• 17 Dec

    Handmade Christmas Gifts

    Posted under News

    Hi friends! Dropping in today with another handful of handmade Christmas gift ideas. They are all relatively quick and easy, one is even no sew!

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    First up are these cute mini ornaments for the crafter/fabric obsessed in your life. Using left over pieces of cardboard, an old wooden spool, and some green twine and toothpicks, I rigged up these quick crafty ornaments. A dab of hot glue here and there made this project a 10 minute job!

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    This next ornament was finished in about 30 minutes. I traced an envelope onto a piece of linen and cut it out, interfaced a piece of colorful fabric for the inside of the envelope, and machine-stitched the address with my straight stitch. Then I fussy cut a few stamps to add to the top. The envelope is secured in the back with a bit of fusible webbing, but the top is left open so you can see the fabric peeking out if you flip it over. I attached a small eyelet in the corner for easy hanging.

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    (fabric is Into the Woods by Lella Boutique for Moda)

    Next up is a project for anyone needing a bit of warmth in their lives. These heat packs are filled with organic rice or wheat berries. The wheat berries are a bit larger and are nice for muscle tension because of the extra bit of weight. I traced around a travel neck pillow I had lying around and made a quick template for the neck-sized warmers. I added about 6 cups of rice/ wheat berries, using a funnel and sewing gussets in each side to keep the rice and wheat evenly distributed. One 1/2 yard of fabric will yielded one neck pillow and the larger rectangle warmer.

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    (fabric is by Parson Gray for Free Spirit and Architextures by Carolyn Friedlander for Robert Kaufman)

    Here is a gift idea for the men in your life. I followed the boxy pouch tutorial on the Pink Stitches blog . There are so many great graphic fabric choices out there within the last several years, making fabric selection really easy. I’m hoping this bag will make a nice addition to my husbands pipe collection. He’s always looking for another place to store his tobacco and lighter accessories.
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    (fabric is Simply Style by V and Co for Moda)

    I tried my hand at sewing with some laminated cotton and ended up with these two bags. The larger bag on the bottom was just a “make it up as you go” bag following basic zipper pouch construction. I made it extra large for a variety of purposes. This one would be nice to slip your iPad in if you are traveling anywhere moisture might be a concern. It will also work great as a gift for new moms as this size is an indispensable addition to a diaper bag to store wet/dirty baby clothes or cloth diapers in. And you can toss the bag in the wash with the rest of the laundry! I also tried it out with some of my knitting and a set of needles and I thought it would make a nice project bag.

    The pouch on the top is Noodlehead’s Open Wide Pouch  in the medium size. I think this one would make a nice make up bag or carry-all pouch to place inside a larger bag. The laminated exterior means it won’t be as vulnerable to that random piece of sticky gum that always seems to be hanging out in the bottom of your bag. I’m hoping this will be much more durable than the average zipper pouch!

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    (fabric is Miss Kate by Bonnie and Camille for Moda and Handcrafted by Allison Glass for Andover)

    For the quilter/hand sewer in your life, I made these quick hexagon needle books in about 15 minutes! Just cut four hexagons in a quilting weight fabric. Cut one small piece of hook and loop or Velcro and sew it to the right side of one of the hexagons. Match up and sew two hexagons right sides together, leaving a small opening for turning. I top stitched the openings on one closed but left the top hexagon open so that I could sneak the strap inside the opening. Cut some felt hexagons for the pages and assemble a long strap… I cut mine the WOF and then trimmed it down based on where I wanted the needle book to rest while around my neck, then folded it in toward the center twice with the wrong sides together and top stitched the strap closed. Making sure the piece of hook and loop closure is facing the inside of the book, I layered the book with the cotton hexagon, two felt pages, and the other cotton hexagon with the strap tucked inside the opening. Sew all the layers together at one corner.

    I hot glued the other piece of hook and loop to the back of an embroidery bobbin so that I could attach that to my needle book and keep my thread handy when binding a quilt or hand sewing.

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    The other page has a small piece of ribbon or cotton so that I can store my Clover Wonder clips inside (I can even slip my scissors through the cotton ribbon to keep nearby). The top page holds my needles. All set for binding and no worries about loosing needles in the couch or misplacing my spool of thread! Oh wait, these were supposed to be gifts for my quilter friends… I guess they won’t have to worry about that anymore. I still need to make one for myself:)

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    (fabric is Miss Kate and April Showers by Bonnie and Camille for Moda)

    This next gift is one I made for my kids. Following the tutorial by Missouri Star Quilt Company, I made new pillowcases. One of our Christmas Eve traditions is that my kids get a new set of pajamas and a new pillowcase. We also give them new slippers and a Christmas movie they get to stay up and watch before bed. Surprisingly, of all the gifts my kids have received, the pillowcases and pajamas are the ones they remember and talk about all year long!

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    And finally, I made this stocking using Lella Boutique’s Twinkle Toes pattern, which is available in the shop along with all the fabric and trim needed to make this project. I used an assortment of Christmas prints and knocked this out in under an hour! I thought it would be a cute hostess gift to fill a stocking with a bottle of wine or cider or some fun little treats.

    There you have it! There is still time to whip up a handmade Christmas for friends and family! Be sure to stop by the Pink Door shop if you need to pick up any supplies.

    Have a lovely holiday! Can’t wait to check in with you all in the new year; lots of exciting new fabric lines coming out and I’m hoping I can even sew with a few of them and not just stash as I’ve been doing since our baby was born.

    Blog Sig_Jamie

     

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    Comments on this post

    1. Leslie in MN says:

      These are some great ideas, Jamie. I love the hexie needle cases. They are small and easy to carry with you or wear around your neck. Thanks for the tutorials.

      1. Andrea says:

        What a great set of gift ideas! Lovely job!