Association, Surface Design Association and the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals are the organizations I belong to and I look forward to receiving their online and print publications each quarter.

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Eureka! Pants licensing students at work on their first mock ups.

This week 7 sewing professionals have gifted themselves with a week of professional development at the Eureka! Pants Professional Licensing Seminar.  They will learn to use and fit the Eureka! Pants that Fit pattern, teach classes using the pattern and use it to make pants for clients or friends.  Begin saving in January if you would like to gift yourself with this intensive 5-day learning experience next year.

What was the best sewing gift you ever gave or received?  Your ideas might be inspiring to others, so share it with our growing Fit for Art community by commenting here or by posting on our Facebook page.  In fact, that is another great (and free!) gift for your sewing friends – encourage them to sign up for our blog, Sew! Let’s Get Dressed.  Then you will both have lots of new ideas and projects to work on together!

Happy Sewing, RAE

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