This time of year my mind turns to the idea of making holiday gifts for friends and family. I always have more ideas than what I actually have time for, but I do have a few hand made gifts in the works this year (more on those as they get finished!).
To get your creative juices flowing I will be doing a series of posts with lots of ideas for gifts to make and give. This first one will focus on gifts that are sewn. Most of these are ideas and images I have gathered from around the web. Let’s get started!
Zippered Pouch
This cute little zippered pouch can be a gift on it’s own or be used to hold a gift card, special lotion, or other small gift. Made by Skip to my Lou, click here for the pattern and a tutorial.
Tote Bag
Tote bags are a fun and practical gift. Make one to match the zippered pouch or showcase a cute fabric. The tutorial for this bag can be found here at Skip to my Lou.
Shoe Bags
Shoe bags are another useful gift. I made these ones for my husband several years ago and he uses them every time he travels. They were made using a heavyweight flannel, shoe strings, and plastic toggles. I don’t remember which pattern I used (if any), but here are a couple good tutorials: Shoe Bag Tutorial and Martha’s Velvet Shoe Bags.
Felt Ornaments
From The Purl Bee, these adorable felt ornaments don’t require a sewing machine. I can see them in a rainbow of beautiful colors! Use them to decorate your gifts this year! Click here for instructions.
Embellished Dish Towels
Made by Aesthetic Nest, these dish towels are another simple way to give a personalized gift. Buy some plain white dish towels and sew on rick rack in your loved one’s favorite colors. See how to make them here.
Pajamas
If you have a little more time, pajamas are always a nice gift to make and receive. For men’s pajama pants I highly recommend Kwik Sew 2257, which I made last year. For women, Kwik Sew 2811 is a great pattern for classic pajamas. Both of these patterns produce very professional results. You really can’t go wrong with Kwik Sew for children’s pajamas too!
What gifts are you making this year?
Edited 12/7/2011 – to make it more clear that most of the items pictured were not made by me. 🙂
From Scratch 
How beautiful! You really are very creative and talented!
Thanks! Although most of these are ideas I have gathered from around the Internet. I have updated my post to make that more clear!
These are great, Karen! I especially like the felt ornaments. You keep tempting me to get creative. Smile. I still haven’t tried that brussel sprouts recipe, but everytime I see them in the store or hear someone mention them, I am reminded…….
What a great round-up of handmade gifts! Those shoe bags you made for your husband are a perfect gift. Every time I travel and grab a few plastic grocery bags to wrap my shoes in I think that it would be nice to have real shoe bags. I usually make at least one handmade item each year, but this year it might be baked goods because I am running out of time.
Cool so cool make more and sell them