I'd love some ideas for gifts I can make for my three girls for Christmas. I'm trying to be more economical this year (we spent a total of $300 for the girls combined last year) and still give them quality things. I am acquiring a sewing machine in the coming months. I consider myself pretty crafty but have a hard time coming up with ideas. Thanks in advance!
The "no-Sew" blankets are a great idea. My MIL made one for my daughter and it's the most coveted blanket in the house. She's making my boys each one this fall.
Log Cabin catalog and online has material and instructions to make a "Waldorf" type doll. Been meaning to do that and haven't gotten to it yet.
Hi, I am not the best sewer but made a new covers and pillowcases to match for their beds with sheets that I sewed together like a duvet. You could also make little purses- simple. Another thing I want to make for my daughter is something to clip all her barretts onto. My mom made one for me when I was little. It is a circle cut out of cardboard and covered with felt, then yarn braided and draped over the top of the circle to look like hair with long braids, then sew on button for eyes and paint on nose and mouth. It is really cute if you can picture it and then you clip the barretts onto it. You can make the hair the same color as the childs. I dont know- sound cheesy? Just a thought. Good luck
HI K.. I love handmade gifts! I loved someone's idea for pajamas. There's such cute fabric out there. You should check out Etsy. They sell things on there but you also get awesome ideas looking at other people's handiwork. www.etsy.com Have fun! :)
I blog about stuff I make for kids. Some things I've made that my kids really enjoy playing with are felt board activities and felt food:
http://thriftycraftmama.blogspot.com/search/label/felt%20...
Their amigurumi crochet toys:
http://thriftycraftmama.blogspot.com/search/label/amiguru...
and a few other sewn projects:
http://thriftycraftmama.blogspot.com/search/label/sewing%...
There are some great ideas here. You can also make a Christmas ornament for each girl and put the date on it. When they open it, they can find a place to put it on the tree. You can use Christmas fabrics, or you can do a theme - for example, take the idea of using some old clothes or a think blanket, and use that fabric for the item. You can get patterns for various ornaments at any fabric store. Another idea is to take scraps of fabric and use a large styrofoam ball. Using a flat-head screwdriver, press the edges of a fabric scrap into a ball. Then take a contrasting fabric, press the edge into one "trench" you just made on the previous scrap, and then do the remaining edges over a blank space in the ball. Take a third fabric, start pressing into existing "trenches", and continue. You wind up with a ball that looks like it's been quilted - the sections look sort of puffy, but they are really just fabric pressed along the surface of the ball. Take a ribbon or a piece of rick-rack, and press it deep into one section of the ball with a skewer, and that is the hanger. These are easy, and best to do with thinner fabrics like calicos or cottons. You could use a sharpie marker to put each girl's name and the year on it, or you could purchase a small hanging plaque or charm at the craft store. I love the other posted idea of little purses - you could make them to match the ornaments if you like. You could also make those photo bulletin boards with larger remnants of fabric and some ribbon which you criss-cross and secure with craft pins.
I've made my boys fleece blanket and pillow sets and they loved them. They are really cozy in the winter and they are great to have for travel. There are all diffferent kinds of fleece available ,great colors,patterns or theme prints, and oftern seems to go on sale close to the holidays. Fleece is also great for making easy scarves
My first thought was making little cloth diapers and clothes for dolls. Pillowcases and curtains to match should also be fairly easy. Maybe some small scrunchies? I like the little purse idea someone else had.
I recommend a dress up wardrobe made from old clothes. You can make a few modifications to shorten sleeves or hems, change buttons to Velcro... That age is starting to "try out" who they are and dressing up is one big way they do it. If you want you can add some fancy buttons or decorations. You can decorate a basket or bin to put it all in too.
When I travelled to my in-laws last year, I made gifts with my sons' handprints. I bought some aprons at a craft store and white kitchen towels at Target. Everyone loved the gifts.
handmade gifts can be the sweetest and most meaningful! how about a simple quilt with squares of some of their clothing that they have outgrown, personalized with an initial or name for each child. or maybe a little purse for each girl with cute things inside. i think jumpers are a relatively simple pattern. have fun! that is so great that you are getting started now. i am inspired. there is nothing more hectic than waiting until the last days!!
One year I appliqued things like butterflies and ballet shoes on the ends of big fluffy towels for my girls. i had seen custom deesigns similar in the LL Bean catalogue and decided to do them myself. Easy, fun and they girls LOVED them and used them for years. I also have ceramic items in my store that you could custom paint for them- plates, bowls, mugs, piggy banks.. http://www.KristiJohnstonArtworks.com
come visit!
have you seen the "No Sew" Blankets. see here: http://www.allkindsofbabystuff.com/ click on no sew blanket. i did this one year for christmas. i started in august and made about 15 blankets for everyone i knew. watch the Jo-Ann's flyer. fleece is on sale all of the time. also sign up for their mailing list and get a 40% off coupon about every 2 weeks. i went in about every 2 weeks and bought 1-2 pieces of fleece. find the pattern that you like first (b/c they always have the solid colors). you could also do the same thing for a Pillow size. and also make matching Pj's. add a gift card to block buster or a movie and a bag of pop corn for a movie night. or add you're "own" gift certificates for sertian activities/treats to use later.
If your girls enjoy playing with dolls, you might enjoy sewing doll clothes. I still have the beautiful clothes that my grandmother made for my Barbies and other dolls and I'm 44 years old! Also, if the girls like to play dress up you might like to make them an assortment of costumes. You will find patterns at the fabric store for anything you can think of, even teddy bears. Have fun and be sure to shop the fabric sales and always check the remnant tables!
hw about some pajamas? and some homemade dolls? you can also embroider each girls name onto her doll's belly and make it looke just like them :) there arew tons of patterns to make stuffy's an ddolls & doll clothes
Check out Soulemama.com She blogs about beautiful creative things she makes with and for her kids. I think she is a genius. She also wrote a book called the Creative Family.
Good luck!
