With the holidays coming – several of you have reached out to me for gift ideas to make for quilty friends. So many options to choose from! Each of these are gifts you can make (or assemble) fairly quickly. In some cases, I’ve added a link to a product if it helps illustrate the idea.
Here are a few gift ideas to get you started.
Pincushions
Create pincushions using pretty containers (like teacups or small ceramic containers) – filled with steel wool covered with velvet or wool and embellished with a row of tiny beads around the edge of the container to hide the edges of the fabric. The little pincushion picture below was made and gifted to me years ago by a friend. I still use it all the time.
Another option to create pincushions is to sew a fabric pouch or small square box (miniature quilt blocks?) and fill it with either steel wool or crushed walnut shells. Check out Pincushions and more for a bunch of interesting examples.
Mason Jar Sewing Kit
Super easy to make and personalize – the Mason Jar Sewing Kit starts with a wide-mouth mason jar. Turn the lid into a pretty pincushion and fill the jar with small scissors, a seam ripper, a package of pins, some wonderclips, and some thread.
Here’s a version I found on Amazon – but making your own from scratch is so much more satisfying.
Bowl Cozy Thread Catcher
We’re all familiar with how useful a bowl cozy is for managing hot bowls in the microwave. Did you know that the small bowl cozy makes a perfect thread catcher? Lightweight, easy to stuff into a sewing bag, easy to empty, and perfect for gathering up all those small sewing tools when you are ready to pack up and head for home.
Mug Rugs
Start with a 6-inch quilt block and a 6-inch coordinating square of fabric. Sew them together to make a 6 x 12-inch top. Layer with poly batting (for heat and moisture resistance) and a backing. Quilt as desired and bind. Personalize the mug rug with the recipient’s favorite block, colors, or fabrics – and embroider their name.
The examples below are from Around the Bobbin Snug as a Bug on a Rug.
Quilted Ornaments
Miniature quilt blocks make lovely ornaments. It’s as easy as taking two small quilt blocks and layering them up with some batting. Place the quilt blocks – right sides together and add the layer of batting. Stitch around the outside edge – leaving an opening so you can turn it right side out. Add a hanging loop and close up the opening. A little hand quilting or embellishments can be a nice finishing touch.
The ornament below was made as described about – but it was stuffed with polyfill for a more three-dimensional effect.
Rotary Cutter Cozy
Sewing up a Rotary Cutter Cozy is a quick, easy project. Trace around the rotary cutter – adding a generous 1/2 inch around the perimeter. Use the pattern you created to trace onto your fabric (cut 2). I like to use wool felt for this project because there is no need to bind any seams.
Before you join the two pieces together, you could embellish them with some pretty embroidery and the recipient’s name. Use a decorative stitch to join the two pieces together (a blanket stitch is perfect for this project), leaving the end open so the rotary cutter can be slipped inside the cozy.
A different version is shared by Dawn from First Light Designs. She calls them Rotary Cutter Coats – and they are adorable. The instructions are available on her website. Photo Credit – Dawn White.
Zippered Pouches
Who doesn’t love a zippered pouch? How fun to create a different zippered pouch for each friend – filled with little treats. They will love using their pouch to contain their mall sewing tools. The Lovely Little Pouch pattern from Sweet Jane’s – is a great one to start with.
Personalized Name Tag Pocket
Those sticky paper name tags are awful. Why not create a personalized name tag that can be worn at guild meetings, quilt shows, and retreats? The name tag pocket can be personalized a little – or a lot.
This example is one I created for myself using some scrap fabric, double-fold bias binding, and some embroidery thread. This version also includes a pocket, so I always have my business cards ready to hand out. There’s no pattern for this one – I just made it up using one of the boring commercially available ones as a guide.
If your friends are part of a small quilt group – consider making name tag pockets that coordinate and feature the name of your group – as well as each person’s name.
Quilted Photo Album Cover
A photo of each of the quilts we’ve made – all in one place. What a lovely idea! Even better – is a quilted cover for that photo album. Purchase a few photo albums – and create quilted covers for them – a different cover for every album. Your quilty friends will love it!
These are just a few ideas I came up with. Do you have any you’d like to add to the list? Send me your idea using the contact form below, and I might add it to the list!
Happy gifting!
Please note – some of the links included above are affiliate links. I’ve included them to help illustrate the points I’m making in this article. If you do choose to make a purchase using one of these links, I may make a small commission.