Gift ideas for niece who’s into sewing?
Hey there, I’m an uncle to a soon to be 15 year old niece who recently got into sewing and has a starter sewing machine. (Hope it’s ok that I post here!)
I want to get her something for her birthday next weekend that has to do with sewing or similar since that’s what she’s expressed interest in. She’s never really had hobbies before but seems genuinely interested in modifying clothes and up-cycling (I think that’s the term) thrift finds.
Can someone help me with ideas on what I could get her? She is relatively new to things and she lives in Texas (US).
I’m ok spending up to $150. Could go higher as I’ll just split costs with her dad or grandparents if the gift is excellent.
Update: thank you all for the thoughtful suggestions! tildes always comes through with advices/tips/ideas for me! i ended up buying Gingher 8” Fabric Scissors, Kai seam snips (detail scissors?), Clover seam ripper, 3-pack of pink Singer tape measures, and a grumpy cat tote bag. i think i’m going to take her out to the thrift store to grab some clothes she can work on too. next year if shes still into it i think me and her dad will go in on a nice sewing machine someone mentioned in the comments. thanks again everyone!
Advice from my wife, who has a degree in fashion design:
As someone whose wife recently got into cross-stitching, I can confirm that high quality tools are an easy win. Shell out for a pair of Gingher shears and snips and they can easily last a lifetime (assuming they aren't used to cut materials other than fabric).
I'm pretty certain this is a myth, which I believe came about to try and keep non-sewers from borrowing fabric scissors and leaving them somewhere that's not my sewing box where they should be. Decent scissors are made from decent steel and decent steel doesn't give a crap about whether it's being used on paper or cotton or plastic or silk or whatever. There is not, to my reasonably informed knowledge as an occasional bladesmith, a type of steel which can happily cut denim but somehow gets blunted on cardboard.
Also you should sharpen scissors fairly regularly regardless of what you're cutting with them.
How does one sharpen scissors, anyway?
Sharpen only the bevel, not the flats where the two blades meet. Most scissors work via shearing action between the blades, sharpening that area can mean separating the blades and reducing their effectiveness despite them technically being sharper. Because of this, you don't actually need to sharpen until the apex of the edge pulls away from the flat side.
If the two halves detach, it's a lot easier. Use a whetstone or gentle bench grinder, grind on the bevel (that angled part on the sharp inside of the scissors) until you can feel a burr form, then strop or very gently sharpen along the flat to remove the burr.
What @Banazir said, or you can get scissor sharpening tools/jigs which are not quite as good as doing it "properly" on a stone - but much better than having blunt scissors and have a much shallower learning curve.
In particular, vintage Gingher that were manufactured before they were acquired by Fiskars can easily be sharpened and last a lifetime. The vintage ones were usually made in Germany or Brazil; the Fiskars ones are made in Italy.
I'll try and find out if she's making things from scratch. I don't think so, but I'll ask. Thank you for asking your wife and thank her for her advice!
Honestly a gift certificate for a fabric store. Fabric be expensive!
Other than that you could get her some of the accessories for her sewing machines if she doesn’t have them, but you’d have to know what model she has and what accessories she already has. I don’t think most starter machines come with the various more specialized feet, for instance.
Most things that you need for sewing are consumables and are usually pretty cheap. Things like fabrics and even thread are something to be picked on a project by project basis.
Another option is some good scissors. Unfortunately I lack the vocabulary to describe which ones to get, though! One thing I would get would be some thread scissors of the type that are spring loaded in the open position. But a good pair of dedicated fabric scissors with long blades is also indispensable.
Good fabric scissors and a good rotary cutter could be helpful!
Never mind @Mimicsquid nailed it
the gift certificate was my default but thank you for including other ideas! the thread snips and fabric scissors might be the what i go for, now. thanks again!
There's a lot of good ideas here already! I'm a giant craft dork, and one of the things I love doing is just wandering around a store/market/convention and looking at things. Having someone to go with and touch the yarn/fabric and check things out is really awesome! And buying a bunch of craft supplies is always a thrill :) would you be able to take your niece physically out somewhere and wander together? Sometimes it's nice to ask someone if a colour looks good, or the feel is nice, or if the pattern looks good, or even just finding random accessories. I often go to a store with an open mind, find one aspect of a project I might like (e.g., a fabric) and then build up the rest of the project later (e.g., the pattern, the accessories, and the target person). Plus, you can spend some quality time! Win-win.
thanks for the suggestion about taking her to a place to roam and touch stuffs! i think we’ll go to a thrift/resale shop and let her buy some stuff. she seems to like buying oversized things and either making them fit or cutting them up into new things, so far.
Sewing hobbiest here! Adding to the others, 100% quality fabric scissors are a must (do not need a rotary cutter as a first round purchase imo, scissors >rotary cutter. I barely use my rotary, but will come in handy at times).
Depending on her current supplies these basics I consider necessary:a set of needles and pin, pin cushion, seam ripper. Assorted thread/bobbin colors. Sewing machine needles of varying gauges (when starting out might break them often xD), tape measure, extra blank bobbins (that fit her machine! There are different types)
Other useful tools: seam gauge ruler!! , sewing ruler (or clear plastic ruler is an acceptable sub ), and sewing clips (do not replace pins but very helpful), tailors wax/chalk.
Your niece is lucky to have an uncle supporting her sewing hobby journey :)
ended up getting some of those things! thanks for the suggestions. updated the post with what i got.
Tools and fabric (via gift certificates) have been mentioned, but another consumable item that might be helpful is patterns. If you can get an idea of what she likes to sew, you can get fabric patterns that she can pin to the fabric and cut through to make sure everything is the right dimensions. Some are reusable, but not all, so just having several on hand could be helpful.
I'll have to find out what sort of stuff she's into but patterns are something I hadn't thought about before, thanks!
How about a sewing class where she'll be introduced to other teens who sew and learn new techniques?
I did one recently where the workshop also has different things for projects to purchase and you can ask them for advice on how to do a project of your choice
i did look into classes but worry she’d feel out of place depending on the ages of the students. i’ll look into teen classes and ask her how she’d feel about mixed students. i actually have no idea what she’d say in this case. good suggestion!
I got one of these cases for Christmas this year and it's great. Big enough to hold the sewing machine and my large plastic case that holds all the notions. Even if she doesn't plan to transport it, it's nice to keep it all together when you store it.
oh, this is a great suggestion! thank you
I watched Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for a long time until I found a decent price on a Singer Featherweight for my then-16-year-old. Its a bit more than $150 (like maybe $300 $350), but it should last forever if treated well and maintained.
If she's still into sewing by next year (16), maybe her dad and I will go in on a nicer sewing machine like that.
I was going to suggest an adjustable dress form if she’s making clothes this time next year.
Seconding this. It's definitely a thing to invest in once it looks like an interest that's going to persist. but an adjustable dress form is one of those things that is difficult to replace with anything else. Trying to make adjustments to something you're wearing with any sort of drape while keeping it looking like it will while you're wearing it normally is a special sort of hell.
My niece is into sewing too. I got her a really nice pair of embroidery scissors. Good tools not only last a lifetime, but they make the process of making more enjoyable. She was really pleased and uses them a lot.
edit: she doesn't have to be into embroidery to use embroidery scissors - they get used as thread snips and for making little trim cuts and so on. They're useful little things and I wish I'd bought myself a set too! Stork pattern optional but it is traditional.
wow those look really nice. i did end up getting her some thread snips!
My wife is an amazing seamstress and creates a lot of her clothes from scratch or modifies existing ones (like adding pockets!)
Some things she likes that I haven't seen mentioned that can be really cute gifts are thimbles, needle minders, and of course pin cushions. Big brand craft shops might have some, but the really good ones are at boutique mom and pop craft shops.
On the more expensive end, an adjustable mannequin form would be great especially as she grows.
Also if she really gets into any particular fabrics like silk or linen, there's a multitude of specialty tools for those.
Sincerely, a man saving his couch loonies to buy the wife a serger.
a mannequin is a great idea! i think that’s a good idea for next birthday if she’s still into it
updated the original post with what i ended up getting her based on y’all’s suggestions — thanks again!
Just saw this now but that grumpy cat bag is so darn stinking cute :) she might have fun adding decorations on it too
thrift store edits are great fun I hope the search was fruitful and gave her lots of encouragement/ ideas.
If she’s lucky enough to live near a makerspace with sewing equipment you could pay for a couple months of membership.
i’ll have to look into that! she can’t drive yet so maybe that would be a fun thing for next year when she gets her license.