What would you put in a sewing basket gift for an 8 yo?

[Mihelinka]

I'd like to give my niece a sewing basket for her birthday. She will be 8 yo. I know she does embroidery now, not sure how much sewing she has done.
What would you give?
Any books?(she can read at the high school level)
TIA

[PreciousTreasures]

A beautiful needle book, pin cushion, and scissor fob or scissor case. A collection of thread spools, some nice scissors, a measuring tape, needles and pins. I like the Mary Frances books. I believe there's a sewing one but they're a little old fashioned. If she wouldn't like that then go with something more modern. Maybe a stitch dictionary? Or a few simple patterns to start her out? And a gift card to a fabric store.
It could all go in a really nice basket as well.

[Mihelinka]

Great ideas thanks:

[Lazy Gardens]

I got a sewing basket from my grandmother when I was about that age. I still have it, and most of the tools.

It had:
A pair of REAL sewing shears (I still use them)
A pair of pinking shears (ditto)
A sock darning gadget from her grandmother (I gave it to a niece in her sewing basket ... she'll give it to her daughter)
A couple of thimbles in child and grownup sizes
Several packs of needles in different sizes
Thread in black, white, grey and some primary colors for mending and buttons
Embroidery scissors (I still use them) and a selection of embroidery threads
A seam gauge
A seam ripper
A book on sewing - don't remember the name of it - with lots of pictures

Most important ... it also came with a huge bag of scraps of cloth of all kinds so I could use the tools.

[reeseccup]

All the above, especially LazyGardens. If she really loves doing embroidery, perhaps a book on embroidery stitches and some good fabric like a nice linen or such. Also perhaps some quilting supplies with a book on how to do that.

My dd likes to just take scrap fabric and create things, some have been quite nice. So perhaps a book on hand sewing stitches and how to's.

[Magelet]

Yes, all of the things above. I'd also consider getting her a rotary cutter, cutting mat, and ruler for quilting, if you think she might be interested in quilting.

Make sure to get quality sewing shears, because a good pair will last her her entire life. (ditto with a rotary cutter).

If she makes things with patterns (like clothes), which she might need a parent's help for somewhat, tailors chalk.

measuring tape.

maybe some buttons?

I'd wrap the gift in a large piece of quality linen or cotton, and add lots of fun colorful fabrics. Fabrics I loved as an 8 year old include: velvet, crepe, satin (lots of satin lol), fun princessy fabrics like that, and also fabrics that expressed my interests: prints of dolphins, ballet, books....

[AngelBee]

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[griffin2004]

Originally Posted by Mihelinka

I'd like to give my niece a sewing basket for her birthday.

What a lovely gift! I remember when my mom gave me a sewing basket. It was a huge rite of passage for us.

If she likes to embroider, maybe an assortment of flosses, some floss organizing envelopes, and different sized hoops? Also, it's easy to find vintage stitchery books in used book stores. Those might be fun for her.