Welcome to the first of what will eventually be at least a handful of gift guides for embroidery artists and embroidery-curious would-be crafters.
Today’s post is all about simple and budget-friendly gifts they’ll use again and again! By this, I mean objects:
that we use pretty much all of the time (so they'll think of your thoughtful gift nearly every time they get out their supplies);
that we might already have, but could always use more of (so your gift will include the implied encouragement that accompanies the item itself); and
that are super simple to grab in a hurry and on a budget (without sacrificing thoughtfulness or care)!
[Image description: Overhead photo of a rectangular, Kraft brown package. Attached to its top with green and white washi tape is a small card with a photo of embroidery floss bunched together into the shape of a heart and surrounded by various colorful embroidery supplies and props. The package is wrapped with a simple piece of teal yarn, tied into a bow.]
My recommendations for this type of gift (and detailed in this post) include:
At the end of this post, I also give you a few tips for how to put it all together (or not, if that's not your thing!).
Note: There are no affiliate links in here! The linked products below are are all normal non-affiliate links.
Bouquets of embroidery floss
Hand picked skeins of embroidery floss (perhaps bundled together as one might bundle together a bouquet of flowers) make for excellent quick, budget-friendly, and thoughtful gifts.
You'll find embroidery floss in nearly every craft store in the United States (including Joann and Michael's), as well as several big big box stores (such as Walmart) that have dedicated craft sections of their own.
For gifting purposes, I recommend looking for DMC or Anchor brands; these are the two most readily available and well-loved brands available in brick and mortar stores here in the United States.
[Image description: Overhead photo of just under 20 skeins of DMC brand embroidery floss, in shades of pink, orange, blue, green, and gold.]
While shopping, you may notice cheaper pre-made bundles of floss near the DMC and Anchor floss mentioned above. Often referred to as “friendship bracelet floss,” many of us are more than fine with using this floss and/or encouraging others to do so. At the same time, you should keep in mind that whether your recipient feels one way or another about that sort of floss is information you may not have before shopping.
Embroidery needles
Your loved one likely has enough needles (more importantly, enough of the needles they specifically enjoy using), but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t appreciate a brand new pack.
For gifting purposes, I recommend aiming for variety packs (also referred to as multipacks or assortments), which you'll find near the embroidery floss in brick and mortar stores (including Joann, Michael's, and Walmart).
These packs of embroidery needles will typically range in size variety and price -- ranging from one to two sizes and very inexpensive, to larger packs at a slightly higher price point but with so very many options!
[Image description: Hope holds up a package containing various embroidery needles. The label reads "Dritz," "Deluxe Hand Needle Assortment, 100ct," and includes labeled tapestry, chenille, milliners/betweens embroidery, sharps, embroidery, and darners needles.]
By purchasing a pack with loads of different options, you’re likely to accidentally grab something they already use and might need along with a variety of other needles they might like to try one day. Just be sure you're grabbing embroidery needles, and not needles meant for sewing machines. (Own Crafting has a great guide on telling the difference between the two, in case you need more help!)
Fabric bundles
As I write in my blog post all about fabric for hand embroidery, there’s really no “right” or “wrong” fabric to use in the craft.
At the same time, every stitcher has their own personal preferences when it comes to the sorts of fabric materials and colors they most like to use in their work.
With this in mind, I recommend you choose fabric as a gift in two situations:
if you’re including it along with other stitching-related gifts as part of a larger gift, or
if you already know exactly what sort of fabric they like to use.
And by “exactly,” I do mean exactly. “They us a lot of white fabric” is going to lead you down a rabbit hole of perhaps hundreds of options, and you might very well end up picking the five to ten options they have no interest in using!
[Image description: Full frame photo of a pile of cotton fabric in shades of green, blue, pink, and white.]
You'll find fabric in the same places you'll have already found embroidery floss and needles, but if time allows for shipping I might also recommend checking out the thrifted fabric available through a store such as Make and Mend, or bundles made by embroidery artists themselves, such as Jessica Long Embroidery and Florals and Floss Embroidery!
Basic storage containers
The algorithms show me a lot of storage-related content, and there’s a very good reason for that: I could always use another bin, another set of drawers, another basket.
This is one category in particular where your budget can take you all over the place, from relatively simple and cheap plastic bins (for storing embroidery floss), medium-sized craft carts (for bringing supplies from one room to another), to more extravagant pieces of wooden embroidery-related storage solutions!
[Image description: Overhead photo of embroidery floss of all sorts of shades and colors and wound onto bobbins. The floss sits in more or less neat little stacks, though some dust and animal hair have accumulated, and they do not appear to be categorized into any particular color or number order.]
The best advice I can give you here is to avoid purchasing something super large, expensive, or heavy, unless you know your recipient wants that item specifically. Otherwise, you risk taking up space they were reserving for the storage solution they were really hoping to get one day!
Putting it all together (or not!)
Though perfectly nice on their own, these gifts also make for lovely "DIY gift baskets," by which I mean you could easily pair them with one another into one larger gift. Of course, that’s going to be up to you, your budget, and the occasion.
I hope I've provided clear-enough recommendations in this post; if, however, you still feel lost and need some help knowing what might work best, you should feel free to contact me with any questions or clarifications you might have. I'll do my best to get back with you within a reasonable amount of time (and your questions will help me to improve this post for future gift givers, too!).
Thanks so much for being here, and happy gifting!
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