Handmade gift ideas

We had our mid-year raffle at our meeting last night which included some small handmade items. I had so many questions about where I found the patterns/tutorials for them, I thought I would put together a little round-up of some quick and easy handmade gifts. As most of us have a little extra fabric hanging around, you will need very little (if any) extra supplies to make the following items:

Your phone deserves a nice place to rest

Phone pillow - For those of you who like to watch tutorials (or Netflix) or listen to podcasts on your phone or tablet while you sew, this little pillow is great for keeping your screen in a visible position. Put it near an outlet and it also makes a great spot to charge your device, as well.
(The above link is a video tutorial, if you prefer a written tutorial, try this one instead)

Cozy tutorial by Melissa Loves Color

Mason jar cozy - 'Tis the season for warm drinks and an easy gift for the office gift exchange or your child's teacher is a mason jar and a Cuppow with a custom cozy (maybe throw in a Starbucks or David's Tea gift card as a little extra)! These work equally well in summer for your iced drinks.
(If you have a tapered cup/mug, you can use this tutorial to accommodate that curve.)

Punny gift tag optional

Microwave bowl cozy - Much like the jar/mug cozy, now is a great time to make a microwave bowl cozy that can go in the microwave with your bowl of soup or stew and keep you from burning your fingers or dropping your bowl when it comes out hot.
Bonus: these bowls can also be used on their own to wrangle keys, sewing notions, TV remotes and just about anything else you can think of.

A great gift for that 'pain in the neck'

Neck pillow - I swear by these pillows and have made many as gifts. I also keep one on the couch at all times for myself; they are perfect for resting tired neck muscles after too many hours hunched over a sewing machine, and also for lower back support to encourage good posture while sitting on the couch doing handwork!

Tutorial by Montreal's Closet Case Patterns

Beeswax food wraps - These eco-friendly food wraps are handy for keeping food fresh. They are washable and reusable, as well as extremely easy to make. Considering that a set of 3 sheets will run you around $20 in the store, this is a great way to turn a bit of cotton fabric (extra brownie points for organic cotton) and some beeswax (available online as well as at Bulk Barn and Marche Tau) into an impressive and useful gift. Plus they smell great!

From our autumn 2017 swap 

1-hour basket - The tried and true 1-hour basket is popular for a good reason... they are infinitely useful in just about every room of the house. They make a great gift just as-is, but they also make a great gift basket when filled with goodies.

Burly man to do the toting not included

Firewood tote - This tote is extremely simple to sew (sturdy canvas or denim is recommended) and makes a really useful gift for anyone who is stuck with the job of carting wood in from outside during the winter months.

Ahhhhhhh...

Heating pad or hand warmers - And after schlepping all that firewood inside, what better way to soothe tired muscles and/or warm those cold hands than with some scrappy hand warmers or a heating pad? A great stash buster, you simply fill them with rice for weight, moldability and heat retention and you can add things like essential oils, dried lavender flowers, herbs, or ground spices for a little aromatherapy to boot.

Channel your inner sewing goddess!

Wild Woman - These awesome little figures are by Incipient Madness and the pattern includes 6 different 'poses'. The fabric and bead combinations are almost endless, and if you're really in a hurry, there is even a Stuff and Go kit that cuts down on the making time even more!

If your significant other needs help filling your stocking or you're just looking for a little treat for yourself after all that gift sewing, don't forget Shannon Fraser's Holiday Gift Guide for quilters.

Beautiful and reusable

And finally, don't forget the eco-friendly and reusable fabric gift wrap!


This is by no means an exhaustive list, rather just some items I have had good experiences with gifting in the past. If you have a favorite item/pattern/tutorial, feel free to share it in the comments below!