If you’re thinking of making gifts for your loved ones this year, good thinkin’! If you’re new to making gifts we have all sorts of easy and fun ideas for you.

You may have noticed in the store lately we’ve been offering up these super cute little bundles of “fat quarters.” They are quarter yards of fabric that are cut 18″ x 22″ and we stack four to eight of them together in fun, wacky, classy, subtle, and bold combinations. Where am I going with this rambling, you ask? I was noticing the other night that they are a great size for cloth napkins. Such a quick easy gift and one that you can feel good about giving because it’s eco-friendly, usable, does not involve dusting (always a plus) and you don’t have to worry if they’re going to fit the recipient. We have tons of fat quarters made up, and are constantly working to keep up with the demand. Take a look when you’re in, you can pick out single ones or a bundle, or just buy yardage and make your own.

One of our staff members has been teaching a class on handmade gift tags and cards. She has a couple of samples (they are so darn adorable) up on the wall behind the counter. What a great gift–you can make a whole set of them to give as the gift itself, or use the tags on your gifts. Fabulous! The other great thing about this project is that you can use up the teeniest of teeny scraps that you’ve been hanging on to.

Another idea is also from a past class and current pattern we have–a felt banner. Whether you’re making one for your own home to bump up the decorative factor, or to give as a gift, they are so cheery. We have a happy birthday sample and a darling “grow” sample by our register. The pattern comes with stencils for circles and letters–upper and lower case. We have lots of felt, it’s not expensive and they really are a show stopper. These would be great for kids’ rooms with their name, or a sweet message of some sort. Change the colors, message or use some fabric and it would have a completely different look and could be for your bedroom. The possibilities are pretty much endless!

A few other quick and easy ideas–pot holders, embroidered dish towels, embroidered anything–you can even keep the project framed in the hoop for the recipient to hang upon their wall, pillow cases, a sock monkey or other stuffed thing, a super soft, super simple knit bamboo / soy scarf…so many ideas! Enjoy your gift making!

ALICIA PAULSON BOOK SIGNING!!

That’s right folks, local author and all-around talented gal, Alicia Paulson will be doing a book signing at Bolt with her newly released Stitched in Time. The event will be Thursday, December 11th from 7 to 8:30. Come meet Alicia, say hello, get your book signed, see projects from the book in person and enjoy some refreshments. It will be an all around good time! We currently have Stitched in Time in stock, so come pick up your copy. It will make a wonderful gift too. See you there!

Other holiday time details: wish lists, gift certificates, and gifts to get

Many of you already know about our “frequent buyer” program and have a little card with us. We would like to extend an invitation for you all to use those cards as your personal wish list. If there is something in the store for which you are wishing let us know, we can write it on your card, your loved ones can come in, ask to see what’s on there and shop accordingly. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the frequent buyer program the basic idea is that it’s a punch card, but we hang onto it for you. If you don’t have a card with us, but would like to set up a wish list card let us know and we’ll get it done!

For those of you looking for non-handmade gift ideas for the crafter/ seamstress/ tailor/ sewer in your life we’ve got those too. Gift certificates are always nice, we are happy to hold them at the store, mail them out, or sell them to you in person. (We can process a credit card over the phone for all of you outside of the Portland area.) The certificates can be used for classes, if you’re wondering. Other great things include a starting sewing kit for the new sew-er in your life with scissors, tape measure, seam ripper, some thread, needles…a lovely pair of Gingher shears–pinking or straight, oh such a nice gift, some fat quarter bundles, a jar o’ fun, we’ve got some really nice cards and stationary–some designed by Amy Butler, some embroidered cards, some nifty little note pads.

We have books galore! Even a few by local authors (see note above). So many great books are coming out on sewing now. It’s really exciting to see. Next time you’re in peruse the ol’ bookshelf and see what I’m talking about. There are books on stuffed animals, baby gifts, potholders and aprons, clothes, cool home dec projects, quilts, ribbony-things, bags, hats…so many books! We try to carry a wide selection of titles which means there are only a few copies of each. If there’s something you saw and would like, tell us and we’ll see about getting it ordered right away!

Whew! Hopefully those of you wanting a little help with gift ideas feel helped. The other thing to keep in mind is that there are tons of really great talented folks here in town putting on various sales. Keep your eyes open for flyers and such. One very large sale of handmade goodies is the Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale on December 14th. You can find out more at their site.

Other miscellany

We continue to have new things arrive on a regular basis. We currently have some corduroys, canvas and solid cottons to be delivered soon. A whole slew of Japanese imports are on their way too. Oh, and how could I forget?! We have some great new pattern lines in the store now. We’ve started to carry Hot Patterns (women’s clothing and bags) and Portabello Pixie patterns (kids clothing), and have expanded our selection of Jalie Patterns (adult and kids clothing–lots for knits). We hope you will try out these new patterns and be sure to let us know what you think when you’re done. We appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Classes–ah yes, classes. We will continue to offer classes next year, don’t despair. We will take a break though, so you won’t hear much about classes until mid-January or so. We have a whole team of teachers gearing up for our big, bad ‘09 schedule.  We send out the class list to people on our mailing list first, then post it to the website.  If you’d like to sign up for our e-mails there is a link on the “contact” page.

Holiday Schedule and end of the year thanks!

We will be taking a little break to spend time with our families over the holidays. The store will be closed 12/22 through 12/26. We will resume our regular hours Saturday, 12/27. The store will also be closed for New Years on January 1st.

Thank you all very much for your continued support. It has been a wonderful three years and we look forward to many more!  A very happy holiday season to all of you.