If you’re like me, time can be short but ambitions can be large. I always want to make gifts for my family and friends but many times run out of time.
I’ve been blogging since 2008 and in that time have accumulated quite the library of projects. I spent the weekend sorting through the hundreds of tutorials on this site to find over 40 projects that I think are great handmade gift ideas. All of them are “afternoon” projects, none will take more than a day, and all use a minimum amount of materials. Most are free, and a few are paid patterns.
We are down to just a few short weeks until Christmas. About this time each year I feel like I’ve run out of ideas for gifts. I just spent yesterday brainstorming with friends as to what to buy for my 15 year old son (suggestions welcomed, he has nothing on his list).
I’ve broken down the list into parts for you… Gifts you can sew, including gift ideas to sew for your friends, kids and the guys in your life. I’ve also included another list of non sewn gifts that you can easily craft in an afternoon.
Table of Contents
Sewing Projects that Make Great Gifts For Friends
2. Derby Tote – makes a great tote for school, work or church.
Things to Sew for Kids as Gifts
25. Baby Doll Receiving Blanket
29. Personalized Canvas Tote Bags
DIY Gift Ideas for Guys
No-Sew Handmade Gift Ideas
34. Snow Globe Gingerbread Houses
42. DIY Hogwarts House Notebooks
Genia says
Hi Melissa! First, I love your Alice in Wonderland fabrics!
My son is 18 and I have no wish list either. One really cool thing that my son bought for himself is a virtual reality controller for his phone. He got a Samsung gear VR ( its on Amazon). It was so amazing that my husband bought one for his google phone. They make 180 and 360 photos feel like you are right there. You can get games for them too. My husband got a Google daydream. The Samsung focuses and the daydream records sound. Both are cool.
Thanks for the suggestion! It’s funny we were just talking about those VR headsets last night! I’ll have to look into it.
Anya says
Hello Melissa! You had me with the pillow case tutorial this past week! I ordered enough fabric for all the inlaws. The little Santas fabric is in the pile as well…it was impossible to resist! My favorite source for special prints is Hawthorne Threads. The orders have always arrived complete, and the fabric was clean and the cuts were precise. This is helpful as I ordered different prints for each family member, and I won’t even have to cut the pieces. They are ready to sew! Thank you for sharing the idea!