Choosing the Ideal Gift for the Crafter in Your Life
Gift giving time always sneaks up faster than you might expect, so it is time to start contemplating gift options for those on your gift list. Every list has a variety of personalities, and it’s possible that your list includes someone who loves to craft. Forget the dowdy reputation of the past of avid crafters. No longer the hobby of “ladies of a certain age,” crafting has a hipster reputation these days. Before you start narrowing your options, it’s a good idea to find out if your crafty friend or family member works in the yarn arts, the sewing arts, or does something like scrapbooking or dry flower arranging.
For the sewing enthusiast, there are a variety of options from which to choose. Depending on what the person in mind already has, you may consider buying him or her a new sewing machine. Technology gets better and better, and the prices get lower and lower for great machines with lots of features. If your crafter is a beginning sewer, you can get a great machine with a selection of stitches for $100 - $150. It is common to start on a basic machine, and then not upgrade for years because they work so well. Getting a quality machine does not mean you have to spend a ton of money.
If you have someone interested in the yarn arts, you might consider buying some luxurious yarn, perhaps cashmere or super fine wool. Hand-knits use a lot of yarn, so the gift of yarn is always welcome. Crafters usually have a project waiting in the wings, so you can have confidence that it will be used wisely. For the aspiring knitter, you can buy starter kits that include yarn, needles, a gauge and instructions to learn the basics of knitting. For visual learners, consider buying an instructional DVD – often easier from which to learn than a book.
Finally, those who have scrapbooking enthusiasts on their gift list; you can always head to the craft store or an online retailer to get a scrapbooking set. Often the come prepackaged with paper, pens, glue, do-dads, and foils for some basic scrapbooking tasks. Printmaking supplies and rubber stamps are always useful for scrap bookers. For a particularly artistic scrapbooking enthusiast, you might consider a calligraphy set, and an instructional manual.
There are countless gift options for crafty people on your gift list. Take some time to think about their particular hobbies, and it won’t be difficult to narrow down to a great gift.
Quilt Patchwork Patterns | 
admin | February 23, 2010