Thanks, everyone, for your wonderful ideas. :thumbup:
I
really liked the idea of a quilt retreat, but looked and looked, and couldn't find one that I could afford to send both us us to. Someday.... :(
I liked the chatelaine / scissors idea, too, but wasn't sure if she already had these things. And, as lovely and useful as they are, they just didn't seem to have the same "weight" as it were of nearly 50 yards of fabric.
I ended up ordering a 24 x 24 Sew Steady table for her, with her husband's help to know the make/model of her machine. ($79 at
http://www.allbrands.com/; free shipping, too!) As I said, I've used one for years and really liked it, so I'm pretty sure she will, too.
Thanks again -- you've all been a great help!