Gift Giving

With Christmas quickly approaching, it was time to turn my attention to a few things that I was going to make and give as gifts. I have found that my favorite gifts to give are homemade, BUT, homemade things are incredibly time consuming! Plan accordingly if you want to give homemade things!

Here are some quick projects though, that I was able to do in time for Christmas.

The first project I did was an apron for a co-worker. She found this fabric and thought it would make a good apron for a friend. She asked if I would make an apron for her, and I agreed. I have tons of apron patterns to get through, and this is a quick sew and great gift idea.

It was a simple pattern, with only a few pieces. I decided to make the pockets on it solid black. This was a great opportunity to use up some of my scrap fabric.

Sewing it all together…

Gathering it at the waist.

And finished apron! My co-worker plans on putting it in a gift basket with various hot sauces since the person receiving it loves spicy things. This was a project that was done in a day, and a great idea for a homemade gift.

The next quick sew project I did was this; I took one of my father-in-laws old button up shirts, and decided to make it into a dress for my niece. Technically, it’s not a Christmas present, but it is a quick sew that I did in December, so it counts!

My father-in-law passed away in 2015, and my niece was born in 2017. I felt like it would be a fun tribute to him that she could enjoy.

I laid the shirt out flat on my cutting table…

I laid one of her shirts on top of it, and traced around it, making sure to leave a seam allowance. The collar of the shirt would work as the collar of the dress.

Well, no turning back now! The sleeves weren’t even so I folded the shirt in half, and cut them to match. I cut the bottom of the shirt straight and hemmed it.

And here is the finished project! This was also done in an afternoon, so is something that you could do with either sentimental shirts, or second hand shirts.

Something that I make every year though is jelly or jam. I love to give little homemade goodies.

I also like to give homemade dish cloths with my jellies. I use yarn that is 100% cotton. Everyone seems to enjoy them, and they work really well!

This year I crocheted most of the dish cloths I made. In previous years I knitted them, because I didn’t know how to crochet.

During our time sheltering in place, I decided it was time to learn how to crochet. I knew the perfect teacher, my Mom. She loves to crochet and is amazing at it! We we’re staying away from each other, so she taught me how to crochet via Zoom.

It was a little difficult, but where there’s a will, there’s a way! And our time during the shelter in place months were well spent!

*and somehow I was smart enough to get a picture of my crochet lesson 🙂

In 2013 I had taken the opportunity to learn to knit. We were at a Superbowl party at my mother-in-laws house, and I knew I would be bored watching the game. I asked Grandma Joyce if she would teach me how to knit. She said she would, since the game was boring to her as well!

Grandma Joyce, who was born in England, told me that she learned to knit in elementary school. It was required! Here is a picture of that day, and Grandma Joyce showing me how it’s done.

This picture is also from that day. She made it look so easy! I was a fast learner though, and have now knitted many things.

The double crochet is a lot faster than a single crochet, or knitting, so it was my choice for this year. I’ll have to see how everyone likes the crocheted dish cloths vs the knitted ones.

If you can’t sew, make jelly, or crochet and knit, don’t be discouraged. Bake cookies, or a cake, or just write a thoughtful note or card. Just some quick ideas, but sometimes it’s the little things that mean the most.

For me the gifts in this post that meant the most weren’t given at Christmas, but at random times by my loved ones. Those are the gifts of themselves. Giving me their time, to pass on their knowledge, are the greatest gifts I could ever receive. Now I can pass on the gifts of their knowledge to others, or make things for others.

So if you get a homemade gift for Christmas this year, it is the person who gave it to you, giving you one of the best parts of themselves. And don’t be afraid to give away some of the best parts of yourself as well!

Merry Christmas!

As for me, onto the next!