Although I help put up shelves for fabric, look for months for a good table the right size and then customize it for height, etc.... any suggestions that I might surprise my wife with?? You know, something out of the blue... a complete surprise???

Cook her dinner, I always like that one

does she have rotary cutter, cutting mat, quilting ruler etc? You might think of loading some of those shelves with a few pcs fabric in colors that she likes or uses in the house.

I'm sure some other ladies could give better tips than that, but this is the best I can think of right now.

How about something to organize her threads or notions? If you are into fishing or tools, you know of some good tool boxes available. Same thing can be used for notions and threads - check it out.

You may find something for yourself at the same time!

I like the dinner idea! How about a peg board for storing her tools?

Gift Certificate! Oh yea! :lol:

Limited to stuff to do in her sewing room or anything to do with sewing? If limited to the room ... lighting, a big ironing board, TV or radio (or Ipod), a different sewing machine (embroidery or perhaps featherweight), a selection of fabric that you picked out ....

If not limited to the room ...

I think a great gift would be a surprise trip to a quilting retreat.

Gift Certificate to her favorite Quilt Shop...thats the ticket!!

Let's see: Dinner's good. A needle case with MONEY inside it! A private shop hop just for her (and a friend). A design wall. . . . A quilting cruise! Might as well dream big while I am at it! Sounds like you are one-in-a-million kind of guy.

Since you are into building things, how about an ironing board just for ironing fabric?

Someone put a tutorial over in the tute section.

You said a cutting table? Did you get her a cutting mat that covers the entire cutting table? I have one and love it! It's great for blocking a quilt and also for cutting lenght wise strips for borders.

How about a design board! Go to your local Lowes or Home Depot and ask for Homosote, it is a board made out of compressed recycled newspaper. Homosote is a name brand I have heard, Lowes had it but didn't call it that, but the guy knew exactly what I was talking about. Buy a large good quality flannel sheet(preferably white so it doesn't interfere with the colors she's designing with) and staple it around to be back of the board. Hang it on the wall and she can move her blocks around the wall without pins, as the cotton fabric sticks to the flannel and she can also use pins to tack patterns and other things to the board while she is working a project! I love mine, and use it constantly.

Ok, how about a drive, picnic and end up at a quilt shop to browse. I love the rides my hubby and I take. Oh,oh wait... how about a massage???? I love a nice upper back massage after sitting at the sewing machine :)

How about a shirt that says, "I'm married to a one-of-a-kind. He supports my quilting!"

Ironing board that folds toward the wall..
Sister has one.. magic !

I have a friend who has one of the collapsible ones you can buy and she chose gray for the color of flannel. Believe it or not, it's a much better color than the white/off white color because it doesn't compete with what you're putting on it.

My suggestion would be a peg board to hang rulers, thread and scissors and things off of.

I think you are a wonderful husband and she will appreciate anything you do for her. Good for you! :thumbup:

You could offer to help her quilt and then she may release you from any futher envolvement in regards to the sew room. LOL.

You sound like an O.K. guy and she is very lucky!

You opened up a can of worms, sir. ;)

Does she have a big board? Depends on how handy you are but drawers/dressers are nice to stash stuff in. Design wall. Ruler holders.........all the above

Wow!! Lots of ideas... I have surprised her with a trip to the hot springs and a massage... driven 150 miles to Mary Jo's in Gastonia, NC just so she can look for fabric, and several others,,, BUT, look at all the other ideas!!!! THANKS!!!

We have a long arm,,, she isn't gonna let me out of it totally...

OOOHHH I like this even better, love picnics in the park and massages, who says romance is dead

Does she have track lighting in the room ?

Since you traveled that far to a quilt shop you an always surprise her from time to time by taking her to a quilt show. Here's one site that has listings, maybe others can give you addittional listings. http://www.quiltshowlistings.com/

Not original, but perhaps there's a new sewing machine that she'd be thrilled with, but has not thought of it as a possibility?

You've received so many wonderful ideas that I'm sure you will pick one (or more) that she would absolutely LOVE.

Now, I have a question for you: can we clone you!!!??? :lol: :lol: :lol: Your wife is married to a sweet, loving man, and I'm sure she knows just how blessed she is!! :wink: It is so thoughtful of you to want to do all this for her.

Just wondering ... does your wife frequent the Boards? and if we have to worry about keeping it a surprise for her?

My husband asked me what I REALLY wanted for Christmas last year and my honest answer was gift certificates for JoAnne's. We don't have a local quilt shop. Shopping with gift cards is so much fun and I always buy things I wouldn't otherwise.

My husband make me racks to put my large cones of thread on. They hang on the wall next to my Long Arm. He also framed out peg boards to hang my rulers etc. Can't have enough peg boards. A large ironing surface is also very helpful if she does not already have one.

Then someone suggested dinner.....that would be awesome! When I'm on a roll I hate to stop working to make dinner.

Good Luck!

Have someone clean the house for her so that she can quilt all day without interruptions.

My husband is a great guy too!!! He has made me alot of things for the hobby/sewing room. Some are as simple as making a wooden foot pedal holder with carpet grip on the bottom to keep my pedal from running away when I'm sewing, he made me a wooden large spool holder that he used a antenna type to raise and lower to what machine I'm using. (he went to Harbour Freight and got the antenna type little mirror and took the mirror off). He made me wood with hooks to go on the inside of my cabinet doors for storage. He made me spool holders out of wood strips and dowel rods. took wood and dowel rods to hold my ribbon spools, made wooden plank and put hooks on it to hold different size rulers, made me a wall hanger for my ironing board,... Guess I'll stop, I'm sure I'm boring everyone, but hopefully maybe I gave you some ideas. I can say this " I've loved each and everything he has made me. Because I know he didn't have to, he did it because we love each other!" Have fun!

How about a quilting RV so that when you go on your fabric shopping trips you can stay in your own home, she can sew while you travel and you can spend lots of quiet time together wherever you stop to see the sights? Works for us!!

What a lucky lady.

Ur so sweet! Ty!

A small flat screen TV mounted on a wall so as not to take up table space.

A quilt rack to display a surprise antique quilt. (2 in one here!)

A copy of the coveted "A Quilter's Album of Patchwork Patterns" by Jinny Beyer.....cheapest at www.connectingthreads.com

Jan in VA

Chair -- its all in a comfortable workable chair with no arms -- and the office plastic that goes underneath it so you can roll and turn to the ironing board or cutting table with ease. You're a great guy ! Have fun deciding what to get or do for your wife !

If you think she'd be interested in designing and printing her own fabric, you could try a gift certificate to Spoonflower.com. My blog buddy, Cindi, likes to doodle, so I took some of her doodles and had them printed on fabric. She loved it.

http://www.seamstobeyouandme.com/wor...wer-christmas/

I want to say cook her dinner naked, but that might be too scandalous... It would be a surprise though!

No bacon!!!

I would think dinner and a trip to the fabric store.
yep sounds good to me.

Perhaps a specialty ruler and instruction book?e.g.Lazy angle ruler, X block or Renae's Ray- all have books with projects to utilise the rule.