Quilt Gift Ideas
 

Need some ideas for our Quilt guild Christmas party gift swap/exchange. $10-15 limit.

Skip the exchange and donate items to a food shelf or give a cash donation to a food shelf or toys for tots or some charitable organization.

I do admit to "having a thing" about gift exchanges. I actively dislike them.

However, I do not know your group dynamics, so am not going to offer any further suggestions.

Bear, you made me laugh, but I totally agree. One reason that I don't go to my guild's holiday party is because I don't like the gift exchange. To me it seems like everyone is paying around $25 to give someone they probably don't know a gift that they won't enjoy anyway. And to top it all off, they go one further and do the dirty Santa exchange, where you can reject a gift and choose one that someone else received instead. Now isn't that both rude (rejecting the first gift) and mean spirited (stealing one from someone else)? The other reason I don't go is that it's a potluck. I enjoy potlucks with a few friends, but I don't like big potlucks. Too many people get sick from them.

However, I do have a suggestion for Anne. Every quilter can use seam rippers. You can buy several regular ones, or one fancy one, and it's sure to be appreciated.

Lint rollers for fuzz, pet hair, thread clips etc are always needed. Color catchers for washing new fabric. As Dunster suggested, a fancy seam ripper would make the task more fun! Mine are all plastic and work well, but... I admire the fancy ones I see at quilt shows.
Enjoy your gift exchange and you may wish to suggest members bring can goods for a local food pantry as well.
Our guild has brought toys in gift bags for the local shelter for women and children at our annual Christmas party.

Who doesn't appreciate a new pair of scissors? Lots of choices. Also, loving my new gadget for cutting after string piecing.

I am in the camp of don't like gift exchanges. I skip my group's annual holiday party for that reason and because of the food planning. I don't need any gift the very nice women would make/buy and we have a finger licker in the group. I would rather give to a food bank, which I do regularly anyway.

After seeing some of the suggestions, I came up with a list of some ideas of things-

Best press, rotary cutting blades, that purple Thang, Wonder Clips. Spool of neutral " premium" thread ( don't know brands ) ,
small quiltng rulerv- I love my 4x8 one with the 1 / 8 grid), small cutting mats - I used to do my trimming in front of the tv- .

Candy, disposablev hand wipesc- good hand lotion or creams - unscented or with a light fragrance - water bottle -

Maybe start with thinking about items you would like to receive?

Things I would prefer to not get: scented candles, fabric, books, ornaments,, off- brand tools/ notions, mugs/cups, .

Because I have had a long time to accumulate "stuff" - I have gotten a lot more selective about what I might need or want.

So, I missed it. what's your new gadget for string piecing?

bkay

I can donate to a food bank or charity anytime. so I think a gift exchange is a token of good spirit for a group. We have a bring one take one exchange and encourage handmade items. Any member can precipitate or not, their choice.

Thank you for your suggestions. I am new to the area and thought joining a quilt guild would help me make some new friends. I am looking forward to the gift exchange and potluck dinner.

I can't find a pic of my thread cutter tool, but here's one from amazon.

If new to the group, probably better to go with the flow.

Like bka, I'd like to see your gadget for string piecing too! Never heard about that tool and I hate cutting those strings especially when I cut into the fabric.

I know my guild has a gift exchange every year for Christmas. I keep a watch all year for great bargain buys. This way I can get items that cost twice as much as the limit and only spend the limit. This year I have two quilt gift exchanges, $20 limit for bought items no limit on handmade items. I bought the gifts last spring on flash sales. One is set of Aurifil neutral thread kit of 3 big spools of 50 wt cotton. One is the large Omnigrid ruler holder in aqua color. I got both gifts with free shipping too. One was $14.99 and one was $16.99. Lowest i've seen those items since.

I don't have a picture of mine, but it's very simple - a cheap seam ripper, a small block of wood with a hole in it the diameter of the stem of the seam ripper.
I stand the seam ripper in the hole, take the cap off and use it to snip/cut the thread just like the more expensive type that uses an old rotary cutting blade. It's not as "safe" so I am very careful not to leave it with the cap off. I do not have little ones or pets that I need to worry about.
It's very portable and my hubby has made little blocks for my friends so they can make their own version. My block is about inch thick, and about 2 inches square.

I bought one of these organizers for myself. My husband took it, so I bought another one. He absconded with that one, too. So I bought another one and told him he could not have it!


https://www.joann.com/7in-x-5in-gray.../18105676.html

Since Covid, the meal portion of our holiday gathering is no longer done. The program committee prepares a treat of some sort that can be individually packaged for serving. While that doesn't guarantee no contamination, I guess it at least cuts down the chances. I miss the meal.

The gift exchange is optional for those who wish to play along. I do not. Many of the items here would be welcome - a small bottle of Best Press, a seam ripper, etc. But ours is to be a homemade item! Who has time for that this time of year? And although it is always stressed that it could be a jar of jam or a loaf of banana bread, each year the gifts are elaborate table toppers or tote bags. No. Just... No. (Although I did once give a bottle of homemade vanilla extract, which I make for myself anyhow - but next to the other gifts, it seemed tiny.)

We also bring gifts for a local charity - in the past, it's been a women's shelter, senior citizen complex, Toys for Tots, etc. Those are collected in October and November.

Our Guild has a potluck plus gift exchange. The gift exchange is optional, many of our members are on a tight budget and do not participate. The cost of food plus a gift is expensive, I like the idea of everyone making a gift.

We are having potluck for our guild Christmas party along with a few activities. I would prefer to not even have a meeting in Dec. No one seems to understand the amount of time that goes into planning the Christmas expected event for a large group except the ones doing the work.

My new sewing group is going to have only 2 meetings in December. They will have an additional (or maybe 1 of the 2) as a coffee shop meeting. Helps that at max there are only like 10-12, usual group is more like 6.

I really enjoy having a group to go to, and for me the "holiday" season isn't a very big time/stress commitment. Especially now with no driving or family events. Even before the move with family events we are in a big gap period with no weddings or babies or such things, we mostly go potluck style and my house was too small for comfortable entertaining. Is one of the reasons the Bonnie Hunter mystery works for me, is a good time to stay in with a project. Maybe next year I will know more people and have more furniture and can invite people over.

But, trying to say this nicely, the sewing group people aren't friends (yet) and probably won't be. They are just people with a single shared interest kind enough to let me in (and I appreciate that!). With a large guild I might have more chances at having friends with more commonality. While I enjoy the group, I'm thinking of skipping the coffee social and not intrude where I have little in common especially since they all know and talk about other people but have little interest in me talking about people they don't know...

Anyway, for gift exchanges I'm a fan of fancy socks. I did a search on "sewing themed socks" on Amazon -- some of which were not very quilting related or appropriate for giving to random people but made me laugh.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sewing+th...ocks+for+women

I thought the socks were cute to look at - but at the prices they were asking - I would leave them where they were.

[QUOTE=cathyvv;8624502]I bought one of these organizers for myself. My husband took it, so I bought another one. He absconded with that one, too. So I bought another one and told him he could not have it!


https://www.joann.com/7in-x-5in-gray.../18105676.html[/QUOTE

Looks like a much better than average organizer. I would like one of those. Ii could see it being useful in many areas.

I redundantly reiterate the idea of everyone pooling some $$ and donating to a group of children or veterans etc who could use it. Seems like if we are grasping at straws to figure out a gift idea for people who can buy their own gizmos then that money could be used for a greater purpose.

Why not do both Alyce? Definitely give to veterans' and children's groups, and also buy a "happy" for the guild exchange.

didn't seem an option on forum.

. My husband and I support three charities generously and I don't give money in lieu of something else. A group deserves a little take, not all give give give. I like gift exchanges but not the meal stuff. I suggested having a gift exchange in Nov meeting to celebrate everyone's birthday. Have a nice decorated cake and drinks. Do away with the Dec meeting. It will come up to a vote for next year. Seems many like that idea.

[QUOTE=bearisgray;8624608]Bear,

It clears up real estate near my long arm. Since I'm teaching my 21 year old Autistic grandson. to use long arm (computerized), I felt a need to be more organized. Turns out he's motivated by money, so is actually interested. I hesitated to ask him to learn to use the long arm, then realized the worst he could do was say no.

I am very proud of him!

I like the gift exchanges and potluck. Parties and meeting people is fun. I got black pepper allergy so I don't eat anything at a potluck but I like contributing. Whatever the rules are with the exchange as long as they are being followed I am fine. I like giving something that people like and my expectations on the receiving side are pretty low. Some of the ideas of making a quality home made item, Best Press, quality fabrics (tone on tone), seem like fun ideas. We have a food bank at church and there are many wonderful causes quilters generously donate to. It is OK to have a party and have fun.

I like the idea of the gift exchange being optional. Some like others don't. I used to love potluck but these days so many people have food issues including me. If I go and am selective or don't eat the food some people question and try to push food on me can't have. Some people accept and just move on.

I rarely eat anything at potlucks. A few things I will eat because I know who made it. The rest I put portions on my plate and say oh this looks good and this smells amazing. I talk and visit so no one notices what I eat or don't eat. My plate looks full but its never eaten. Learned how to eat without eating at potlucks from my grandmother's ladies group at church. I should write a book about that group and what I learned going to all the 'things' they got involved in. I lived with my grandmother and she took me to all her doings. LOL

One of the things that has annoyed me (way beyond annoyed - but that language is not allowed here) about the potlucks I have gone to - the people that put a mountain of food on their plate - and then discard it -

And if one is one of the last tables to get in line - one is lucky if there is pickle juice left and scrapings from the casserole dishes.

I see no reason to take more than a dab of food that one is unsure of - and to not take any if one is sure one is not going to eat it.

Run out of food at a potluck? Not in the south. I've never been to a potluck where there wasn't a lot of food left over. People are begging others to take as much as they wanted home. People scrape the food in the bin to get their pot washed to take home. A small casserole is rarely seen, it is two lasagna dishes full of it. And you never ever not return a potluck dish to the rightful owner. You will always be the person who kept Mildred's dish. LOL

I think it is more about spending a fun time with the girls than what you bring. I would perhaps but a set of assorted cotton threads in a nice box and call it good.

We went to three or four Park potlucks - and decided that if we were the last table called, we may as well go somewhere else to eat. The pickings were slim if you were sitting at the last table called. There were a few people that would bring something like a small can of baked beans - not doctored up - eat two large plates of food - and take two plates home "for later" - all before everyone had a chance at one round at the table.

However, if it was a group of friends getting together, there usually was more than enough food and people were willing to share leftovers.

I don't know what a park potluck is. I am assuming food in a park setting like a community event?

We go to an RV Park every winter.

A "park potluck" is when a potluck or "dinner" is scheduled to be held in the recreation hall. People are supposed to sign up ahead of time. Once in a while, the past owners would do something like provide ham or turkey for Christmas or Thanksgiving, and then the attendees were expected to bring the rest of the food.

So, the residents bring something to the meal - and the people are seated at tables - each table is assigned a number -
then a drawing is held to see which table goes first, second, etc.

Once in a while there are leftovers, but all the "good stuff" is usually gone by the time that the second of eight to ten tables has had the chance to get in line.