Looking forward to the holidays - the best gifts to give to seamstress

The end-of-year holidays are coming soon! Saint Nicholas is baking his speculoos, your mom is looking for recipes for Christmas dinner, and you, you're out of inspiration for end-of-year gifts?

No worries! I have what you need for yourself, your wife, your grandma, your sister, your cousin... Their common point: they sew or would like to learn to sew? So look no further, I had fun compiling the best gifts to give or get so you won't be disappointed at midnight under the tree, at the big unwrapping moment!

I've been in the sewing and crafts world for years now, and every year at the holidays, people ask me: "but what would make you happy?"... I have to tell you that even after all these years, I still find things to keep me busy 😂 and enrich my collection of tools to make sewing easier. So let's go for a wise gift choice that brings joy!

1. Quality haberdashery supplies

When you're a beginner or even more advanced, you hesitate to spend "a certain" budget on supplies. You don't know if you'll like it, if you'll use it... and sometimes you regret not buying that beautiful pair of scissors that caught your eye!

So why not ask for quality haberdashery supplies for Christmas?

In this category, I think:

- a buttonhole ruler for intermediate and advanced sewists. It changes your life when you want to sew button plackets and calculate the spaces between buttons. I never part with it!

- a buttonhole opener. It's a very useful tool after using your buttonhole ruler and making beautiful buttonholes, and well, you have to open them... With a buttonhole opener, goodbye to quick unpicking accidents; and that is priceless after finishing your shirt!

- anti-fray glue perfect for completing the buttonhole ruler and buttonhole opener set for top-notch buttonholes!

- a clip for attaching snaps for sewists of all levels. A tool you might hesitate to buy but that makes life easier. I have a resin snap clip and a universal one that really helps me attach snaps, so goodbye to the hammer and its mishaps!

- a hole punch: the famous "trouteuse," yes, the very one used to make belt holes but oh so practical for pre-punching before placing eyelets, snaps, rivets... a good investment for intermediate to advanced sewists.

- A pair of good scissors for sewists of all levels.

A pair of "good" cutting scissors is truly a must-have for any self-respecting seamstress. I am very demanding when it comes to cutting because it’s essential for the success of your sewing projects. For me, a good pair of scissors must have sharp blades, a comfortable handle, and above all must be sharpenable.

At the shop, we found a brand with a very good quality-price ratio.

You can even find ones for left-handers and for clipping!

Beyond cutting scissors, I also recommend purchasing embroidery scissors which have really nice designs but are especially useful for detailed cutting. I use them daily for trimming, clipping, cutting small threads... For me, they are the foundation of the sewing kit!

Budget:

Buttonhole ruler: €29, buttonhole opener: from €12.5, glue: €6.4
Clip fastener: from €19.5, punch: €21
Cutting scissors: from €25 to €40, embroidery scissors: from €4

2. Storage tools

Well, it’s nice to have lots of tools but at some point you have to be able to store them, otherwise your workshop or dining table will look like a real mess.

You immediately think of the sewing box! I really like this idea because you can easily carry your small tools from the workshop to the couch (to hand-sew hems or sew on buttons comfortably seated).

A really handy tool is also the bobbin holders. Indeed, when you start sewing a little, a lot, passionately... you have lots of threads... and lots of bobbins that get tangled... in short, the bobbin holder isn’t a glamorous gift but it’s very practical!

And to avoid losing your pins and risking hurting your little feet or pets, I recommend the small magnetic printed pin ball or stick-on pin holder, super practical! For my part, I always have two, one on the work table and one near the machine so I can always store my pins where I work.

Budget sewing box: from €24

Budget bobbin holder and ball: from €5

Note that sewing boxes are only available in physical stores.

3. One pattern or several patterns

At C'est du Joly you know we love introducing you to brands of sewing patterns and also testing them 😂!

Giving one or more patterns is also a great idea for sewers from beginners to experienced. Just be sure to know the person’s clothing tastes and sewing level.

There’s no point in buying an expert pattern for a sewing beginner, especially if the pattern’s style doesn’t appeal to them. I took the liberty of making a small selection among the patterns I find nice to offer at the end of the year (without taking too much risk):

In accessories:

- the bags from Atelier Jumadi including my favorite, the Carlos bag! You’ll also find the Jackie backpack, Bernie messenger bag, the fanny pack and half-moon bag, the heart pouch, the Pablo bucket bag... basically lots of patterns that bring joy!

- the travel bags and Eugène from Ikatee as well as accessories for the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen released this year that are really great!

- the patterns from Coralie Bijasson, Iam patterns, and Cha Coud: passionate designers offering stylish and well-explained patterns. These are brands we work with a lot in the workshop and really love.

Plus, their new patterns are awesome!

At Coralie Bijasson you will find Sanaz and Erell

At Iam patterns, for those who love working with denim, the I am Iconic collection

At Cha Coud the autumn collection is great, I've already made the Anaïs and Inès patterns and I'm eyeing the Jolène jacket 😂

We have plenty of other brands just as great with amazing designers (we think of DP studio, Atelier Bernie, Named Clothing, Tosca Minni, Studio Schnittreif, Mimoï, Instinct Couture, Clématisse Pattern...) with more than 2700 patterns in stock so don’t hesitate to ask us for advice 😊

Pattern budget: from €15 for the printed and from €5 for the PDFs

Eudoxie from Coralie Bijasson

Carlos from Atelier Jumadi

Chagall from patronnes

4. Customize your creations

A little label here, a pom-pom there, a patch over here!

Repairing, customizing, giving a wink with a label sewn with love has never been easier than today!

We offer you plenty of labels from brands like Bohin, Ikatee, Atelier Brunette, and many more...

Soft pom-poms, sew-on and/or iron-on patches... to please both young and old!

A small budget gift that really delights!

Budget: from €1.50

5. Gift cards

The C'est du Joly gift card is a great gift if you hesitate... because it will allow the recipient to spend it as they wish!

The card can be used to purchase:
- fabric and haberdashery,...
- wool, embroidery,...
- printed patterns or PDFs,
- a course in our premises.

The gift card is valid for 12 months and can be used in-store or online. It can be issued in-store or online for the (very) last-minute shoppers or those who live far away. You receive it automatically by email, no need to wait for delivery to make someone happy!