This holiday season, if you’re looking to treat the sewer, maker, or quilter in your life, check out this list of our favorite, stocking-sized, sewing tools & notions! Everything on this list is a staff favorite – incredibly useful, durable, and sure to be highly appreciated by anyone who sews!
1. A new pair of Kai Scissors (or a whole set!)
Comfortable, long-lasting, and – most importantly – sharp, Kai Scissors are a dream to work with! Kate’s favorites are the 5.5″ Embroidery Scissors. She says they’re the perfect ‘pinch hitter’. Medium sized with a sharp tip that snips all the way to the end. They fit in your hand well and work great for trimming threads, cutting around corners, grading seams, and more!
Cost: Ranges from $15 to $60
Shop our entire collection of Kai Scissors here!
2. Zirkel Magnetic Pin Holder
When it comes to magnetic pincushions (and really pincushions in general!) Zirkels are the crème de la crème!
Zirkels repel pins to the outer edges in a sunburst pattern, making it easy to grab them without sticking yourself. Arlo LOVES throwing pins at their Zirkel and watching them stick in place – handy & entertaining!
(And don’t worry, the strong magnet in the Zirkel will not interfere with computerized sewing machines.)
Cost: $22
Shop our colorful selection of Zirkels here!
3. MyPad Needle Organizer
MyPad is a felted pad with designated sections for all types of machine needles! This pad is especially useful for those who are constantly changing the type of sewing that they’re doing.
Elizabeth is always working on different projects for us in the shop, and she likes that, with this pad, there’s no need to fiddle with a tiny needle case, or to read the teensy lettering on the end of the needle. Just stick your needle in its designated area, and voila!
Cost: $14.50
Shop this nifty MyPad here!
4. The Merchant and Mills Box of Five Pins
This handsome carton from Merchant and Mills contains the right pin for every task. Brooke – our resident historical hand-sewer – loves the versatility of this set.
It contains:
- Dressmaking Pins. Made to last, these traditional 1.25″ pins work great on fabrics with a slightly looser weave like linen, denim, or quilting cotton!
- Entomology Pins. On the longer side, these sharp, 1.5″ pins were originally designed to display delicate butterflies & insects in museums! So it only makes sense that they work wonderfully for finely woven silks, lawns, and etc.
- Glass Headed Pins. At around an 1″ long these sturdy pins can be used for all kinds of things. They’re especially useful for projects which require a lot of pressing because their easy to grasp and the glass heads won’t melt when touched by a hot iron.
- Bulb Pins and Safety Pins. Eternally helpful, it never hurts to have these different sized safety pins on hand!
Cost: $32.97
Shop the Box of Five Pins here!
5. Kai Seam Remover
The Kai Seam Remover is sort of the maverick of seam rippers. While a traditional seam ripper is great for delicately picking apart one stitch at a time, the Kai Seam Remover can separate an entire seam with ease! They’re also ideal for cutting away errant threads. This seam remover is Maisie’s go-to for long, straight seam ripping. (It’s very satisfying!)
Cost: $6
Shop the Kai Seam Remover here!
6. Wonder Clips
These really are WONDER clips! A useful alternative to pins, each clip opens wide and has the ability to hold many layers of dense fabric in place. Kate likes how they’re flat on one side for easy feeding to the presser foot, and she love using them when binding quilts and inserting bag zippers! They come in all kinds of colors and we carry them in pack sizes of 10, 20, and 50!
Cost: $7 – $34.96
Shop all Wonder Clips here!
7. Kylie and the Machine Woven Labels
Arlo’s favorite part of the whole sewing process is adding personalized finishing touches, and Kylie and the Machine’s unique woven labels certainly add that special something! Quippy and cute with phrases to suit any sewing outcome, we now sell all of these labels individually so you can mix and match! Some of our favorites include: ‘Worth the Effort’, ‘Me Made’ and ‘Grandma Made It’.
Cost: $1.50 per label
Browse our selection of Kylie and the Machine Woven Labels here!
This year, Kylie and the Machine is also offering label BAUBLES!!! Each bauble is beautifully packaged in its own shiny gift box and includes a curated collection of limited-edition Kylie and the Machine creations. At just under 3″, it is the perfect size to slip in a stocking, hang on the tree, or tuck inside a gift!
Cost: $26
Shop Kylie and the Machine baubles here.
8. Bobbin Saver
Bobbin Savers – the only wheel worth reinventing!
Each simple rubber ring holds up to 20 bobbins and keeps them from unwinding. No more losing track of your bobbins – keep them all in the same secure place! In the Confident Stitch classroom where people are constantly switching projects (and thus constantly switching threads) Bobbin Savers are a life-saver! They come in several different colors and three different sizes.
Cost: $9.50 – $11.00
Shop the Bobbin Savers here!
9. The Binding Tool
After doing the hard work of making an entire quilt, who wants to waste time struggling to attach a fiddly binding?? Not us! Kate wrote a whole blog post explaining why she loves The Binding Tool and how easy it is to use. An absolute must-have for quilters everywhere!
Cost: $11
Shop The Binding Tool here!
10. Oh Sew! Organized Stash n Store
Available in a few colors, the Stash n Store is the perfect device to keep your sewing and crafting notions within arm’s reach and ready to go!
For Maisie, who lives and sews in a small space, the Stash n Store makes staying organized way easier. She keeps one right next to her sewing machine and loves how the stretchy, geometric interior of this device can accommodate all manner of tools.
Cost: $11.48
Shop our selection of Stash n Stores here!
11. A Confident Stitch Gift Card!
Sometimes, a gift card really is the best choice. Give the fabric fanatic in your life the gift of choosing exactly what they’d like!
Cost: Up to you!
To purchase a digital gift card which can be used on our website, click here! (You can even schedule the date that it’s emailed, so it will feel like Santa himself delivered it!)
If you’re a Montana local (or purchasing a gift card for a local), come on in or give us a call at 406-540-4068 and we’ll help you purchase an in-store gift card!
Don’t forget that from December 1st to December 24th, 2023, gift cards are 15% off. Just apply the coupon code GIFTCARD15 when checking out!
