I realized not too long ago, that for the past I-don’t-know-how-many-years, I have given homemade gifts for Christmas. One year, it was a painting, another year I made felt floral wreaths, another year I made a linoleum print. When you are crafty, I think you probably are more inclined to MAKE gifts instead of BUY gifts.

So here’s a homemade gift giving guide with some different projects:

Airstream Pillow – these patterns are 18″, and work PERFECTLY with pillow forms. I am fond of giving pillows as gifts – they generally don’t take too long to make, and they go just about anywhere.

Flamingo Pillow – here is another 18″ block that will work with an 18″ pillow form. Flamingos and vintage trailers go together like PB &J!

National Park Pillow – put a few blocks together and give mom (or yourself) a MOMento from her (your) favorite National Parks! If you have an embroidery machine, put the names of the parks you’ve used in the pillow…or hand embroider the sites…or skip the park sign block all together! This is a great way to show off some memories you’ve had together! Pillows are such an easy way to decorate a space, and make a meaningful gift that is not too large to tackle.

Here are some more ideas by Fiona Sandwich quilters:

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For the pillow to the left, I sewed 4 blocks together, then made a 3/4″ (finished) border. Then I added a 3.5″ border. (In hind sight, I should have made a 20″ pillowcase instead of an 18″ pillowcase. I like my pillows to be puffy, but I don’t like that it ends up pulling in the middle.) I made a simple pocket casing on the back to finish the pillow, but a zipper would work as well!! This pattern includes 2 other pillow styles, as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Park Pot Holder – Mom might think these pot holders are ‘too pretty to use’, but she’ll love them anyhow! This is an easy project to make. I used a 4.5″ block with a 2″ border. Then 2 layers of denim, your favorite binding method…and voila! The prettiest pot holder!

Here are some pot holders made by Lori.

Travel Design Board/Project Mat – If you know someone who likes to travel, and EPP, this is a great project to make! I designed it to fit the 4.5″ blocks, which fits perfectly in the lap, but you could easily adjust the measurements to whatever size you’d like!

Travel sewing bag – If you have a friend who likes to take handwork with her, this is such a great gift! This pattern went through several iterations, before this bag pattern was released. It has every square inch thoughtfully laid out, with some ideas if you are right or left handed. This pouch is the perfect size to slip in a medium sized purse.

Stocking – This would be great for a baby gift for National Park lovers, or your 15 year old ;P (or anyone else really!!!) You could embroider the name on the bear, or leave it as I have done.

 

This Thelma the Llama ornament is a quick project. My daughter made these for her friends, and I heard from customers that they LOVED making these as well!

Make a table runner. You’ll probably need to make these for yourself as well! This is another quick project. If you are pressed for time, use the Road Trip pattern, and sprinkle in some site specific blocks.

Make placemats. How lovely would it be to have a table set with pictures of fond memories? I can’t think of too much that is better! I designed these placemats to have nothing in the center where you put the plate, so you can see the lovely blocks. It might look a bit strange without plates, but makes more sense with the table set.

 

For Kids:

Volcano Cave for stuffed animals. A few years ago, I made this cave for a Christmas present, and it was a HUGE hit!! You could easily transform this into a mushroom cap, or a mountain, or a teepee! What other ideas do you have for this little cave home? It’s great for kids to have something they can take on the go, and put their stuffies inside, and still have a little home for them to play in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bookmark this page; I continue to add to it 🙂

💖 Rachael