Hi. My dearest friend is coming to stay with me next weekend. We only do this about once a year because of the distance between us, so that alone makes the visit special. This visit is especially exciting because I bought her a new very gently used Viking Husquvarna (sp?) Lily sewing machine and I'm going to surprise her! (She has been using a cheap problematic machine for years.) For months I've been trying to decide how to present it to her. I'm SOOOOO looking forward to seeing her face when she sees it. Any good ideas on how to give it to her? I truely agree that giving is more fun than receiving! :-D :idea: :?:

Aw, what a great friend you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would love to see her face too, she is going to be SO happy!

I would be tempted to find a small wall hanging kit and put it in the box(?) so your friend has a project she can start work on immediately. The machine itself deserves a big ribbon.

Maybe you could even give her the kit first and then surprise her with the be-ribboned machine when she says she didn't bring her old machine with her.

What a great and thoughtful friend you are :-)

If she will be staying in a spare room I would put in on the end table or even on the bed (light a piece of chocolate you find in some hotels).
Put a sign on it something to the effect of
"Sew glad you are here - Happy Quilting on your new machine!"

Add a small kit/project for her and you to work on together while she is there, or coupons for a shopping trip.

However you present it to her - enjoy your weekend!

I thought about making her a pincushion that looks something like a water lily and then giving it to her as a gift. After opening it, I could say "Oh, wait a minute. There is a second part to this lily present." Then I could bring it out.

Otherwise, I thought about setting it on my sewing table with a big wrapped box over it and then lifting off the box saying "Surprise!" I have the original packaging so I could just wrap it too.

Keep the ideas coming. I love them! You are all so creative.

What a lovely surprise for your friend. Add a small kit so she has something to work on to try out her new machine. Or you can make up some samples of pretty fabric for just testing out the stitches. Have fun.

You could wrap up a chain saw and say "wait - I think that's the wrong Husqvarna product" lol

What a giving friend you are! Keep a camera close by :)

Would love to be your friend, wow you're awesome!

You want to make sure you don't offend her (some people are sensitive to receiving large gifts). I'd let her know how much it means to YOU to have a friend like her and it would please YOU greatly if she accepted this gift as a token of that affection.