What!? You don’t believe in Santa?! Shame on you! OK, let’s pretend for a minute you do believe in this guy

Mark Lipinski Santa

Besides asking Santa to come to our Quilt Festivals next year, here  are nine other things I recommend asking St. Nick for the holidays. (Just click on all the photos to take you to each product website.)

1. The Portable Gidget II Sewing Table by Arrow

The Gidget II is sturdy, has an adjustable, drop-down platform so your sewing machine is flush with the table top, stores easily, is relatively inexpensive, and requires no assembly. Here it is in action in my living room:

Pokey Gidget

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2. A suitcase of Auriful thread. This really requires no explanation:

Auriful

3. A Mack truck full of Marcia Derse fabric. Who could ever have enough of this stuff?

Marcia Derse fabrics

And Marcia’s fabric makes for fine home accents and upholstered furniture!

Louie Marcia Derse

One of Louie’s last photos, posing on a Marcia Derse-upholstered mini rocker.

4. A  stitch retreat with Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn

What is not to adore about these two?

And they are teaching in Puglia, Italy next May! I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind stitching poolside drinking chianti…

Puglia Italy.

5. A weekend trip to Art Cloth Studios in San Antonio with Jane Dunnewold. Talk about a playground!

Art Cloth Studios.

6. A new Bernina sewing machine! I saw this 750 series machine’s debut at Fall Quilt Market and was blown away by all it can do.

Bernina 750.

7. And heck, since we are asking for premium gifts, let’s ask Santa for a sit-down, mid-arm machine, too,  like HandiQuilter’s Sweet Sixteen. I have played on this machine and if you like to free-motion quilt mid-to-large-sized quilts, this is a dream.

Handiquilter

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8. Now on to stocking stuffers: All quilters need a set of reliable, sharp scissors, and I really love the rotary cutters and scissors by Havel’s. Always sharp, always reliable, and well priced:

Havels.

9. And no studio is complete without a studio pet. This little gal can fit into a stocking, too, although she would probably squirm a bit.

I am thinking of adopting her.

Nellie

“My little dog. A heartbeat at my feet.”–Edith Wharton