Please help - need a present for MIL!

[radiobedhead]

Totally stumped, as is DH, who is usually brilliant with presents and he's bought everything else we need for everyone.

She's young (late 40s), she's arty and extremely creative, has an art degree. She loves recycling clothes, making jewellery and things and is very thrifty. Bit of a hippy, believes in alternative therapies etc. Very kind, lovely woman.

I always think about craft kits etc but she's beyond that. She's so good, she doesn't need an embroider by numbers thing.

So, any ideas please?! Budget circa £60 but we may have to throw money at the problem.

What about an arts pass?

Some lovely fabric and a pattern for a jacket or skirt perhaps?

I saw some great books out about upcycling and making your own clothes etc. in Waterstones recently. Sorry, I don't remember the titles but there was a decent section in our local.

Also have a look at the V&A shop online, they've got some great little unique pieces of jewellery and arty crafty gifts.

Another thing that springs to mind is a voucher for an aromatherapy massage or similar therapy. Or perhaps an aromatherapy oils kit/Neal's Yard gift set?

Wildcard suggestion - what about an organic, eco-type garden gift, something like this kind of thing.

She may get it already, but if not, what about a subscription to Selvedge? It's an arty magazine about textiles, I'd be delighted if someone bought it for me!

Also, whereabouts are you/is she? If she's in London, there are some great places to go on sewing or crafting courses. You could buy her a place on one, eg here. I'm in London, so I don't know about other places, but I'm sure there'd be somewhere local wherever you are.

Thank you! I will look into these properly when on a computer.

She's not in London but can get there fairly easily.

Does she need any specific tools for jewellery making? Maybe some beautiful beads or semi precious gemstones?
A frame or top quality paint brushes or case for art and craft supplies?

A beautiful scented candle? Jo Malone? Definitely a treat as wouldn't buy it herself?

Liberty fabric?
Some quality Fiskars fabric sheets
A rotary fabric cutter and rule/ cutting guide.
Dressmakers dummy? ( though not sure quite how expensive those are!)

Fabric shears !!!! not fabric sheets
Typo

Liberty do sewing sessions for non-beginners. I would love to go but I'm ham fisted and can barely thread a sewing machine!

A box to keep all the beads in? You know, with loads of tiny compartments and drawers. And maybe a gift card for one of the arts and craft shop?
If she does any sewing, she would probably appreciate a full set of different coloured threads and different sizes needles. Plus some sort of fabrics.

I got my mother in law a gorgeous necklace, a leaf covered in gold. Was about £30 iirc here is the seller here and her work seems very up your MILs alley

A paint effects workshop using, say Annie Sloan chalk paints, so she can upcycle furniture?

We bought dd THIS BOX OF THREADS

She loves having all the lovely colours readily available and says it looks like an artists palette .